Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-13
On the Record
By Dorothy Thompson

President Truman is on his way to
Potsdam to meet Prime Minister
Churchill, Clement r. Attlee and Pre-
mier Stain, and a preparatory meeting
is going on In Berlin among the mill
tary leaders of the four occupation
forces.
President Truman is attending his
first international conference under con-
ditions far more difficult than any
which confronted the late President
Roosevelt, for a coalition in war has
one simple aim: To crush the enemy.
A coalition in peace, over the body of
the defeated enemy, introduces an IL
limitable number of conflicting aims.
Interests arise again, ideologies conflict,
motives clash and greed and revenge
raise their ugly heads.
In a short conference it is obviously
impossible to settle all the affairs of
the world. 1t is generally agreed that
the agenda win embrace both Euro
pean and Asiatic issues, and probably
the Near East and the Mediterranean.
But the place of the meeting stresses
Germany-from which have just come
home.
And, must insert here parenthetical-
ly, that I understand the CT Joe who
kisses the soil of the United States. My
weeks in Germany were a mental tor
ture. I tried to discern the shape of
things, for to live in a shapeless world
causes a distress which transcends any
physical discomforts. 1t Is q human
necessity to discern sense in what Is
happening in ones environment, and
under present conditions it is difficult
to see to what extent the chaos in Ger
many, complete though quiet, Is the
result Of physical breakdown-absence
of transportation, communications sys-
TENS, food distribution-and to what
extent it Is the child, by default. of lack
of policy or of conflicting policies be-
tween various zones.
. Actually, it will be impossible phys
ically to organize Germany, except in
the framework Of an overall and COM
monty supported policy. Transports
ton is not divided into zones nor even
contained within Germany. You can
not travel from Paris to Prague except
by way of Germany. A railway system
cannot be disintegrated into pieces to
satisfy army corps. The same is true
of postal and telegraph system. There
Is no way of combining radio to zones.
No wave lengths can be stopped in
Baden, Hanover or Potsdam. And here,
Immediately, political problem arises
what Is to be said on the radio? What
political ideas, il any, are to be pro-
NOTED?
In the British and American zones no
political activity is permitted. The
present British and American military
governments have no parallel in his
tory. They are making an attempt to
govern through German anti-Nazi per-
sonalities, but without any active polit-
ical ideas. The assumption apparently
is that an anti-Nazi will be loyal to the
Allies In the absence of any notion of
what is going to happen to his country,
to Europe or to his economy. In the
modern world no colonies have been
I governed on such assumptions, which
reduce government to mere technique,
devoid of higher purpose.
But, accepting this as theoretical
possibility, 1t obviously can work only
If all parts Of Germany are governed
in the same manner. But in the Rus
sian zone there is already active party
life. Three parties are permitted: Com
munist, Social Democrats, and one which
apparently aims to catch up the more
conservative elements, called THE
Christian Democratic Union" These
have newspapers published and writ
ten by Germans whose purpose Is to
give information and form and canal
ize opinion, whereas In our zone a
feeble press written mostly by Americans
is confined wholly to laconic informa-
ton and carries no editorials.
Obviously that zone which first re-
leases political action has head start.
~ ~
AS far as / could ascertain when !
was in Europe, the four occupying
powers have decided not to partition
Germany west of the Oder. But the
structure OF the Allied Control Council
in Berlin will, in my opinion, not permit
a unified administration of the re-
mainder OF the Reich. ALI decisions
must be made unanimously by the four
| commanders. Each has veto power.