Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-02
Out of the Night

the field of battle waited
vainly 10 strike. Eighteen
dead and 200 wounded Uttered
the cobbled streets. Many
more wounded and a few
dying men were hidden in
the homes OF Communists,
where they were attended by
Communist Samaritans.
When / returned home. still
dazed by the disaster. Firelei
met me at the door.
BE quiet" she said, 1--WE
have three wounded com
rades here"
"Will they pull through"
She nodded.
"Such a day poisOns the
heart" she added in a low
voice.
This was the Bloody Sun
day of Altoona" which pre-
cipitated the ill-famed but
historical Rape of Prussia"
The Western Secretariat OF
the Comintern could have
done Hitler no greater favor
than to provoke the Altoona
massacre.
Chancellor Won Pape
seized upon the pretext that
the Social Democratic gov
eminent of Prussia had
proved itself unable TO pre-
serve law and order in that
state. and demanded evacu-
alton of the Berlin govern
ment buildings by Ministers
Severing and Braun.
REFUSED TO YIELD
These two Social Demo
cratic heads OF the Prussian
government in turn branded
the ultimatum of Won Papen
as unconstitutional, and an
nounced that they would yield
only TO brute violence.
Won Papen's coup d'etat be-
came an accomplished fact on
July 20, few days after the
butchery in Altoona. A newly
appointed police president of
Berlin. accompanied by Is
soldiers, invaded the Prussian
COVE ment palace and
arrested the ministers.
The Socialist chieftains fol-
lowed the soldiers 10 the
Reichswehr barracks, where
they were released a few
hours later against their
pledge to do nothing. Thus. a
handful of men had put out
of office, in violation of the
Weimar Constitution, a body
OF Prussian government Off
Gals who had at least 10000
armed and trained policemen
under their rightful COM
mand.
The c o m mt ist masses
were on the streets. Millions
OF manfestoes calling for a
general strike were dis
tributed by our "activist"
brigades. Mass arrests of
Communists followed. The
Social Democratic forces did
not stir.
Too thoroughly already had
the hearts of the workers
been poisoned by brother
strife and mutual distrust.
A clever and ruthless young
man, DR.. Hermann Diels.
who also had been Won Papen's
spy in the Prussian cabinet.
and who also was Hitler's spy
in the Papen machine. was
made head Of the political
police of Prussia. The formal
organization of what was TO
become the Gestapo tGeheime
Staatspolizei) already exist
ing in embryo within the
Nazi Party-was begun by
Diels on July %, 1882.
HITLER WANTED ALL
Fourteen Nazis and Com
rnanists were killed on July
81, the day of the new Reich
stag election. Nazis emerged
as the strongest political
movement in the country.
The Socialists still maintained
the second place. The Com
munist Party came third.
On August Is. Adolf Hitler.
in reply to his clamorous in
Sistence, was offered a share
in the government. He re-
jected the offer. He wanted
all-or nothing. On August
30, Captain Goering became
the president of the Reichstag.
But that body proved itself
again unable TO function:
there was no majority capable
OF forming a government.
The deputies rejected the
Papen government by a vote
-nf-51 against 30 Where
upon Chancellor Won Papen
dissolved the Reichstag. That
happened on September II.
New elections were scheduled
10 take place on November