Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-05-10
The German Vacuum

conquered Germany presents a
political and administrative problem
unique in modern history. The "un-
conditional surrender" enforced by
the victors was not only military; it
was everything else as well. Legally,
Germany has ceased as state, and
probably even as nation. The fate
of its inhabitants is entirely in the
hands of their conquerors.
This unique situation arose be-
cause the Nazi regime headed by
Adolf Hitler was formally outlawed
by the United Nations which refused
to have any dealings with it on any
terms save the mere act of complete
submission. But Hitler refused to
meet this condition. Suddenly, Ad-
miral Doenitz appeared, claiming to
be Hitler's successor as Fuehrer of
the dissolving Third Reich, while at
the same time the rest of the top
Nazi chieftains disappeared from the
political scene. We have as yet little
to show how Doenitz acquired his
authority beyond his assertion and
the fact that his surrender orders
to the German armed forces have
been generally obeyed. But, even
though the regularity of the trans
ferred fuehrership be established, it
is most unlikely that the victors will
keep him on as head of a provisional
government; because. while not for
mally a Nazi, he was close to Hitler
and likewise typifies the military
caste that is slated for elimination
from German life along with the
Nazi hierarchy. From the victors'
point of view, his usefulness ended
with his surrender order.
This leaves the occupying powers
with a clean slate on which to write
their political decisions. For the
moment, military occupation will
doubtless suffice. But, in the rela-
lively near future. some native re-
gime should be set up, under Allied
and Russian control, if the sheer ad-
ministrative job is not to become
almost intolerably arduous. The
main difficulty is that, within Ger
many, no effective human material
for such regime is as yet discern
ible. The Nazis had so thoroughly
eliminated all opposition leaders
within their jurisdiction that moth
ing remains except a punch-drun
population too dazed and cowed to
do more than passively obey the
orders of any authority possessing
the power of enforcement.
Outside Germany, however, two
potential candidates are known to
exist. The best organized is the So
called Free Germany Committee, a
strange mixture of captured Junker
officers and exiled Communist lead
ers set up at Moscow under Soviet
Russian auspices two years ago. It
is by no means unlikely that the
Russians may set up this Committee
in their sphere of occupation, but it
is hard to visualize Britain and
America accepting this Soviet crea-
ton as their administrative agent In
their respective spheres. From the
Anglo-American viewpoint. a more.
desirable alternative may be the
self-styled New Democratic Ger
many Movement" an organization
composed of prominent anti-Nazis
which has been working under cover
for the past eight years, with head
quarters in Switzerland. Their pro-
gram is for the establishment of a
decentralized Federal Republic run
on democratic, liberal lines. But
how much sentiment this exiled
group represents within Germany
is yet to be shown. Also, it's very
character might render it as unac-
ceptable to Moscow as the Moscow
sponsored Committee might be to
London and Washington. Thus. the
political reconstruction of Germany
remains an enigma which time alone
can resolve.