The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-29
Fair Enouuh
BY ~WESTBROOK PFCIrn

IONS expressed in this artio1.
are those Of the author NC
may not always harmoniza
win Its position.-The Editor
NEW YORK, Jan. 2o.-rt will
answer much of Colonel Lind.
bergh's recent testimony to r oo.a,
that the German nation, as MA.
sonified by Adolf Hitler, has Shawl pnn,
itself to be such a liar. thief Wv"
assassin that it would be foIIv @ Wv.
the United States to ATTEMPT 70 Sa
business with a victorious Germau W.
on a basis of good faith. Lindherns
believes it will be necessary ~
get along with Germany should II,
Ter win. Other possibilities intar
vene, but to ignore all these sn.
reduce the problem to its simnIas,
phase, the fact is that Lindberon
asks his own country to undertap.
relations with a nation whose Snir.
itual leader has written in the skv
the fact that his promises are lie,
and that anyone who trusts him i,
a fool.
In relations between man and
man the individual whose Conduct
resembles that of Adolf Hitler ac.
quires a reputation as a no-good
to say nothing of a criminal rec.
ord. In time he is Stunned by all
but other criminals, and he can't
get credit for a small beer.
Long Record
Hitler's record of betrayal began
long before Czechoslovakia but, not
to 60 all the way back, that brutal
killing will do for a starter. He
gave his word not to invade or
annex Czechoslovakia even to the
extent of saying that he wanted
none of the contemplate Czechs,
and followed that assurance with
a military conquest for which he
didn't even bother to offer an ex.
cuse.
Finally, in response to a note
from President Roosevelt implor.
ing him to keep the peace, Hitler
specifically asked a larger num-.
Der of nations to say frankly wheth.
er they felt that their safety was
threatened by Germany, and used
their answers in the form OF d re.
buke to the United States for med.
ding in European affairs and i'm.
pugning the sacred honor OF the
German people. Living right I'm.
der Germany's big guns, Poland,
Norway, Denmark, The Neither.
lands. Belgium and Rumania re.
piled that, of course, they had no
such fear and, having no honor to
lose, Hitler took that occasion fur,
Their to assure all these and Others
that he never would SO much as
take a divot out of their sovereign
lands.
Nobody, except perhaps Lind.
bergh, needs telling what Hitler
did to these countries notwithstand.
ing these and other, more detailed,
solemn pledges of that which is
called the sacred honor of the Ger.
man race. However, it will
phasize the perfidy of the tuehrcr
to recall that in the undeclared
war on peaceful Norway, Hitler be-
gan operations by sending over in
civilian guise young soldiers who'
as babies had been saved from
starvation and sheltered in the very
homes of the Norwegian people, to
whom they now returned as well
come foster children. When the
hour struck, these exemplars and
guardians of the German honor
turned on the people who had shell
tered and fed them as helpless VIC
TINS of the first World war.
Schooled in Treachery
That is the honor with which
Lindbergh would have his own
country conduct relations in the
world of the future, the sort Of
people, schooled in treachery and
taught to regard deceit as a per-
sonal, national and racial virtue
whom the colonel would meet on
terms of good faith.
Lindbergh, and those who be-
lieve as he does, offer no plan by
which this nation, in that future
world, could protect itself from
treachery backed by brutallte'
which have been described so often
and in such detail that they ar
now old and familiar horrors. bu'
just as an honest man cannot az
business on even terms with a thiel
and cheat, it would seem that INT
United States must either live ELF
tirely apart from a victorious GER
many and her slave states anu
keep constantly armed to fight ule
greatest war machine in all MIS-
tory, wholly or abandon the moray
which civilized people try, at leas'i
to live up to and become a GRIM
mai natlOn, 100, III eoiloD
with Hitler. IL
1 have read Lindbergh's speech1
es and testimony carefully anu
find that his early omissions ID
spiritual or moral things were np1
accidental. He h a consistently
dealt with material things as thousLJ
a strong, rich America, pulgnJ
with muscle were all right even
though it were necessary to o.s1
card the virtues that give warmt9
to human existence. He ignores e
tirely Hitler's own recent de'lais
ton that Hitlerism is at war WV"
the American concept and nat LGr
er the twain shall meet eXcep'"
fight.