Evening star., 1944-03-26
Nazi Hope
Seek Way to Find an
Easy Peace
Continued From Page CID

Western Europe. Figures on the
strength Of the Rundstedt forces are
not available but 1t is believed that
they exceed SO divisions and may be
as high as 80. The 68-year -old Ger
man field marshal has large num-
ber of mechanical and tank divi-
sions at his disposal.
The Notifications along the entire
western coast and particularly in
the areas which the Nazis believe
we will attack are being strength
ened continuously. Formidable long
range artillery is concentrated
everywhere between the Lowlands
and the Spanish border. While little
is known for publication about the
new German rocket gun, London
believes there is very good reason to
believe the Germans have new and
formidable defense weapon on the
Atlantic Coast. And while the avia-
ton has now become the weakest
weapon of the Reich, the bulk of the
German Luftwaffe, which our avia-
tors do not regard as a trifling mat
ter, is being concentrated in France,
Belgium and Holland for the final
showdown.
Hope to Discourage Allies.
The Germans hope this formidable
defense might discourage the Allies
from attempting the invasion which
has been planned for long time
and was definitely agreed on at the
Teheran conference. Should, how
ever, the Allies be determined to
tackle the Nazis, the German high
command hopes that we will not
succeed in more than establishing
some beachheads at a cost which
they hope will frighten the people OF
the United States and Great Britain.
Men like DR.. Hans Dieckhoff, the
last NaZi Ambassador to the United
States, and other experts in the
German Foreign Office and on the
general staff seem to think that on
the eve of one of the portentous
electoral campaigns in America the
administration could not easily af-
ford to have long casualty lists COM
ing into the country.
They are said to have advised the
army leaders that the unfortunate
political misunderstanding among
the big three may affect people in
Britain and this country who will
demand an early clarification of war
aims. And it is obvious that today
there is strong divergence of opin-
ion regarding the ultimate aims of
this war between Russia, Great Brit
ain and the United States.
Even so far as the military OBJ
jectives of the war is concerned
the defeat of the enemy-there is a
considerable difference between the
Russians and her Western Allies.
While London and Washington are
Waging war against Germany and
German militarism, Russia is care
full to go on record that she is fight
ing Hitler and the Hitlerites-thati is
to say, the relatively small camarilla
around the Fuehrer.
AS an illustration of this it is re-
ported that when the Moscow agree
ments were being drafted the Brit
ish and American drafting officers
objected to the expression Hitler
ties" which was recurring every time
Germany was mentioned. They
pointed out that while it may sound
we'll in Russian it was bad English
Foreign Commissar Molotov and his
associates insisted, however, in
maintaining the expression through
out all the agreements The impor-
tance of this insistence did not es-
cape the American and British diplo-
mats. They realized the Soviet gov
eminent was leaving door open to
deal eventually with any other re-
gime except that of Adolf Hitler
himself.
None of these facts has escaped
the German military and political
leaders. They realize that their only
chance of escaping complete defeat
is to force a wedge between the Al
lies. And the quickest way to attain
this purpose would be to frustrate
the effort of the Allies in the West.
This would not materialize if in
spite of their political divergences
the Allies were to attack the Nazis
simultaneously and with all their
strength on both fronts But the
British and American effort might
be frustrated if at the time of the
invasion the eastern front remained
inactive.