Evening star., 1939-03-20
In HitIer's VituI Spot

To grasp the full significance of
the Treasury's action in imposing an
extra twenty-five per cent tariff on
many products which Germany eX-
ports to this country, it is necessary
to recall two recent public addresses.
One was President Roosevelt's mes
sage to Congress on January 3, the
other Chancellor Hitler's speech to
the Reichstag on January 80.
Referring to American opinion of
dictatorial government and its ag-
gressions against free peoples, the
President limited at methods short
Of war;" which are within the power
of the United States to invoke, and
which would graphically demonstrate
the American peoples adherence of
the things totalitarianism repre-
Sents. Discussing Germanys eco
nomic distress, the Fuehrer empha-
sized the Reich's dual needs of COL
onies and export markets, stressing
the latter in tell-tale phrase which
sets forth that Germany must ex-
port or die
The United States Treasury, there
fore, on the basis of Hitler's own tes-
timony, has hit the Reich in vital
spot. This Government and people
have no desire that the German peo-
pie shall "die." They could restrain
their grief If the Nazi tyranny, which
holds Germany captive, were to give
up the ghost as a result of under
mining economic conditions. 1t is pre-
cisely because Hitler knows the peril
to his system, which turks in for
eign- -trade-starved Germany, that he
admits before the world that export
is life and death question for the
Reich-and for the Nazis.
Our imports from Germany de-
clined in 1888 to $64,537OOO, COM
pared with $92 ,463OOO in 1887. 1t is
estimated that at least 100000 of
last years business was carried on by
barter. American exports to the
Reich in 1888 totaled $108,588, 900.
They consisted primarily of cotton
and other rawstuffs which the Ger
mans cannot readily obtain else
where. Americans are buying less
from the Reich unquestionably as a
means of registering their resent
ment of Nazidom and all it's works.
The placing of tariff on German
imports, which will still further di-
minish them, is transparency a
measure of the Governments disap-
proval Of the CZecho-Slovakian seiz-
ure. 1t will evoke the Nations sup
port, because it speaks the only Ian
guage Hitlerism understands.
Exactly what Hitler means when
he proclaims that Germany must
export or die" is that the Nazis can
not live on land-grabbing alone.
They cannot manufacture without
raw materials. They cannot get raw
materials essential to German indus
try-including the chief industry,
without foreign eX-
change, chiefly dollars and pounds.
Until Germany's semi wrecked ex-
port trade is revived, sterling and
dollar exchange cannot possibly be
obtained in anything like requisite
amount. Hence Hitlers tears.
There need be no apprehension
here that the United States, in slap
ping countervailing duty on German
goods, is callously imposing hardship
on Hitler's helpless people. The Gin
dustry'' he is mainly interested to
keep going, by acquisition of raw
materials purchaseable only through
export-supported foreign exchange,
Is the Nazi munitions industry. It is
the fabulous output of that industry,
notably aircraft, which has enabled
the Fuehrer-thus far-to bluff and
intimidate his way across Europe.