The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-07-20
HITLER ESCAPES ASSASSINATION
Several Officers Seriously
 Injured-Mussolini Unhurt

ACAs~AAs g@@y SSs A~ Adolf Hitler was slightly burned and received a Tight brain concussion" and a number of high-ranking army and navy officers were injured, four of them seri- ously, today in what the German DNB News Agency said was an attempt with explosives on the Fuehrer."
 The official German News Agency dispatch indicated that the explosion occurred at Hitler's headquarters - one of the most closely guarded places in the entire World-and that the intend ed victims included not only Hitler and some of his top commanders, but also Benito Mussolini, premier of the so-called Republican Fascist government of northern Italy.
 Mussolini was on Hitler's calling list at about the time of the ex- plosion and as soon as the head quarters was cleared of debris and wounded DNB indicated, Hitler resumed his work" and received Mussolini "as intended"
 DNB said that shortly after the attempt, Reichsmarshal Hermann Goering-who Hitler designated as ti1e heir to Nad leadership at the beginning of the war-'Joined the fuehrer."
 GOering Absent
 This indicated that Goering was not present when the explosives went of.
 Oaicers clustered around Hitler Apparently received the full strength of the blast. shielding Hitler hiIl- self. the fuehrers wounds were de~ scribed as slight. Those listed as seriously injured were:
 Lieutenant General schmundt 1 COlOlet BFaliab
 Lieutenant Colonel Borgmann Borgmann's aide, Berger.
 The following were listed as rec ceiying minor injuries:
 Gen. Alfred Jodl. chief Of H'taers personal staff
 Mai. Gen. Guenther Korten' c1lief of stah of the LuftgaIe 1 r.a,aaral Ruhlka
 Gen. Karl B0denschatz, liaison oi~ aeer between Hitler and the air marshal's office
 General Heusinger
 General Echerif
 Admiral von Puttkamer
 Admiral Voss.
 ONE did not specify whether the exniosIOn was caused by a botDn nIanted inside the room in which Hitler and his commanders were conferring or whether the explosion might have been from A pome launched from an Allied plane ana pin-pointed as in recent attacss oh German headquarters in Ho''A'"
 The fact that the attempt eyl' dently occurred inside Hltlers psI- sonai headquarters-as ditieult 70 nenetrate as the White House or No iO Downing stTeet-Taised spec. ulation in London that 1t mlgns have been as 'inside job by Ger. mans disgFuntied with the eonahes of the war and hopeful Tor Hss gotiated peaee if the leaders @A Nazism were removed .. ..
 This is the first assasslnahon as tempt. SO far as is known, in wnss" Hitler was injured. The only p1s. vious publicized attempt vas on Nov. A. 1889, when . bomb esploaeu in a Munich beer hall shorty agtes fine fuehrer appeared at a ha1 marty meeting there, This was re- garded at the time as 8 6estapo trick to strengthen the oefmaD home front
 May Be More serious
 It was considered possible tnab Hitler's injuries were more seFsone than was broadcast to the world py DINE and that the agepey's eaFeEul statement that the feuhner resumed his work and received MussollDl ano 00ering was a e0Yerup.
 Observers believed the attempt on Hitler's life was In some way connected with a ll-h0uT lnteFFup- ton of communications between Germany and neutral countries yes- terday and today,
 Although DNB said the explosion occurred "t0day" t was considered possible that it occurred yesterday and that communications with Sweden and Switzerland were cut t0 permit the German propagandlsls to get their stories in order,
 London observers believed fnsfe was at least an outside chance that
 fG0DtlnneA on Page sl