Evening star., 1939-10-11
Americans
Seeking Way Home
Annoy Companies
Minority in Rotterdam
Loudly Pro;se Hitler,
Criticize U. S.
BY THOMAS II. HENRY,

ROTTERDAM, Oct. II (by radio).
American tourists and business
men are drifting out of Germany
at a rate of 20 or 30 q day. More
than 1000 are in hotels here and
in Amsterdam. Some of them-a
minority-are intensely pro-Ger-
man. They praise Adolf Hitler and
curse the United States Govern
ment because it is doing nothing"
about the release of Dutch ships,
held at Southampton, on which
they had booked passage.
For the most part these are Ger
man-Americans. Some of them had
been In the Reich for months. They
went into ecstasy over Hitler's al
legged peace offer as they listened
to it over the radio.
Other Americans marooned here
find their tempers at the boiling
point over the constant song of
praise from these people who are
going back to tell America the
truth" It wouldn't take much to
start fist fight among folks whose
nerves are already frazzled. The
members of the large pro-ally con-
tingent are holding their tempers
with difficulty to keep the peace.
The most virulent American
Hitlerites are women. After a
chorus of exultation following
Hitler's speech, at least six neutral
Americans called at the room of this
correspondent and said they did not
care to be mixed up with the Hitler
crowd.
Only One Statesman.
A large element of these people
who are now coming out of Germany
and are frantic to get back to the
United States are almost as anti
American as anti-British, and all
are intensely anti-Semitic. There
is only one statesman in America,
they say. That's Father Coughlin.
Some even go so far as to deny
there is a war. Germany has been
basely attacked, they say, but now
Hitler has become too powerful to
worry about. They sneer at thou
sands of men in uniform in Holland
and at the bomb shelters that may
be found on almost every street
corner. One woman is raging be-
cause a Dutch policeman had "the
nerve" to stop her for a violation
Of traff1c regulations while driving
an American car. She had driven
5000 miles through that land of
milk and honey" beyond the Rhine,
she said, without being stopped by a
German policeman.
Hitler" declared former Amer
ican Government official, "has not
broken his word" This was too
much even for those who were try
ing to be polite. They asked about
Prague and Poland and the Fuehr-
er's promises at Munich.
Conditions Change"
conditions change" replied this
ex-Government official. 1.-THE Presi-
dent of Czecho-S -Slovakia came to
Hitler and begged him to take over
the country to put an end to an
archy. He didn't break his word as
long as the conditions were the
same as when his word was given"
These pro-Hitler Americans listen
to German broadcasts with adora-
ton in their eyes for "the greatest
man in this century" They want
to tell that fathead Roosevelt"
They sneer in the faces of the
Dutch, who are their very hospitable
hosts.
Holland, they say, is so dirty
compared to Germany" Their state.
ments are in extraordinary contra
diction of the widespread reputa-
ton OF Holland for being the clean
est country on earth. They refuse
to tip walters. Hitler does not allow
anything like that, they say. They
want to go back to the United
States. they say, because they have
business interests there. They seem
to be in hurry. Every few days an
indignant delegation calls at the
American consulate to demand &C.
ton.
Joseph P. Kennedy, the Amer.
ican Ambassador to London, is 8
recipient of all the hatred they
have left over from President
Roosevelt. But the majority o1
Americans here, most of whom hav.
drifted out of Germany, have little
sympathy for the German cause ane
simply want to get home.