Evening star., 1945-04-29
Peace Report in Line
With Desperation Of
Nazis, Churchill Says
Ey the Associated Press.

ister Churchill said today rumor
OF a German offer to surrende
were "in harmony with the enemy
desperate situation" and strongl,
reaf1lrmed chat any German capi
tulation would be accepted bnly OF
. Joint basis by the Big Three.
The London Sunday Times politi
cal correspondent said fatty to
night he had been reliably informed
Germany may cease fighting dur,
Ing the next "a hours"
The Prime Minister'S unusual an
nouncement followed and referred
to q Reuters dispatch from Sar
Francisco that Heinrich Himmle,
had offered to surrender Germany
Internationally to the United State.
and Britain, excluding Russia. Ths
Luxembourg radio broadcast sim.
liar report.
II the Himmler offer is bons
fide effort to end the fight and MOI
merely a trick to SOW dissensior
among the Allies, it is the first rea
indication that even some fanatics
closest to Adolf Hitler are ready te
quit and if the rot at the heart OF
the Nazi party has gone this far i,
seems doubtful that large-scale re.
sistance can be prolonged much be-
yond the fall of Berlin.
Hitler Declared Ill.
Reuters said in a later dispatch
from San Francisco that Himmlel
had sent a message to London
and Washington through Stockholm
channels that Hitler was very i'll
and that he shock of any an
nouncement of Germany's uncondi-
tional surrender would cause his
death.
In Washington the White House
said 1t was perfectly clear" there
can be no unconditional surrender
by Germany unless it is made to all
the Allies.
Paul Giesler, Gauleiter of Munich
and Upper Bavaria, disclosed today
in Munich radio broadcast that
German army deserters had at
tempted to arrest him and seize the
government of Bavaria last night in
an unsuccessful coup.
Reports reaching the Swiss-Ger-
man frontier from Munich, Salzburg
and elsewhere in Germany said
heavy fighting was in progress in
Salzburg between the Wehrmacht
and SIS troopers following an at
tempt by Walter Funk, and five
other members of the old Reich gov
ernment, to form new government
April "a at Salzburg.
Churchill Reiterates Terms.
Mr.. Churchill neither specifically
confirmed nor denied the reports of
Germanys peace offer but said:
His Majesty's government have no
information to give about any of
them at this moment. But it must
be emphasized that only uncondi-
tlonal surrender to the three ma ior
powers will be entertained and that
the closest accord prevails between
the three powers"
Whether Himmler had split with
Hitler and could deliver, even if he
sought peace in good faith, was
problematical-as evidenced by the
fact that the battle for Berlin has
ragged for week with Der Fuehrer,
reported by Nazi propagandists.
leading the fight inside the dying
capital
The Stockholm Svenska Dagbladet
quoting reliable circles" said Hitler
had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage
and was near death in Berlin and
that 1T was believed an immediate
announcement of Hitler's death
would mean mass capitulation of
great number of troops"
1t. Gen. Kurt Dittmar, we'll known
Nazi military commentator, who sur
rendered recently to American
troops, reiterated that Hitler was
still in Berlin and would remain in
the tottering city until he was killed
or committed suicide. At the death
of Hitler, he said, the German Army
would attempt total surrender.
TRAITORS" Seize Radio.
Geisler, in reporting the at
'cnpted coup in Munich and Ba-
yaria said: "A revolt was instigated
Is tIeacherous and irresponsible
clements and has now been sup
pressed. 1t is our duty to apply
ourselves once more with all of our
energy to the defense of the Upper
Bavarian gau."
RI t,a -.
porarily seized the Munich radio
one of the Nazis' last big trans
mitters-long enough to broadcast
a call to the Wehrmacht to lay
down its arms.
The ability Of the so-called
traitors" to seize the Munich radio
would indicate the uprising was of
considerable strength. Munich,
birthplace of Naziism, is in Hitler's
redoubt area.
Reports reaching Bern, Switzer-
land, said street fighting had broken
out in Munich, but there was no
Allied official confirmation.
The reports regarding the move
by Funk to set up a new govern
ment said the former Reich mem
bers issued a proclamation which
said the Reich government had
ceased to exist and local authori-
ties are requested to act as they
see fit, to avoid further bloodshed.
The German Army is capitulating
and any further resistance will only
WorSen the future of the German
people"
Gestapo Interference Reported.
The proclamation was said to have
been signed by Funk as provisional
reichschancellor" and by Field Mar
shall Walther Won Brauchitsch, for
mer army commander in chief, as
minister of war"
Dittmar previously had listed Won
- Hurry 70