The Wilmington morning star., 1945-04-12
Feeding On Death
Nv ANNE o'HARE MCCORMICK

By ANNE O'HARE MCCORMICK
There's big difference between foreseelng
what may happen and actually seeing it when
It happens. For years observers Of the men,
tally and psychology of the Nazi leaders
have been certain that in the end they would
destroy Germany. To the student OF the path.
ology of Europe in the abnormal years be-
tween the wars, there were plenty OF evil
dences in every country of a creeping SICK
ness, a kind of paralysis OF the will. The
center OF this disease was Germany, and the
motley crowd thrown to the top out of the
depths Of Germany was proof that the disease
was organic and malignant
The Nazi party was symptom that any
one could diagnose; it was not only the I'M
derworld in power, it was death and destruc-
ton in power; not only the fatty degenera-
ton of "natonalsm which fed on the
ton and literally ate it up, but the enthrone-
ment on gangsters who hate the nation When
at last it colapses under them.
Long before the war began, the writer was
taken to the studio OF an artist in Berlin
who was painting among other things, por-
trait of Goebbels It was extraordinary
and horrible picture, SO malicious that one
wondered that the Propaganda Minister con-
tinued to sit for it. 1t was a picture of
Satan with everything but the horns, drawn
against the livid background of the inferno.
But what does he think of it?" the painter
was asked "Oh, he loves it," was the
swer. The more sinister I made it, the bet
ter he liked it. You see," the artist added,
'Goebbels has devilish intelligence. He
knows this is a picture of personified evil,
but think he is in love with evil and with
himself as the devil incarnate."
The Nazs chose evil 1t is not strange
that to many frightened souls in Europe Hit
Ter became a type of the Antichrist. No one
who has watched the unfolding of the dark
drama he projected in "Men Kampf'' could
doubt that he conspired with evil, summoned
evil spirits, almost visibly, to his aid or
that the conspiracy would end in ruin But
it is one thing to predict that when he fell
he would drag Germany and good part OF
Europe down with him, and another thing
to see this prophecy verified it is today
1t is one thing to foreten the collapse Of the
Third Reich and another to behold a great
country literally reduced to rubble 1t is one
thing to talk of the postwar problem of dis
placed persons" and another to see this easy
euphemism come to life in moving masses
of dispossessed people plodding in inert de-
spair along the roads leading away from Ber-
lin out of the hell that is Germany.
1t is one thing to imagine the last act of
the "Goetterdaemmerung" and another to see|
it played out. Who could have foreseen that
in the denouement the man who inflamed
all the primitive Teutonic passions by his
lamentations to the greatness and glory oil
Germany would see it destroyed, town by
town, with no thought to save any Germany
but himself and his private army? The
scheme to hold the heart Of Europe as a
final stronghold is foiled by the Russian cap
central Germany. Now the top Nazis are said
to be retiring to a smaller fortress in the
mountains around Salzburg and Rerchtesgad-
en-. Regardless of how long they can hold
this last redoubt after the Wehrnacht is
wiped out, the very existence of this plan is
a spectacular demonstration that the Nazis
fight to the death for only one thing, and
that thing is not Germany but themselves
and the party.
There is more to this fantastic project how
ever, than desperate determination to pro-
long the lives of the Nazi hierarchy. From
the detailed reports coming out OF SWltzer-
land it is evident that the idea OF holding
the mountain fastness is partly inspired by
the daemonic fanaticism that has character
lied the Nazi movement from its inception
1t Is reported that gigantic depots Of war
materials, fuel reserves, factories and food
stocks have been built in old quarries, salt
mines and caves under the mountains for a
garrison of $4,000 men-all, of course, 1ero-
cious Nazis. 1t sounds like something OF a
plot for lunatic thriller, and it is the prod
uct of diseased Imagination. but the motive
is to save out OF the wreck OF germany,
which the Nazis have already abandoned, the
nucleus of the party, the center of an under
ground system for action and propa ganda
ut is possible writes a Swiss journalist
who describes the work that has been going
on for months at Berchtesgaden, Ito speak
of the world conspiracy of National Social
ism Only in the light of such a policy is
the present resistance in the Third Reich I'M
derstandable. From this angle the 'destruc-
ton of Germany is good business, in so far
as every town destroyed in Germany must
be reckoned on the debit account, not of
the Nazs but of the Allies, since they will
have to re-establish order there The Nazis
today are playing the card of chaos
1t would be in keeping with the nature of
this emanation of evil that has loosed death
and destruction on the world that it should
now try to feed on death and destruction
Certainly, it is of supreme Importance that
in the breakdown of Europe positive meas
ures should be taken at any cost to counter
act the forces of distintegration and savagery
that will rise in the wake of war.-NeW York
Times.
so THEY SAY