Evening star., 1940-12-22
Nazi Organization
Keeps Fingers on
Reich Public Pulse
Reactions to New Steps
Con Be Tested Within
Matter of Hours
BY PRESTON GROVER,

BERLIN.-In eight days, Adolf
Hitler can explain to his people such
thing as his present reasons for
being nice to Russia-and he can
smell the first smoke of unrest or
serious discomfort in a matter Of
hours.
1t is all matter of party organi-
cation, worked out to the last au-
thoritarian detail. In the breadth
of its scope it has the American
style of sentiment poll backed to
the wall.
For instance, it was necessary
to help the German people under
stand why it was important to have
Russia as an ally or at least
quiet friend who would not strike
back 1t seems that the pact came
first, then the people were told why
1t was necessary.
The full public explanation was
not given to the people through
newspapers. Instead, it was passed
down through the chain of party
leadership to the final row of block
leaders. 1t was their job to explain
1t to party members and non party
members living in their blocks.
The explanation seemed to have
been accepted, even though it was
sharp change of front for a
regime which had been hammering
against the Communist from the
day of its birth.
How System Works.
Here is how the system works:
For party purpose, Germany is
divided into 40 gaus or districts
Each gau is divided into Circles"
each of which in turn is divided
into towns. The towns, of course,
are the towns or cities within the
'circle." The towns are divided
into cells" and these are sub
divided into blocks. The blocks are
simple city blocks.
Over each gau, circle, town. cell
and block is a leader responsible
for reporting or informing" the
territory under his jurisdiction.
If the job is to inform" the public
IN quiet way why the once-hated
Russians must be considered re-
spected colleagues in the new world
order, for instance, the district
leaders are called to Berlin, all 40
of them. They fly to save time.
There they hear talks by party
leaders, historians and military men.
They are given complete fiN-in
of what the German leadership
wants them to take back to their
subordinates.
They fly back to their districts and
call meetings of circle leaders, who
in turn get the official explanation
Thus it is passed on down to the
block leaders through series of
conferences. To the block leaders
falls the job of doling out the in
formation to the German public.
Often enough the explanations
never reach the papers. The public
knows the Fuehrer's reasons for an
action taken-or in some instances
to be taken-without it's ever having
been made public" matter. The
process explains some of the count
less 'rumors" forever coming to the
ears of foreigners.
In turn, the system permits the
Fuehrer to sample the public morale
at any time, and, more particularly,
to learn how it will accept some pro-
posed new decree. 1t has been tried
repeatedly in the cases of tax mat
ters.
Hess Has Veto Power.
In this connection it is interesting
10 note that the Fuehrer lodges
In the hands of another man a Ger
tain amount of veto power over
DEGREES. That is Rudolf Hess, head
of the party and stand-in for the
Fuehrer in party matters.
suppose new tax is proposed of
doubtful popularity. The district
leaders may be called to Berlin to
get an earful of it or they NAV
simply get letter explaining what
1t is. Then they are asked to re-
port how the public will accept it.
Down through the channel it goes
until the block leader starts pa
tlently knocking at door after door
10 greet the residents with Hell
hitler and to make the explana-
tlon or discuss the matter of taxes
generally with the householders to
get their sentiment. When he gets
1t he passes it up to his cell chief
VINO IN turn sets it along the chan
mel to Hess.
II the reports indicate to Hess
That there will be heap of protests
and dlscontent he is empowered to
veto the decree-unless the Fuehre-
holds the thing to be one of the
1rremovable necessities.
One informant said Hess had
vetoed one or two tax DEGREES, which
later were revised so as not to arouse
the opposition found against the
originals.
Overtime Tax Abolished.
One notable re-arrangement of
taxes recently abolished the tax on
money gained from overtime work,
Ihere had been complaints from
Workmen that so much of the money
they earned by overtime labor was
taken by taxes that they gained
little from it.
IT there were any real unrest, Hit
ler's private poll" would know it i'm
mediately-probably within hours
His block leaders would hear of it
and report it up through the ranks.
An accumulation of such reports
from any particular section of Ger
many would be warning signal
for some sort of curative action.
Neutral observers sense two DOS
sible defects in the sentiment
sensing system, although German
party members insist they do not
exist:
l. Block leaders or the various
other ranks of leaders, might report
q joyous spirit in order to demon
strate how well they were keeping
their "f1ocks" in tow, even though
no such happy sentiment existed.