Evening star., 1939-04-02
~ the Associated Press.


German fellow citizens:
He who wants to have the deep
est impression of decay and the
resurrection of Germany most
vividly must go and see the develop
ment of a city like Wilhelmshaven,
which today reverberates with life
and activity and which only a
short time ago was a dead spot
nearly without means of existence
and without prospects of future
1t pays to revisualize this past.
When this city experienced its
first upward move it conceded with
the rise of the German reich after
its unification This Germany was
state of peace. During the same
time, as the so-called peaceloving
and puritan nations led great
number of wars. Germany then
knew only one aim: To maintain
peace, to work in peace and to
raise the prosperity of its inhab-
itants and thereby contribute to
human culture and civilization.
This Germany of peace times has
attempted with unending diligence,
with geniality and with steadiness,
to form its life within and to safe
guard utWardly--through partici-
patton in peaceful competition with
the nations-its due place in the
sun.
Even though this Germany
through the decades was the safest
guarantor Of peace and even though
she occupied herself with peaceful
things, she was unable to prevent
other nations and especially their
statesmen from following this rise
with envy and hatred and finally to
answer with a war.
Pre-War Encirclement Policy
Held Planned by England.
Today we know from documents
of history now the encirclement pol
icy of those times was carried on in
a planned way by England.
We know from numerous findings
and publications that in that coun-
try the conception was that it would
be necessary to bring down Germany
militarily because its destruction
would insure every British citizen
greater abundance of life's pos
sessions.
Certainly at that time Germany
made mistakes. Its most serious
mistake was to see this enclrclement
and not to stave it off in time.
The only fault we can blame the
regime of that time for is that the
Reich had full knowledge of this
devilish plan of a raid and yet it
\ did not have the power of decision
J to ward it off in time and could only
let the enlightenment rlpen until the
beginning of the catastrophe.
The result was the World War.
In this war the German people, al
though it had by no means the best
ornaments, fought heroically. No
people can claim glory for itself to
have forced us doWn-much less so
that nations whose statesmen today
speak the greatest words.
This Germany faced the world in
absolute defenselessness because it
was lnprepared.
Germans Saw Hope Of Peace
In Wilson'S IA Points.
When Wilson's IA points were
published. not only many German
fellow citizens, but above all. lead
ing" men, saw in these IA points not
only the possibility of ending the
World War but also pacif1cation Of
the world at large.
A peace was to be finally
crowned by a league of all free
nations.
1t was to be a guarantor of equal
rights that would make it seem
superfluous in the future for peo-
pies to bear ornaments that pre-
viously so it was said, were so
heavily burdensome.
Therefore rmament-dlSarma-
ment of all nations!
Germany was to go ahead as
good example. Everybody was
obliged to follow this disarmament.
} Also the age of secret diplomacy
was to be ended
All problems henceforth were to
be discussed openly, freely.
First of all, however, the right OF
self determination of nations finally
was to have been settled and raised
to its proper Importance.
Germany believed in these as
surances. With faith in these decla-
rations it had dropped its weapons.
And then a breach of pledge be-
gan such a world history had never
seen before.
When our nation had dropped its
weapons a period of suppression,
blackmailing, plundering and slavery
began -
Robbery upon robbery, oppression
upon oppression were the conse-
quences.
Sufferings of German People
Ignored by DemOcracies.
No one in this democratic world
bothered himself any more about
the sufferings of our people. Hun
dreds of thousands fell in the war,
not from enemy weapons, but from
the hunger blockade. And after
the war ended. this blockade was
continued for months in order to
Cypress our people still more.
Evan German war prisoners alter
an endless time had to remain IN
captivity. German colonies were
stolen from us, German foreign
holdings were simply seized and
our merchant marine was taken
away -.
The League of Nations was not an |
instrument of a just policy of under
standing among nations, but it was
guarantee of the meanest dictation
man ever invented.
I, as an unknown soldier of the
World War, drew by conclusions.
It was very short and simple !
program. IT ran: Removal of the |
internal enemies of the nation, |
termination of the divisions within |
Germany, the gathering up of the
entire national strength of our peo-