Evening star., 1941-10-30
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory. Field
And Study
Bu Thomas r. Henry.

The German war machine has carried
on intensive psychological tests OF
nations-both as basis of fifth column
activity and in order to understand the
type Of men it must meet in battle.
This is revealed from an intensive
study by prominent American psychol-
ogist of Germany's little-read psycho-
logical literature of the past few years
reports on which are now in the hands
of United States Navy and Army spe-
cialists.
1t Is the greatest development ever
attempted in .'volkerpsychologie. essen
TALLY a German invention of the past
half century. Many Of the specific
means used are kept strictly secret.
First, it is revealed, man with good
training in the language of the country
of which the study is to be made. Then
he goes and lives among the people, but
not long enough to lose his German
perspective. He usually returns home to
write his report. Furthermore, commu-
nifty studies of entire villages or indus.
trial centers are conducted but no indi-
cation is given of how this Is accom-
plished.
On the basis of such & study the
Balkan peoples are characterized as:
Extremely conservative, very supersti-
tious, strongly devoted to their families.
governed by home rule TO great extent,
and seeing in work no other satisfaction
than profit. In spite Of different Ian
guages and governments they form an
essentially homogeneous group, distinct
as whole from neighboring groups.
The English are evaluated as showing
strong spirit of individual enterprise,
initiative, sense Of responsibility, striving
for personal freedom and self-eovern-
ment combined with strong national
unity. The economic aspect takes the
foreground. the military the background,
and an unshakable belief in the right
Of the English people to rule is supreme
The leader of the group of psycholo-
gists making these studies, as well as
studies in propaganda and morale pro-
motion, is a psychologist named A. Blau.
He is supposed to have written a funda-
mental book on propaganda as a war
weapon, but this is for oficial use only.
Long after the Jewish purees started,
1t is revealed, the German government
printed a resume of the works of two
eminent Jewish psychiatrists-the late
Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler-who
had made studies Of the basic mechanics
Of personality.
Before the war there were studies Of
the diaries of soldiers in the last war
in an attempt to find the causes for the
decline of morale. The psychologists
found that, in 1918, the front line Ger
man soldier had much more of a fellow
feeling with the Americans, French and
British opposing him than with the
"hinterland' troops OF his own army.
The enemy with which he actually was
lighting had shared with him a unique
experience which was foreign to the SOL
diers back of the lines. Proper psyche
I logical procedures have been recon-
mended SO that nothing of the sort will
happen this time.
Readiness to be captured, 1t has been
found from these studies, is produced
partly through enemy propaganda and
consists in reorganization of the psy-
Geological field to the effect that one
sees the other point of view and feels
no longer exclusively identified with
ones own cause"
The psychologists, with a few excep-
tions, have held that the days of rigid
discipline are gone and mere subordina-
ton to an oficer is not adequate to
modern fighting conditions The army
fights in such small units that every
individual must be capable of taking
individual responsibility. Several studies
have been made on the education OF
sergeants along these lines.