Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-08-30
Prince Louis Proposes
Democratic Training
For Germans in u. ).

TOT UeIWdnS III y. }.
louis P. Lochner, on leaue OF
absence from the Associated
Press, In his first dispatch on his
current assignment for MANA
and the Hoouer Library. reports
on an exclusive interview t1ith
Prince Louis Ferdinand of Ger
many, onetin1e mechanic In the
Ford plant in DetroitJ
By Louis P. Loehner
Copyright, 1e46, by North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc)
BAD KISSINGEN, Bavaria, Aug
Naturalization of the German
in the ways, purposes and outlool
on a life of democracy could, il
the opinion of Prince Louis Ferdi
nand Of Germany, one-time Fort
mechanic in Detroit, be accelerated
.appreciably if those known anti
Nazis who now hold key positions il
the American sector of occupied
Germany could be taken success
lively to the United States for per
sonal observation and study.
The prince, who with his Russian
born wife, Princess Kyra, and his si'
children, is living unobtrusively II
a simple frame house on the hill
side overlooking Bavaria's famed
spa here, feels that only by seeing
American democracy In action II
the United States itself can one
fully grasp why Americans are 81
devoted to their form of life.
Il had a wonderful opportunity
not only in visiting America re-
peatedly but in working shoulder
to shoulder with it's rank and file
of wage earners," the 38-year-olc
prince observed.
? Il was fortunate enough also tc
be the house guest of your late
President Roosevelt and, for hours
to hear him expound to me on how
democracy works, what makes il
tick and wherein it differs from
q totalitarian form of government
And then I could 60 out into the
country-travel up and down your
vast continent and see for myself
I am truly sorry that more Ger
mans have not had that privilege.
Difficulties Stressed.
an the very nature Of things it Is
frightfully difficult for an occupa-
ton army to teach another nation
democracy. Armies are authorita-
rian in their structure and If, on tor
of everything else, they must lord II
over a beaten foe, quite obviously
the average citizen of the country
occupied is bewildered. He wonders
why it is governed dictatorially yet
at the same time, he is constantly
admonished to turn over new Leaf
and become democratic. The rank
and-file German doesn't know OF
doesn't pause to think that in Amer
lea itself the army does not run the
country but that the people govern
themselves.
Hence, a false picture of the
American is conjured. Now, If the
new leaders of Germany-in other
words, the men who have met favor
in the eyes of the American military
government and have been entrust-
ed with responsible tasks-were
given the opportunity of going to
America for stated periods they not
only could learn much themselves
but could impart to their fellow
countrymen what blessings are in
store once they have again proved
themselves trustworthy members In
the family of nations.
almost every returning German
would become an apostle Of active,
viriIe democracy. Today, for lack of
personal contact with democracy as
'practiced in the United States, he
too often is a passive defender OF
something about which he now has
little frst-hand knowledge.
Democracy Is Attitude"
More than that, these we'll
meaning new leaders too often are
content to cast the new government
in the conventional form of democ-
racy without realizing that democ-
racy is not a matter of outward
form but Of inner substance and
content. Democracy, as I observed
it in America, is an attitude, a
manner of conduct for oneself, a
code of behavior toward ones fellow
man and not a mere matter of arti-
Giles and paragraphs in a constitu-
ton.
Democracy stands for the sane
tity of the family, the rights of the
individual, the observance in daily
life of the Christian virtues. The
occupation armies, in the nature of
things, must interfere with family
life by wholesale evictions to make
room for the occupation troops and
their dependents. A state Of war
still exists technically, which means
that the members Of defeated
nation find their individuality sup
pressed by the nationals of demo-
cratic country which, at home, prac-
tees no such suppression.
That is paradox which cannot
be obviated but which it is difficult
to explain to the masses of people
who do not know America from
personal observation. And that is
why I am so anxious for deserving
Germans to be given the oppor-
tunity to see your country.
Interference Resented.
Our young, struggling postwar
regional set-ups still suffer too much
from our old sin Of expecting gov
eminent to do everything. In Amer
lea you resent governmental inter-
ference. Although, in times Of
emergency like the late war you
place stupendous powers in the
hands of the government, you try
to shake off this government con-
troll just as soon as the emergency
Is ended.
THE average German, however
sees that the occupation army
rigidly controls everything-as, In
the nature of things, 1t must. Sc
he is prone to get a wrong impress
sion that democracy implies rigio
control when, in actuality, the very
opposite Is true. Travel to America
by responsible Germans would cor
rect that error.