Evening star., 1940-01-04
Reporter Arrested
In Prussia After
Taking Pictures
Teen-Aee Boys Leer 4,
Knowingly as He Is
Seized in Cufe
(Forty-Fitth OF a Sertes.)
Nv WILLIAM L. WHITE.

VI W Jtic VI " wv 'SS/
By WILLIAM L. WHITE.
sAsN1TZ, Prussia (by airmaiD -
"But, of course, you can take pic
lures in Germany" the bright
Young attaches at the propadanda
ministerium in Berlin had insisted.
NATURALLY not at the west wall or
fortifications. But anything else"
Yet Berlin turned out to be very
sophisticated and urbane place, al
though I did not realize it at the
time.
Now know small towns: so I got
very much interested in Sasnitz, the
jumping-off place OF Germany.
where you take the steamer for
Sweden. 1t is a little northern
village, where the sun barely gets
above the horizon in winter and
then comes palely through chill fog.
The occupations of Sasnitz are fish,
ing for herring and patriotism. AL
though in Berlin I had become used
to seeing Hitler's picture In the
window, did not know what Ger
man patriotism was until I came to
Sasnitz. Der Fuehrer scowled out
of the druggists window opposite
the display of pharmaceuticals. He
scowled out of the bakers window.
He scowled from the window of q
store which had gone out Of busi-
ness, but the owner of the location
had built a patriotic window dis
play around the scowl, pending a
new tenant.
Scowl Back at Displays.
The people of Sasnitz are very
blond, with thick necks. The women
have stringy blond hair which they
constantly wash with laundry soap,
and they are all a deathly pale be-
cause there is little sun, and they
patriotically scowl back at the
patriotic window displays, and then
scowl patriotically at one another
to make sure that every one else is
scowling patriotically.
In one of the leading department
stores display windows was patrl-
otic display made, according to the
window card, by the Ladies Auxiliary
of the National Socialist party. In
the center was an almost life-size
portrait of the Fuehrer, who scowls
out at you from an evergreen
wreath, patriotically woven by the
scowling women of Sasnitz.
Underneath is placard under the
heading How would you like this,
German women?" and then follows
script which explains in big letters
that one of the British war aims is
to divide Germany and then import
black men into Prussia for the pur-
pose Of polluting the racial blood
purity of Prussian women: All the
scowling little children read this
sign, and the scowling men and
women OF Sasnitz. Then they look
up at the Fuehrer's picture, whose
scowl treasures them that this shall
never happen to the scowling women
OF Sasnitz.
After photographing this and also
parade of scowling steel helmeted
soldiers down the main street, I
went to the principal restaurant of
the village for lunch. As I opened
the door all the men sitting at the
tables drinking beer looked up,
scowled and raised their right hands
end said, Hell Hitler?"
Question Unanswered
"Guten tag" I answered, and
smiled (Which a foreigner must al
ways do in Germany if he does not
return the salute, which no self
respecting one ever does, and then
I turned to the bar man and asked
him If he could tell me when the
steamer left for Sweden, and please
speak slowly, because I was an
American.
Before he could answer, the man
at the door who had said Hell Hit
Ter" the loudest mumbled, "We could
tell you were some kind of damned
foreigner because you did not re-
turn the salute smiled pleasantly
as though had not understood,
nor realized that what he said was
directed at me. This is also some
times useful thing to do in Ger
many. All the other men laughed.
The bar man smiled, too, but he did
tell me when the steamer left for
Sweden.
So then I sat down and asked for
Q menu. The barman's wife scowled
and said, I'VE have only herring"
I said would have herring. AS I ate
I noticed that couple of early
teen-age kids in the uniform of the
Hitler Jugend, which is very pa
triotic organization for children,
were scowling and leering at me
through the window. Then 1 re-
membered that had seen this same
pair before that morning as I was
taking pictures on Main street-had
In fact noticed them several times.
Children in small towns often fol-
low foreigners around, but these
were a little old for that. If they
had been following me ever since I
snapped the parade they must have
been lurking along behind for sew
eral hours. But why were they wait
ing and grinning outside now, as I
ate my herring?
A hand fell on my other shoulder,
Just as hands do in detective stories,
and turned to look up at sergeant
and two soldiers In steel helmets.
Come with me- said the SER
geant. "You are under arrest"
CONTINUED Tomorrow