Evening star., 1943-05-09

l
common people of his own country.
They are, he says, the scum of the
| earth" There is no moral code guiding
| gentleman in dealing with such scum. -
Still, with his delusion of infallibility,
he has kidded himself into the conviction
| that he is acting as ''realist"-that
| Germany always has been Denmark s
| most powerful neighbor and that the
| prime essential is to get along with her,
| regardless of who may be her temporary
| rulers.
Doubts Are Arising.
He is under no delusion that the DAN
| ish people like him. despite his years of
| labor for what he considers their welfare
Frankly, he has told friends, he doesn't
| give damn. He is doing what he thinks
| is best for them and if they have diff
ferent ideas it is their hard luck. But,
say those who have had indirect contact
with him most recently doubts lately
have arisen in Scavenius mind. He is
beginning to worry about the symbolic
awakening of Holger.
His doubts were increased a few
months ago when the farm buildings of
his big Jutland country estate, Voergaard,
were fired by patriots.
He is under no delusions about the an
| nounced "systematisch beliebt'-or "sys-
tematically beloved - policy. 1t has
consisted in treating Denmark better
than other countries in the hope that
tho u
the much-heralded new order.
He blames the stupidity of the Nazi
<rabble for the defeat now impending.
But it is incomprehensible to him that
even loW-class German brains should
| not have been superior to the best Eng
lish brains. The only brain he values
hieher is his own.
Scavenius has told friends: "If Ger
many loses this war I will retire and the
rabble will curse me for few years But
in half a century the fools will build
monuments to me. For I know that
have been right
Still he is not willing to go out of his
way to help the Germans win to justify
his own opinions and his present policy
seems to be to do as little as possible in
the way Of cooperation without bringing
additional penalties on Denmark.
Private Life Is Hidden.
He has tried to keep a tight rein on the
Danish press, Words are words" he
told an eminent Danish Journalist now
in London. IF these stupid fools like to
all
them So"
Scavenius is a tall, spare man with a
high forehead and piercing blue eyes, A
full sensual mouth, almost completely
bald except for thin rims of gray hair
above each ear. He always appears
dressed soberly in blue or black and
speaks with a calm. low voice except
when his will is crossed. Then he be-
comes Historically abusive He is 66
years old, temperate, lover of outdoor
! sports. His only professions have been
diplomacy and politics. the profession of
gentleman. He is, say those who know
him. typical 'junker" speaking Danish.
OF his private life practically moth
ing is known. He lives with his wife in
wealthy suburb of Copenhagen. Mrs.
Scavenius never appears in public He
associates socially only with persons of
his own class.
Now in early May the Paris of the
north is at its loveliest. For a month
the beech trees in the scores of parks
| have been in leaf. The banks of the
canals are brilliant with tulips and daffo-
| dis. The Tivoli, Copenhagen's world
| famous amusement park, has Just
opened, but this year to somber, scowl-
ing crowds instead of the carefree citi-
zens of yore,
| Scavenius still walks in the spring sun
shine. He still looks everybody straight
in the eyes and has no apologies to offer
But there Is little enough he can do, even
if he is convinced of the error of his
ways. For as he strolls through the
great Raadhauspladsen, or Town Hall
Square of Denmarks capital the shadow
of the big Dagmarhus Copenhagen's
most modern Office building falls across
his path. There are installed the malev-
olent Gestapo.s On this site used to pe
the favorite hotel of Denmark's landed
gentry when they came to the capital
Scavenius used to stop there himself
when he came up from his country
estate. The possibility Of doing anything
in Denmark unseen by the watching
eyes from the windows of the Dagmarhus
is remote indeed for the fiat, thickly
populated little country of about three
and-a-half million has no hiding places
no wild mountains. no lonely fjords
where patriots can work in anything like
secrecy. Scavenius himself is said to
have remarked that so far as the Allies
60 the position of Denmark makes no
difference. A revolt would not help
them. 1t would only make things tough
for the country itself. And his one con-
sistent policy has been to get Denmark
through the war as little hurt as pos
sible.
Feel He Goes Too Far.
Danes in London feel that Scavenius
goes further than necessary In his CO.