Evening star., 1942-12-27

signed because the Russians felt them
selves sighted by British and French
representatives; nor still further. was it
a result of disgust over weakness of
British and French governments then in
power. But, these political men and
diplomats declare, the accord was but
folloW-up of carefully studied action to
bring about a change in the economic,
social and political structure of Europe.
Hitler has played the game perfectly.
He has spread ruin from the coast of
France to the Volga and from Narvik to
Piraeus. He has drained the whole of
Europe of its wealth and has brought
about complete economic disaster He
has outdone Attila and Genghis Kahn in
crimes and cruelties. But in so doing he
has not spared his own country. The
Allies will not repeat the errors of 1918
and accept any kind of terms from the
NaZis when the hour to sue for peace
arrives. The Nazis know that unCondi-
tional surrender with an effective occu-
patton Of the Reich's entire territory will
be the only acceptable offer they can
make to the Allies.
In the early stages Of the war the
Nazi propaganda machine headed by
Joseph Goebbels attempted to incite the
German people against the British and
the Americans To the average German
we were pictured as the representatives
Of the old order from which the Ger
mans had suffered the humiliations and
inc oF
while the Junkers who are still at the top
of the Wehrmacht might attempt to ap-
proach the Washington and London
governments they are actually too much
discredited within the Reich to give
them much chance of making real
progress toward a peace settlement.
On the other hand the millions of
Germans who were Communists before
they decided to follow Hitler are turning
once more toward Russia as the only
hope Of helping the Reich survive the
war. They realize that anything less
than a complete break with the past
with imperialism as represented by the
Junkers and democracy as represented
by the Weimar Republic and leaders like
SuStdV SllSSeIIldllH-lS OuG pI Tie QuSS-
ton. They believe that nothing but
clean slate, in which all ties of the past
must be dissolved, is their only possible
salvation. And while many civilians such
as factory workers and war employees are
thinking in such terms. the fact should
not be overlooked that in the army also
there are men up to the rank of captain
%I,;-
change must be made.
Generals May Act.
While the generals and field marshals
are leading them to victories they are
obedient and devoted soldiers, but they
will be first to demand that Germany
turn away from its present policies when
defeats become more frequent and ulti-
mate victory further and further away
Military and diplomatic observers who
have been expecting the Germans to
turn to the United States and Britain
for the conventional armistice are be-
ginning to think differently now. The
famous saving of Louis XIV of France
"apres moi lie deluge" ("let deluge follow
me- may now be applied by those young
men who are watching Hitler's waning
power.
The speech which Premier Joseph
Stain made on November placing him.
self on record as saying that Russia does
not seek the destruction of Germany or
even of the German armies but of the
Hitlerites alone, is said to have created a
deep impression in the Reich and to have
given new courage to those who have
always believed in the doctrines of Lenin.
According ito reliable neutral sources
in Europe which are watching with in
tense interest the developments on the
Russian front, the Germans both at war
and at home much prefer to be defeated
by the Soviets than by the Americans
and British. The Americans and Brit
ish, they fear, would lend receptive ear
to the revengeful demands of the sub
jected Poles, Czechs and others in Hitler
dominated countries.
The widespread belief in some sections
OF Germany is that the Russians will be
harsh. on Hitler and his immediate
henchmen but not to the German people
who would enthusiastically embrace
| Communist doctrines.