Evening star., 1940-09-01
So" the Propaganda Minister soid,
you're our great notionol hero!"

offered one to him. He declined. Then she con-
tinued Tell me what it's really like What do
you actually think of when you're facing such
dangers?'
you don't have time to think" he said.
81 suppose you don't even think of the
enemy you're supposed to kl?"
mo, you become machine. But l imagine
woman wouldn't understand that"
Her mouth grew tense. mo, guess wom-
an wouldn't ="
He talked on, looking past her, as if he we're
talking to himself. you see, we don't even
think of ourselves even though we might be
blown up any moment. Maybe now and then
we feel surprised that it hasn't happened yet
She got up to go: AT any rate you weren't
thinking about Adolf Hitler"
He was annoyed, but didn't want to show it.
You're asking too many questions. We don't
ask questions; we do our duty"
ITS my duty to ask questions" she said
Wilhelm breathed sigh of relief when she
had gone. That was over and done with. He
sent for all the morning editions. In every paper
he found the silly interview she had quoted
Where in the world had they got it? He had
not spoken to single reporter.
And the interviews we're nothing compared
to the biographies which also appeared in all
the newspapers. 1t was true that he had been
born and raised in small town in Westphalia.
the son of Lutheran pastor. But it was not
at all true that while still very young he had
decided to join the navy because he felt that the
Treaty of Versailles was an intolerabe outrage.
Nor was it true that he had been member of
Htler's party since 1925. He had joined the
navy because he loved the sea- In 1925 he had
been scarcely nineteen, and had never heard of
Hitler.
k1E DECIDED to see the editors. At the first
newspaper he was met with astonishment and
fright The chief editor, who knew that a word
from Faber might cost him his job, even his
freedom, stammered: "Oh, this is terrible; what
did we omit? Was the picture too small -"
The next editor shrugged his shoulders: What
can we do? We print what the Minister of
Propaganda sends us. We can't add or take
away single comma"
Wilhelm drove off to the Ministry of Prop
aganda. He had to wait in the anteroom for
few minutes. Opposite him sat man, also
waiting. He was without hat or coat, SO that
Wilhelm took him for Ministry employee. He
seemed to be deeply interested in his news
paper, but two or three times Wilhelm caught
the man peering at him over his paper. The
man had a broad scar across his left cheek.
The Minister rose to his feet when Wilhelm
Faber entered With lips compressed and hands
in his pockets, the Minister walked back and
forth in front of Faber, inspecting him. Finally
he said slowly in his queer, snarling voice,
mot bad, not bad"
Faber bit his lip and remained silent.
The Minister snarled again: so you're our
great national hero. You're the one who sank
the British battleship -"
4"
yes, yes, know. Very important, sinking
enemy battleshps But propaganda is more
important. If the people lose faith. all the
enemy ships we sink aren't worth damn"
Suddenly the Minister began to laugh up
roariously, then stopped just as suddenly.
Have you seen the papers,"
"Yes, that's what came about ="
Pretty good, EN-? I'll make you the most
popular man in the country. Next to the
Fuehrer. of course" he added. laughing again.
Then he began to explain that Wilhelm was
to deliver a series of radio talks.
But I'm no good at speechmaking.
you don't have to be. Well give you the
scripts and all you have to do is read them"