Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-05-03
The Last Moments

! The drumbeatS of total defeat
thunder now in terrible creScendo
for Germany. Berlin, the ground-up
heart of Nazidom, has fallen. Nearly
a million Wehrmacht troops have
surrendered Internationally in Italy
and Southern and Western Austria.
In Norway, Denmark and the Meth
erlands the signs are that all re-
sistance is about to be brought to
a halt The prospect of last-ditch
battles in elmer citadels" and ere
! doubts" swiftly fades in the immense
gloom and confusion of wrecked
nation. Everywhere-north, south,
east, west and in dead center-the
enemy is beaten as no enemy has
ever been beaten before. These are
the last moments of the war in
Europe
Whether there will be an er-all
unconditional surrender, however, or
whether the laying down of arms
will be done in quick piecemeal
fashion by individual commanders,
remains to be seen. Now that Hitler
himself is gone-a suicide with
GOebbels, according to latest reports
and now that we hear no more of
Himmler, Goering and Won Ribben-
trop, the question is whether there
exists, either in fact or in law, any
German government at all. Admiral
DoenitZ, who proclaims himself the
new chief of state by virtue of some
vague instructions from the dead
Fuehrer, apparently is forming a
brand-new cabinet made up of per-
sonalities whose records do not
stamp them as ardent Nazis. Yet,
even though this would seem to
indicate that he is preparing the
way for peace, he still speaks of
fighting on and attempts-someWhat
ridiculouSly-to make a bid for
terms from the Western Allies apart
from Russia, seeking to drive a
wedge between them.
The status of the German govern
ment is made all the more puZzling
and doubtful by the fact that only
a few days ago, as revealed now by
Undersecretary Grew, it was Himmler
who appeared to be in control, so
much so that he felt sure enough Of
his position to make surrender
offer. Then, suddenly, he dropped
out of sight, and DoenitZ emerged,
declaring that the war would go on.
Was the Gestapo chief liquidated
or did he merely step down to make
way for a man with whom the
Allies might be more willing to talk
terms? Perhaps the top Allied
authorities have the answer, but
they are not revealing it at the
moment and the world at large
must therefore be content with
knowing merely the paradoxical fact
that Doenitz, described as a firm
Nazi, makes fre-breathing promise
10 fight on and yet picks for his
cabinet men who can scarcely be
described as fanatics for battle. The
e-breathing, in the circumstances,
seems rather synthetic, particularly
when the remnants of the Wehr-
macht are collapsing everywhere.
But the mystery of the German
government is little more than an
academic matter interesting mainly
to historians who want to get their
facts straight. Actually, as far as
the war itself is concerned, it is of
negligible Importance now whether
Doenitz is or is not legitimate chief
of state and whether he will or will
not continue the struggle Events
have carried Germany's fate beyond
the power of any man to change it.
The end is very near-the awful
end, the historically unparalleled
cataclysm into which twisted
genius led what was once a great
nation.