Evening star., 1940-01-07

FORMER Counselor
10 the Editor Of the New York Times:
1t might be well at this time to con.
slider the three present possibilities ot
war and peace. The first is that of 9
Hitler victory.
A Hitler victory is perhaps not prob
ability but to exclude it as a possibility
is worse than misleading; it is dangerous
For years mighty army of wishful
thinkers competed in predicting Hitler's
downfall
when Hitler reunited with the Reich two
very rich agricultural provinces-Posen
and West Prussia-and an enormously
rich mineral district-East Upper Silesia
the wishful thinkers said that he got
IN Poland merely an empty bag" They
now call him a tool in the hands of
Josef Stain as they had called him
originally tool in the hands of German
industrialists, of Mussolini or of German
Army generals.
Hitler'S victory is, as already stated, a
possibility for at least three major
reasons of predominantly technical ma
ture, even If all the inherent military
advantages of totalitarian system as
such are omitted from consideration.
Her Force Reason.
One OF them is, Of course, the problem
Of the relative superiority of an air fleet
or navy. Much discussed, it still re-
mains completely unanswered. Yet a
fandonru tn ifc
can hardly be denied.
OF truly revolutionary consequence has
been the construction of the German
West Wall. Without it Poland would
probably still exist. Its further usefulness
promises to be even greater, if the war
strategy Of the allies should continue to
be based primarily on efforts of depriving
Hitler of raw materials by blockade.
Only major land battles result in
very large consumption of copper, cot
ton, rubber, etc., and if, under the pro-
lection of his West Wall. Hitler refrains
from major land battles, his need for
raw materials will be greatly limited.
AS long as the war is war Of blockade,
while the German Army remains intact
behind the West Wall, there will not be
felt by the bulk of the German masses
any white war" of nerves. 1t is the army
which is Germany. On the other hand,
1t is the navy which is England. Quite
necessarily the bulk of the British
masses must feel the war of nerves more
severely from hostilities in which the
British Navy will be assailed primarily
and suffer losses.
Hitler will make very skillful use of
this situation and will become the most
furious propaganda for peace on his
terms that could be imagined.
Additional factors are likely to help
him in such endeavors. There are still
people in Europe, especially in England,
who believe that section within the
National Socialist party is more redical
and another less radical than Hitler
himself. They do not know and do not
want to admit that Hitler's radicalism is
unsurpassed. Neither do they realize
that Hermann Goering is fully his equal
To regard Goering as conservative is
tantamount to calling Gandhi a war
monger or Trotsky capitalist.
The Russian Factor.
The final attitude of Russia is unde-
termined; the chances of ever closer CO.
operation with Hitler's bolshevised Ger
many are many times great than the
opposite chances.
Uncertain is the final part to be played
by Mussolini, who never has ceased to
claim the control of the Mediterranean.
Uncertain, too, is the way of Japan,
which might prefer to divide china with
Russia, thus, in mutual interest, elimi-
mating Great Britain also from the Far
East and Central Asia.
Hitler's victory however, would be both
defeat for Germany and defeat for
Europe. 1t would be defeat for Ger
many, because no transitory increase Of
military and political power could out
balance the definite destruction of all the
better qualities of the German nation
as result of the National Socialist de-
struction of law and justice, of political
freedom, replaced by political insincerity
and hypocrisy; of freedom of science,
education art and press; of free labor
and free enterprise; of free worship, and
VA GAL SAA2 AoUAdAl, CVlllIdl I1lC.
lers victory would mean the greatest
tragedy for the German nation.
Then 80 million former Germans, set
tied in the center of Europe, would de-
velop into something like tumor in the
whole European body, finally affecting
all of Europe and all her present politi-
cal, economic, cultural and religious
conditions. A victorious Hitler would
make his peace with Fascist leaders like
M Doriot in France or Sir Orwald Mosley
In England
But even if for some time other gov
ernments of some democratic caliber\
might still exist, they could not remain
in power for long. In spite Of the wis
dom of few political sages, there is in
modern times very little possibility of
any lasting co-existence between totai-
tartan and democratic politics, economics,
sciences, between state-owned religions
and disestablished religions.
Civilizations Doom.
It would not make the slightest diff
ference whether one would call this new
system communistic or fascistic. Already
q few political chatterboxes talk about
some grand march Of England, France,
italy and Germany against Russia. But
1t is for the millions involved just the
a