The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-11-20
A Hard or Soft Peace
These Days5Hy f gE0 5o t. Eoz6tsRi

standing are in the making In the
Rumanian- Russian peace. the even
tual Polish.Russian treaty; Jugo-
Slavia is already Russian sphere
OF influence.
What the Latins will do is In the
making. Italy is in bitter strug'
gle between Communist and the
Fascist-oriented mobs who struggle
for power. 1t is obvious IN Italy,
as in all the world, that genera
tions reared In a Statistic atmos.
phere may turn on their master but
not on the enslavements which are
normal to them. Their re-educa-
ton is almost an impossible task
certainly with adults. The Fascists
have been in power long enough TO
control the thought processes and
habits of everybody now under 40
years OF age. In France. De Gaulle
faces the same difnculties. There
is a possibility that a peace confer.
ence may be faced by a Latin
league of the disparate govern
ments OF France, Italy. Spain. Por'
tugal and Belgium who will seek
to work out their own salvation
In their own way.
Alternatively, the continent OF
! Europe may form a council OF Its
own-the NUCLEUS OF United States
OF Europe-with or without Soviet
Russia. Should Russia desire &C
limit her influence to east OF Ger
many, she would voluntarily re
main out OF such a council, but this
much is now clear, the Russian
is more popular on the continent
OF Europe than either the United
States or Great Britain, not only
because success breeds popularity
but also because Stain is softer
toward European nations than eth
er the United States or Great Bri
| tain. And the Russians are not
b nbing European civilization out
of existence-no matter how Justi
fed. the bombing may be.
As to Germany, who can tell q
month in advance what the situa
ton will be there. Today. Hitler is
apparently out OF the picture. Is
he dead? Is he sick7 Is he mad
Is he shamming? Himmler hai
taken over and the war has grown
tougher. The unconditional sur
render, hoped for in 1914. is mo-
I Ia ing place. Instead, our War De
partment reports that it has under
es mated the material require
ments for this war. Something ha;
stiffened the Germans. Was 1t the
phrase, "unconditiona. surrender
Was 1t the Morgenthau plan? Was
II the substitution of Himmler 70,
| Hitler? Was il the fact that Ger
many is somehow able to 1gh
only on one front, the western
front? We guess. We do no
| know.
II Germany we're to break III
| quickly, someone would have L
step in to prevent civil war. Woult
| it be Russia or Britain or the Unit
ed States or some joint operation
And what would the policy be to
ward the German people? SOM
advocate sending Germans to Rus
STA for slave labor because Hitle
used Europeans for slave labor. Blu
there Is no durable peace in that
Nor is there a durable peace in re
ducing central Europe to slay
states. Nor Is there a durapl
peace In permitting Germany L
rearm for revenge.
A durable peace can only be tn
result Of justice and bread for al
peoples. the conquered as we'll a
the conquering. But bread
scarce in Europe-and work will b
even more scarce. That cannot b
solved by shouting slogans
Hard Peace, "a Soft Peace, III
cor ional Surrender. Stall
shouts less and is more urban-an
Europe is turning toward him ratf
er than TO us.