Evening star., 1943-09-16
Holds ALI Germans
Responsible for War.
70 the Editor Of The Star

70 the Editor Of The Star:
ask the hospitality Of your columns
to expose q grave and costly fault that
rests squarely upon our own shoulders.
The officials who connive in 1t are
merely in step with their friends and
neighbors.
1t has been and is our quaint and
touching belief that every foreign
people with whom we 60 to war are
animated only by the kindest feeling
toward ourselves and are being led
from the path Of peace by selfish and
INSCRIPTIONS leaders. Such an assur-
President Wilson, though he well knew
that the night Of the day in which
Belgium was invaded was spent by the
Berlin populace in wild rejoicing. A
quarter of century later President
Roosevelt, in a message to "the good
German people," assured them that we
were not being deceived by Nazi lies
freeing them from the rule Of criminal
clique under which they must secretly
groan and chafe.
Such gestures may be harmless except
insofar as they tend to expose us to
ridicule. But our Presidents we'll
meant error has had sequala which If
uncorrected will cause us grave EN-
barrassment and operate against an
Allied victory securing lasting peace.
That Mr.. Roosevelts distinction be-
tween the Nazi party and the German
people was invalid had become apparent
when the first 100 German prisoners
we're interviewed in England. It's un-
realism has been demonstrated time and
again by every news commentator who
worked in Berlin and by every German
'intellectual' who fled Germany. No
more perfect example Of national soli-
darity has ever been witnessed than
that exhibited by Germany when she
embarked upon the spoliation of her
neighbors in 1939-40.
No Hitler was needed to expound Ger
many's national creed: mo country has
the right of independence, nor any in
dividual any right p liberty if their
possession runs counter to German
wishes" Tacitus and Julius Caesar
agreed in that summation two millen-
NUNS ago, 1t has been the keystone
in the educational arch of every Ger
man child. 1t has formed the text of
every German publicist whose words
have not earned him death or banish-
ment.
Today our leaders and our spokes-
men are denying the most important
teaching of German history. Not after
weighing proof. but merely as the ex-
preston of a pious hope.
only the Nazis are vile; the German
people are incapable of atrocities" That
is the view voiced, but certainly not
believed by the ONCE of War Informa-
ton, by our Senators and Representa-
tives and by our newspapers. We are
engaged in great war against wicked
political group whose members can be
called by name, segregated and pun
ished if and when the victory Is ours!
Every screaming headline. every bull
letin of the Owl featuring "Nazi" cruelty
to Jew or gentle, or "NaN" disregard
OF common decency or human rights
and every violation of sacred treaty
obligations attributed not to the Ger
man. but to the Nazi. strengthens the
hand of reasonable group already too
strong that is now being groomed to
start a crusade for generous peace"
ie., one that will enable "the good Ger
man people" to rest, rearm and re-
organize for a fresh attack upon their
neighbors or upon us.
Our duty Is plain. Let the word
"Nazi" be expunged from our vocabulary.
Then German crimes and German crim-
inals literally viii be described as such.