Evening star., 1943-04-04


back enough of Europe to confront the
problems of occupation, it may be dis
covered that the hard, tough graduates
and survivors of the school 81 the under
ground are regarded by the liberated
peoples of Europe as their real leaders.
The governments-in and the
thousands of expatriates may be dis
appointed on returning to their home
lands to find that they are regarded with
suspicion or actual hostility by this new
crop of leaders and others who stayed
at home.
The boy whose father was shot as a
hostage may not be 50 much interested
in the realization Of sounding
formulas reached by inter- allied agree
ment in London or Washington as he is
in bloodletting at the expense of the
local Gestapo chief.
The village Quisling may be the objec-
tive of his even greater personal hatred.
Red Communism, black or brown
Fascism and green Nationalism-the
latter a native kind of radicalism that
spread among the peasants of the agri-
nearly all parts of Europe after the last
war.
New Ideas May Be Brewing.
It is difficult to say what radical new
political and economic ideologies have
been planted in the minds of the people
under Nazi occupation, but it is pretty
sure that some explosive mixtures have
been breWed in the years of occupation,
suppression and privation.
These are only samples of the problems
confronting the large powers whose
armies will be given the major task of
winning back and occupying Europe.
Lately, as it became APPARENT that
successful solutions required long-range
plans there has been increasing discus
sion of some of the main problems.
Anthony Eden. British Foreign Secre-
tary possibly explored some of them
with United States officials on his trip
to Washington.
Herbert Lehman, former Governor of
Roosevelt to head a United States relief
and rehabilitation commission A United
Nations conference on food is to be held
late in April
Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles
has proposed talks now on postwar
economic problems and questions related
to refugees. particularly Jews
The Army for some months has been
training officers and men at special
schools for the tasks Of occupation. and
is listing qualified civilians to be called
upon when the need alises.
The Board of Economic Warfare
headed by Vice President Henry A. Wal
lace. the State Department and some
other departments of the Government
have programs of study and research
aimed at preparing for the day of occu-
patton.
Several Handicaps.
But Allied preparation is handicapped
by several factors:
/. Problems of occupation tend to
merge into broader postwar problems in
volving future boundaries and who is
to rule such and such country. If the
British and American governments have
reached any conclusions on these broader
questions they are not disclosing them
, 2. There are so many of the Allies To
keep harmonious team the wishes and
aspirations of all have to be consulted
3. Compared with Germany, Britain
and the United States have little expert
ence In occupying European territory.
After the last war they were caught un-
prepared. The restoration of communi-
cations and public services was left in
many instances to Herbert Hoover's relief
organization because it was the only
agency at hand
AS regards the problem of administer
Ing territories under temporary military
occupation, Soviet Russia is as inexperi-
eneced as her Allies. Russia, of course,
will be one of the major factors in the
direction Of postwar Europe; in Eastern
Europe her interests will probably be
paramount. Much of the TERRITORY her
armies will hold after the Germans are
driven out are lands she considers part
Of the Soviet Union-the Baltic States.
Eastern Poland, Bessarabia, for instance.
However, it is probable that the Red
Army will furnish the forces of occupa-
ton in such Axis satellite countries as
Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary, and
perhaps in liberated Yugoslavia, and
there Russian officials will face problems
similar to those of the liberated lands in
the West.
Conditions Different This Time.
4. The difficulties after this war will
be multiplied. In occupying the Rhine
land after the last war the Allies could
fall back upon an experienced corps of
German civil servants. After this war
that service will be found shot through
with Nazis. After the last war, France
was not problem.
In the face of the difficulty of prepa-
ration, here are some of the problems
which the Allies may meet when they
take over the burden of temporarily ad-
ministering hungry. restless, despoiled,
disorganized and, perhaps devastated
territories newly freed from enemy oc-
cupation:
l. Leadership. Presumably the exiled
governments recognized by Britain and
the United States would be looked to for
at least temporary leadership and ad-
ministration in their countries. Most
Of them, having been put together from
available expatriates, cannot claim for
certain. however, that they represent
the will Of their people
Would the Allies support these gov
ernments if their own people opposed