Evening star., 1945-11-21

LAG NAAl party QcClATatlOu alSO COM
mitted its members to an anti-Semitic
program. 1t declared that no Jew or
any person of non-German blood could
be member Of the nation. -.
Stifled Press Freedom.
The party also avowed even In those
early days, an authoritarian and total
itarian program for Germany. It's
hostility to civil liberties and freedom of
the press was distinctly announced in
these words: ut must be forbidden to
publish newspapers which do not con-
duce to the national welfare. We de-
mand the legal prosecution Of all ten
denotes in art or literature of a kind
likely to disintegrate our life as q nation
and the suppression of institutions
which might initiate against the above
requirements"
The forecast Of religious persecution
was clothed in the language of religious
liberty, for the Nazi program stated,
I'VE demand liberty for all religious de-
nominations in the state" But, it con-
tinues with the limitation, 80 far as
they are not danger to 1t and do not
initiate against the morality and moral
sense Of the German race"
The party program foreshadowed the
campaign of terrorism 1t announced,
I'VE demand ruthless war upon those
whose activities are injurious to the
common interests" and 1t demanded
that such offenses be punished with
death.
Party Platform Cited.
1t is significant that the leaders of
this party interpreted this program as a
belligerent one certain to precipitate
conflict. The party platform concluded,
"the leaders of the party swear to pro-
ceed regardless of consequences-if
necessary, at the sacrifice of their lives
toward the fulfillment Of the foregoing
points" 1t is this leadership corps of
the party, not its entire membership,
that stands accused as criminal organ
ization. :.
The Nazi policy embraced ends al
ways recognized as attainable only by
renewal and a more successful out
come of war. The conspirators' answer
to Germanys problems was nothing less
than to plot the regaining Of territories
lost in the first World War and the
acquisition of other fertile lands of Gen.
tral Europe by dispossessing or extermi-
mating those who inhabited them.
They also contemplated destroying or
permanently weakening all other neigh
boring peoples so as to win virtual DOM
ination of Europe and thereby of the
world. The precise limits of their ambi-
tion we need not define, for it was and
Is as Illegal to wage aggressive war for
small stakes as for large ones. -.
Planned determination.
The NaA conspiracy, as we shall show,
always contemplated not merely over
coming current opposition, but extermi-
mating elements which could not be rec
onciled with its philosophy of the state.
1t not only sought to establish the Nazi
new order" but to secure its sway, as
Hitler predicted, "for thousand years. "
Nazis were never in doubt or disagree
ment as to what these dissident ele-
ments were. They were concisely de-
scribed by one Of them, Col. Gen. Won
Frltsch, on December IL, 1888, in these
words doc. 9, 1947-PSD:
Shortly after the first war I came
to the conclusion that we should have
to be victorious in three battles II Ger
many were to become powerful again:
l. The battle against the working class
Hitler has won this. 2. Against the
Catholic Church, perhaps better ex-
pressed against ultramontanism. 8.
Against the Jews"
Just Practice Skirmish.
The warfare against these elements
was continuous. The battle in Germany
was but a practice skirmish for the
worldwide drive against them. We
have in point of geography and of time
two groups of crimes against humanity
one within Germany before and dur
ing the war, the other in occupied ter
ritory during the war But the two
are not separated in Nazi planning. They
are continuous unfolding of the Nazi
plan to exterminate peoples and insti-
tutions which might serve as a focus or
instrument for overturning their new
world order" at any time.
On May 10, 1888, this time by gov
ernment decree, it was provided that
trustees" of labor. appointed by Hitler,
should regulate the conditions of all
labor contracts, replacing the former
process of collective bargaining. On
November 80, 1884, decree regulating
national labor" introduced the Fuhrer
principle into industrial relations. It
provided that the owners Of enterprises
should be the Fuehrers and the workers
should be the followers. The enterprise
Fuehrer should make decisions for en-
ployes and laborers in all matters con-
corning the enterprise. It was by such
bait that the great German Industrial
lists were induced to support the Nad
cause, to their own ultimate ruin.
German Labor Subjugated.
Not only did the Nazis dominate and
regiment German labor, but they forced
the youth into the ranks of the labor
ing people they had thus led into
chains. Under a compulsory labor serv-
ice decree Of 26 June, 1885, young men
and women between the ages Of 18 and
rs were conscripted for labor. Thus was
the purpose to subjugate German labor
accomplished.
The Nazi party always was predom-
inately anti Christian in its ideology
But we who believe in freedom of con-
science and Of religion base no charge
Of criminality on anybody's theology. 1t
is not because the Nazis themselves
were irreligious or pagan, but because
they prosecuted others of the Christian
faith that they become guilty Of crime,
and it is because the persecution was a
step in the preparation for aggressive
warfare that the offense becomes one of
international consequence. To remove
every moderating influence among the
German people and to put its popula-
ton on total war footing, the con-
spirators devised and carried out q
systematic and relentless repression Of
all Christian sects and churches.
The most savage and numerous
crimes planned and committed by the
Nazis were those against the Jews.
These in Germany, in 1888, numbered
about 100000. In the aggregate, they
had made for themselves positions
which excited envy, and had accumu-