The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-05-06
THEORISTS SEE HITLER NOW
CAUGHT in TWO-WAY TRAP
By PRESTON GROVER
Associated Press Feature Service Writer

WAOIl11N0 1OlN, Mdy VI wv
views of the situation Herr Hit
Ter now faces persist in Washing
ton, both having some points in
common even if differing in de-
tail.
One is that Hitler faces such
a confusion of internal difficulties
that he can no longer pose as the
all-knowing-One so successfully
unless he is able to deliver the
country out of the trouble by ag-
gressive expansion. He cannot
expand further without real dam
ger TO war, and war would be his
immediate undoing.
The other is that such views
are prompted at least in part by
wishful thinking, although it is
conceded that Hitler's internal
troubles are great and that war
might readily bring his down
fall.
Basic facts supporting both
views are largely the same. One
usually we'll informed source had
information from Germany that
the business and economic lead
ers of the country-they used to
be the leaders, that is-would be
glad to display more courage in
combating Hitler if they had
some assurance of economic i'm
provement if he were checked.
Hands Tied
A departmental executive with
a wealth of resources for. infor-
nation about Germany agreed
that business and economic. fig
ures there disapproved of Hit
ler's course, but were powerless
to act.
"Ninety-nine percent of these
people disagree with 80 percent
of what he is doing, he said. But
he insisted there was no oppor-
tunity for action.
Those who hold that Hitler has
real danger to fear from war.
recalled that at one time there
was a real division in the Reich
between Hitler and the old line
army leaders then headed by
Werner Won Blomberg as field
marshal and minister of war. 1t
was truly serious division be-
cause Blomberg had the undoubt-
ed loyalty of the 100000 men in
the regular army.
The division reputedly still per-
sists although Blomberg shook
the morale Of his followers by
marrying a woman out of his sta
ton in life. Then he retired. and
Hitler shuffled army leadership
enough to bring the army more
nearly under his own wing.
The understanding is that Hit
ler's real dependence for internal
support as well as for troops in
war lies in his various shock
troops and divisions built up
within the past six years. Within
that structure is seen a real weak
ness-six years is not long enough
to train a corps of officers cap
able of conducting a war against
first rank opposition.
Rehearsals Don't Count
Marching two million men
about the countryside in dress
parade mobilization is one thing.
1t is another to feed them, COM
mand them in war and keep them
efficiently fighting. That is a job
for officers trained for longer
than six years.
The officers with lengthy train
ing lie within the staff of the reg
ular army. In event of war these
army leaders would have to take
command to avert disaster and
that would give them the whip
hand.
Thus Hitler would appear to
have two solid sources of pres
sure from within driving him to-
ward a more amiable course
abroad. The British-French "en-
circlement" increases his danger
of war. and in war his power
might slip into the hands of the
old line army officers. The other
is the prospect that the business
and industrial elements of the
Reich may see hope for them in
the economic" assistance prom
ised in President Roosevelt's
message tc the dictators as prize
for seeking peaceful solutions of
European troubles.
Officials here recognize those
two elements as important aids
toward peace.