Evening star., 1940-07-20
HitIer's Or Else

HitIer's Or Else
Chancellor Hitler's address to the
Reichstag is a familiar medley Of
alibi and bluster. His speech, mainly
devoted to review of the blitzkrieg
victories Of the Nazi war machine
since 1t was flung into action against
Poland last August, is distinguished
by single new note, at its close.
This takes the form Of zone more
appeal to reason in England" q
warning that "a world empire will
be destroyed" If Britain insists on
continuing to fight. The Fuehrer
stressed that he was speaking as a
victor proposing sensible peace"
rather than as conqueror demand
ing capitulation of a vanquished foe.
But the German war lord, who
throughout pictured himself as a
super Napoleon, left no doubt that
what he actually projects is Britain's
surrender on terms to be dictated by
him, or the alternative of annihila-
ton. In other words, Run up the
white flag, or else" The Nazi chief
tain gives no inkling of what his
peace terms would be, but the &C
cents Of fire and birthstone in which
he discussed the arch foe made it
plain that unless Hitler's price is
paid the horrors of total war" on
the British Isles are inevitable.
The Fuehrer harped upon this
theme in terms long since made
threadbare by frequent usage. Hav-
ing earlier accused Allied statesmen
Of fomenting war which Germany
never wanted, and scorning his offer
Of peace even after it began, Hitler
charged that Churchill and his gov
ernment can only be clamoring for a
continuance of hostilities because
they do not realize what this will
mean for millions of people who,
unlike Churchill" will have to face
the music, because it was not given
to them ito flee to Canada" Then
came the flat-footed prophecy that
unless England listens to reason"
she will suffer obstruction of her
world empire"
For the rest, Hitler's address is a
rehash of the Nazis' case for their
war Of aggression and a record of
the triumphs of their 10000, 900 00O-
marks blitzkrieg machine. He
acclaimed the axis alliance with
Italy, glorified Mussolini, and spoke
of the firm understanding with
Russia. His flamboyancies run the
whole gamut from the injustices OF
the dictate OF Versailles" to the
crushing, in turn, OF Denmark, Nor
way, the Netherlands, Belgium and
France. The invasion of Norway and
the Low Countries is justified afresh
by the alleged discovery, by a Ger
man soldier in France last month.
OF secret documents disclosing in
detail Allied plans to violate the
neutrality of Norway and Sweden,
embroil the Balkans and Turkey,
and drag the Netherlands and Bel
GUM into the "barbarous machina-
tions" of Britain and France, for
the destruction of Germany"
Stripped of claims and subter-
fuges, which are distinguished, as
Hitler's utterances usually are, by
bland disregard or distortion of
known facts-such as his palliation
OF the wanton attack on Norway
the Fuehrer's latest outburst,
amounts to plea to Britain to
yield on Nazi terms. Discernible
Is a clear hint of realization that,
terrible as invasion might be for
the United Kingdom, it would be q
costly undertaking for Germany.
The Fuehrer's transparent hope of
avoiding it is not hidden by the
boast that in morale, man power,
munitions and raw materials Ger
many today is stronger than before
she loosed her thunderbolts in the
west on May 10.
1t was only last Sunday that Mr..
Churchill almost seemed to antici-
pate Hitler's cor else" plea for peace.
The Prime Minister broadcast that
the war probably would last at least
two more years, with a replenished
Britain taking the offensive in 1912.
Meantime, he solemnly declared, I'VE
shall seek no terms; we shall tolerate
no parleys. We may show mercy;
we shall ask none" And then. in a
passage which in itself is a forth
right rejoinder to yesterdays Hit
lerian "last word," the rugged leader
who personif1es the British bulldog
spirit, said: 1--WE would rather see
London laid in ruins and ashes than
that it should be tamely and abjectly
enslaved!"
The lion fights on.