Evening star., 1940-05-10
Berlin
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into the Associated Press ONCE that
not only men up Into the Sos were
being drafted, but even World War
veterans who lost m arm or = leg
were being called to take the pl&ces
Of military onice workers sent to the
front.
Reports from the Dutch and Bel
gian frontiers brought back by tray
elers unanimously agreed that roads
and railways to both borders were
choked.
At Aachen, for instance, all roads
to the Belgian border were closed to
civilian traffic.
Patriotic Germans openly boasted
to foreign correspondents that Ger
many had completed the minutest
details, down to supplying 1856 900
rubber boats for navigating the Hood
areas Of Holland.
A careful reading of the press and
careful following of the comments
OF authorized persons also indicated
that Germany was not aiming pri-
marily at striking or counter strik-
ing IN Southeastern Europe for the
moment. but was thinking primarily
OF her western borders.
New Meaning on Charge.
In retrospect, the German prop
aganda minister's release of the re-
ported telephone conversation be-
tween Prime Minister Chamberlain
and Premier Reynaud of France ac-
quired new meaning.
Apparently German authorities
were anxious to impress the German
people with the Reich's intelligence
service. This was done 50 the Ger
man people would believe more i'm
plicitly that that service again had
succeeded in forestalling allied ac-
ton.
In the Foreign Once supreme
confidence was shown that Holland
will be pacif1ed" within 20 hours.
Nobody would entertain the view
that the Netherlands and Belgium
would hold out.
Informed sources also asserted
Premier Mussolini of Italy would
not enter the war for some weeks
now.
To back up Ribbentrop's asser-
ton that Germany had absolute
proof of the marching plans of the
French and British armies, there
was handed to the foreign corre-
spondents a report by the German
high command. This was dated
May 1 and correspondents were told
there would be a fuller report by
the German Ministry of Interior
dated March %.
The high commands report, signed
by Col. Gen. Wilhelm Keitel, COM
mander in chief of German defense
forces, comprises 20 typewriter
pages.
Section one attempts to prove
that Belgium was unneutral from a
military viewpoint. This report said
Belgium land defenses since the
World War were directed solely
against Germany"
Exchange Of Information CHARGED.
Col. Gen. Keitel said documents
found in Warsaw after the capture
of that Polish capital showed there
was a regular exchange of infor-
nation with regard to Germany on
the part of Belgium and Holland.
Since October 2, 1899, of 81 mobil-
lied divisions of the Belgium field
army, approximately IA stood on the
northern and eastern frontiers.
Local populations, he said, were
prepared for removal from their
homes only along the German
border.
Evidence kept accumulating, the
commander charged, that the Bel
gians more recently had entered
upon military arrangements with
the English and the French and
general staff talks occurred regu-
larly with the Western powers.
As a result, orders had been given
for the Belgian gendarmery to clear
the roads along the French border
to enable French troops to enter
quickly. the commander said.
Belgian empty railway cars were
placed at the border for French use,