The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-10-10

As an American newspaper correspondent in Berlin from 1919 Co l9ll, Sigrld Schultz saw At first hand the events that led from World War I to World War IT. And she saw the behlnd-the- scenes preparation for the com. Ing "war.in-peace" that she warns may culmlnate in World War TIT, This Is the story Of GeFmany's plans to win the peace, plans that even now are being put into effect,
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 The disarmament of Germany, which was never completed, began while our soldiers were still in the Rhineland, Initiation gatherde momentum and the Germans groaned ever more loudly that never could they pay tho huge the fantastic sums demanded from them in separations, Returned American occupation soldiers told at home of the sufferings they had seen, Many Americans, eager to be fair, conceded that the figure of 90 billion marks seem astronomical, They could not know that Germany was hiding her resources, that her wealthy classes had smuggled bil- lions out of Germany to safety In Switzerland,
 Nor could they know that only six years after Hitler became 0ermany's master he would have spent tho eXRct sum for reNrma- ment which the postwar Germans had declared would enslave them for generations - billion marks, Instead of paying up, the finan. eial experts allied With tho secret general staff Speeded up imitation for use as a political and economic weapon on the international front,
 With the mark teppling in Ger many and on foreign markets as well, going up in smoke under the very eyes of the Allies, how could they expect Germany to pay FepaTationsS Everybody from poll. ticlan to industrialist wept eroeo. dile tears over dermanys poverty, And, with each paroXysm Of grief, succeeded in getting big slices slashed from the repafations de. mands,
 Meanwhile, the industrialists had regained entry for their goods on foreign markets and making use of Imitation, were accommodating for- eign cash abroad, spending it to buy businesses, to start key men picked by the secret general staff In companies placed strategieally throughout the world,
 And, as German businessmen went abroad to consolidate their profits, foreigners came to Germany to look for business openings. In. ilation had translated the pur. chase price Of German property and shares into fabulous bargains n foreign currency, And the many spectators who took Q fling on the German stock market Automa. tieally acquired with their dividends c personal interest in German in- terpFises.
 Tn the meantime, thepoor grew steadily poorer, They worked long hours overtime and got, for the money they earned, almost nothing. They became increasingly restless, and that unrest atnong the hungry, desperate masses was used to per- petFate one of the greatest inteTna. tional hoaxee gs Ru HnaS, the threat Of imminent chaos" unless Germany were given the help she wanted.
 The threat worked. The bust. nessmen among the western DOW. CTS were terrified that chaos might enguif Germany and de. pFlVe them Of that vast Central European market just then be. ginning to open Up. Tho business. men agreed that one could not JeopaFdize the German market Just for the sake of separations, Who would get the money anyhow?
 The French were admittedly en. titled to separations, but weren't they being too insistent2 The people who asked that question came from countries which had not been ravaged by the Ger. mans. Clever propaganda had in- clined them to sympathy with the German piaint With the United States and the British Empire willing to forget the war, anxious to get on with business, and the Trench insisting on repayment for heiF losses, t was easy for the Germans to drive c wedge be- tween the former Allies. Their story was that strong, powerful France was prosecuting poor help. less, upright Germany.
 Wien the rest Of Us realized thas Germany had dcdged her separations payments. that she he'd not disarmed, that on the contrary she was bootIegglng her. self new army, the British were charged with failing to cooperate With the French in enforcing the Versailles Treaty.
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