Evening star., 1942-06-04
Favored Nazi Party
Faces Lush Days if
Germany Wins War
Army Gradually ReIeeoted,
With SS Exploits Given
Every Break Possible
BY LOUIS P. LOCHNER,
W{da WarId


Wide World.
NEW YORK. June Ats all
gravy for the Hitler boys-if Der
Fuehrer should win the war. The
Nazi party will be in more complete
control of the country than ever,
and the party button will open the
doors to all positions, all graft, all
Swag.
There probably would be one
grand purge first. during which all
those members who have rendered
mere lip service to the regime would
be ousted as dramatically as were
| Ernst Roehm and other Mari lead
ers during the famed June purge
of 1884. But whoever survived such
purge and remained partNmem-
ber in good standing might look
forward to life of power, plenty
and possession.
During the first two years of the
war the army seemed temporarily
to eclipse the party and its forma-
tions. But Hitler was quick to see
| this. His top men like Goebbels
and Himmler, jealous of the party's
power, were, perhaps, even quicker
to sense it.
The army with its thrust through
Poland, its blitz victory in the west
and its conquest in Yugoslavia and
Greece appealed more to the pub
lie imagination than the brown
shirted, rather pot-bellied Nazi
ward heeler who remained at home
to organize the distribution of food
cards, check up on the loyalty of
the population and render other
service far from the din and danger
| of battle.
No Longer Wore Uniforms.
1t came to the point that in small
localities Nazi party officials deemed
part of wisdom no longer to wear
| their party uniforms except on fes-
tive occasions, lest they be spotted
as slackers.
No sooner did the top men no.
tice how the party was slipping in
| popular esteem than they began to
play up the exploits of party func-
tionaries in the Goebbels- controlled
press. There were articles to prove
that the majority of the SA brown
shirts were playing a heroic role
at the front, that the black-uni
formed SIS was in the vanguard in
every military undertaking requir-
ing courage and fearleSSnesS, that
the party was taking on itself the
thanklesS role of unoStentatious he
rOiSm at the home front
AS the war went on the SIS
formations at the front, which
we're under separate command
though subordinated to the army
high command, were mentioned at
every possible opportunity in the
daily official communique. Final
blows at the enemy after a long
period of softening up by air force
and army infantry were increasingly
delayed until the SIS could arrive
and share in the glory OF victory.
At home, too, the party was
more and more intrenching itself.
An American businessman return
ing with us on the Drottnlngholm
told me this story which I repeat,
not because it is unusual but be-
cause it is typical of what l learned
again and again before my intern
| ment almost six months ago:
My brother -in-law," this man
said, "a German manufacturer in
Munich, in 1888 bought up an old
merry-go-round solely to use the
brass for manufacturing purposes.
He neglected to report the deal to
the Economics Ministry. Recently
this oversight was discovered by the
! authorities, my brotherin-law was
| indicted and fined the equivalent
of 100000.
Not a Party Member.
my brother-in-laW pleaded with
the Judge to moderate the severity
of the sentence. Are you, per-
haps. a party member?' the judge
asked
Sorry, but I never got around
to that. I've tended to my business
and haven't bothered about politics.
That's too bad the judge OBJ
served. You see. if you were a
party member the presumption
would be that your patriotism Is
bevond the shadow of doubt, where
fore your failure to report the brass
gained from the carousel may be
presumed to be a mere oversight.
The fact that you are not party
member throws doubt on your 10y
atty and we must assume you trleo
to cheat the government. So you
must pay the full fine"
The incident recalls what Ger
man friend of mine who Is now
military judge but who had started
out on a civilian juridical career
| told me more than a year ago.
'I was landrichter County judge
| at k" he said. Time and again,
! lust before I was about to pro-
nounce judgment after hearing all
the evidence, would receive q visit
from the local party boss. You
probably do not realize that De-
/ fendant So-and-So is a member of
our party the visitor would say,
and has rendered meritorious
service to our cause. Public in
| terest demands that you find him
not guilty
cor I would be visited by the
party boss after I had already pro-
nounced Judgment. That's a mis-
carriage of justice he would say,
and the party demands revision or
communication. The man you SEN
fenced has rendered the cause great
service
Can YOU wonder that I resigned
as county judge and went over into
the military courts? There, at least,
Justice still obtains and politics plays
no role
Reichs Justice Minister Hans
Frank, who also is governor general
of Poland, has on more than one
occasion stated that in Germany
two kinds of justice prevail-for the
man or woman who belongs to the
party or one of its numerous sub
sidiaries, and for the hapless indi-
vidual who hasn't embraced the
! Nazi faith. The latter, like the Jew
in Nazi Germany, is usually out OF
luck.
Party domination has become so