The Wilmington morning star., 1944-01-10
Today And Tomorrow
Continued from Page One)

# division and confusion on the
nome front may have such a trag :
effect?
To appreciate that we must
realize the position of the enemy.
Germany, as Hitler himself now
admits cannot win the war. The
Allied armies are closing in upon
he, and upon her satellites, and
they rule the air What, then, is
the positic Of Bulgarian, Hun
garian, Rumanian or German SOL
der or civilian who is not a men,
ter of the NaZi hierarchy or a con-
demned war criminal? He stands
letween two fires. If he continues
10 fight the war he can look for
ward to the steady devastation of
his cities from the air and de-
slructive invasion on the ground.
If, on the other hand, he wishes
to quit the war and to capitulate,
he faces the tortures of the Nazi
GeStapo,
The question which haunts the
peoples of the Axis countries S
which of these two hideous alter
natives they should take. We may
be reasonably sure that this is the
real question in their minds: Is it
more dangerous to face the Allied
bombardme,- and invasion of (.
neXt six or eight months Or to face
the firing squads and torture
chambers Of the Nazi Gestapo?
The danger of the Gestapo is i'm
minent, direct, personal; the dam
ger from the Allied arms, though
in the end it i be overwhelm-
ing, is still such that the individual
might hope somehow to escape it
and survive.
That i what keeps the Axis
Eeople going. Now at some mo-
nent in the coming months the
Allied ground and air offensive
VIII develop such furious power
mat the apparatus of NaZi DOM
nation-itS communications and
Supplles-Will be too disorganized
70 govern the European continent.
#hen it is disorganized, the risks
VI revolt and surrender will be-
come obviously less than the risks
Ct the Increasing bombardment
&Ad OF the impending invasion.
mat moment can be advanced
III postponed depending in some
conceivable though incalculable
cegree on what the masses of the
AXIS armies and civilian function
sfes believe is going to happen.
over them hangs the terror of the
0eSlapo, which is directed by des'
PcTate men who know that per
sonally they are doomed. If backed
w their terrorism, the Gestape
cdh make the masses believe-anc
Van make their potential leaders
%Ao are not doomed, believe -
mat by resisting through the sum
''ef OF 1914 they can get a com
.tom!Se peace, the incentive to re
',N Will be great. By resisting they
sgld the reprisals of the Gestapc
anu they might also avoid the
aefeat
"hat could make the Axis PEG
ueS continue to believe that die
r'Io resistance would bring ;
aesonated peace? Clearly, evi
IeHce Of war WEAKNESS in the AL
t t countries and of political con
E Iaslon among them. If they be
'eSeu, whether it was true o
, "o.; that this country was face
g w." great strikes, with a legisla
WYE WYE revolt against the President
f %-H' an election which might alte
,he war policy of the United States
I ~a' belief would be a powerful
'@e'islFe to hold on through 1914
c;1;,. follows that the American
sbo 4I'h population can probabl
v nY,'en the war. can certainly pre-
rn' . II from being unnecessaril
sro ,o,Aged, by taking decisive an
tho ee'dcular measures to show tina
Nv prosecution of the war ha
eeoehce over every other cor
+,os. uoh, No one can measur
vbo Ihihgs exactly. But no one
serjo, Knows the situation, ca
~'4OuSly flen,, ~ 1.r>