The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-08-04

AAONGRGAs OAtN hands of the Naz leaders were tied because they needed the gen. erals, particularly after the catas- trophe of Stalingrad. Only the great experience of the military leaders could possibly avoid a complete col- lapse of Germany's Eastern front at that time. In the fali of l9a3 it seemed as though Heinrich Himm- Ter had decided to collaborate with the general, not only druing the war but also as far as the ex- ecution of the Nazi postwar plans was concerned.
 There was a meeting on Sep tember 10. l9s3. at the estate of Prince Pueckler, near Kottbus, about 50 miles from Berlin in which Field Marshals von Rund- stedt, von Kleist, von Mannstein. von Brauchitsch and von Kluge met with Himmler and Martin Bormann, the latter successor to Rudolf Hess as Deputy Leader Of the Nazi Party. During this meeting they discussed ways and means of saving part of the Army as well as of the Party machinery, after the final defeat and after an Allied occupation of Germany. At that meeting it looked as though Party and generals saw eye to eye on decisive issues.
 FORESAW COLLAPSE
 But each side immediately be- gan to double cross the other, The generals, who knew better than anyone else that final col lapse was approaching rapidly, decided to carry through their original idea of dissociating them selves from Hitler. Field Marshal von Runstedt began once more with the retired General Ludwig Beck to work out plans for getting rid Of Hitler. Rundstedt, who was Commander-in-Chief of all armies in the West. was willing to play the role of Darlan or Badoglio after Allied landings in France.
 On the other side stood Hein- rich Himmler and his most trust ed helpers, SS Generals Werner Heissmeyer and Fritz Kalten- hrunner, the latter director of l, the Gestapo and successor to Rein hard Heydrich. The Nazis by now had no illusions about the out come of the war. They knew that Germany could not win, and that the Party eventually would have to go underground. But this also meant that the Party could now get rid of the generals.
 There was not much time to lose, since the generals were preparing to get rid of Hitler and the entire crowd of Nazi officials. Only a few Of the generals could still be de- pended upon by the Nazis. One was Rommel; another one Guenther yon kiuge; still another one the man who had first introduced mechaniz- ed warfare, Col. General Heinz Guderian: and Generals Alfred Jodl Karl Warlimont. and Col. General Eduard Dietl.
 On June g, l944, DietI. who was needed more than eyer to defend the Finnish positions. was killed in a crash. The intelligence department of the Gestapo investigated and found evidence of sabotage.
 Next thing the world knew wal that an assault had been made on Hitier's life. First it was said that the bomb had been ordered by Moscow Jews" and imported from England. Then the Fuehrer himself blamed a small clique of high ranking German officers.
 The world will have to wait until the final defeat of the Nazts before the real story of this assault car be established beyond doubt. How ever. from what is known so far the following can be assumed:
 DOUBT GENERALS GUTLT
 More than likely high-rankine German officers, opposed as they are to Hitler, had nothing to do with the bomb assault. Psychol0gi' eally it would be nearly impossible German generals. no matter how