Evening star., 1946-12-22
Europe LsGiven
Instructions in
Keeping Peace
EUROPEAN WITNESS
By Stephen Spender. (Rey-
nal s. Hitchcock; y3.
Reviewed by

MARY-CARTER ROBERTS.
In the spring, summer and autumn
Of 1945, Stephen Spender made a
series of journeys through the
various Western European war
zones in the interest of Britain's
re-education project. A poet and
man of letters, Mr.. Spender had
been given an assignment to get the
libraries of Germany on function
ing basis-c1eansed, of course, OF
Nazi literature. He followed the
advancing armies into the Rhine
land, he spent some time in France
and finally he went to Berlin. The
book which he now publishes Is
developed from the. notes which he
kept on these travels. It consists
about equally in reports Of inter-
views with wide variety of per-
sons, from the humble to the IA
nous, and in Mr.. Spender's reflec-
tions on what, If anything, will
work to keep Europe's peace in the
future.
The interviews are beautiful Mr..
Spender, q fine artist, knows ex-
actly how to convey the essence OF
personality and conversation.
The sum total Of the impression OF
the interviews, however, is not very
hopeful. The majority of the talks
were with Germans-with casual
Germans whom Mr.. Spender met in
the streets or with German scholars
and officials with whom he was as
sociated on his mission. He reports
only a few instances of genuine re-
pentence or humility.
How They Take Defeat.
The other German attitudes
ranged from matter-of fact ac-
ceptance of defeat without any ap-
parent emotion to self-pity. And
self-pity was commonest. The Ger
mans, looking about at their ruined
land, mourned that this should have
happened to them but were quite
unmoved when reminded that they
had carried the same destruction to
other countries.
From interviews with occupying
officials, British and American, Mr..
Spender gathered impressions quite
as pessimistic. He seldom met any
one in authority who had, in his
view, a constructive or even an
intelligent attitude. The occupying
forces were simply following in
structions. They were bringing to
their work no more imagination
than If they had been keeping books
at home. Many of them did not
distinguish between the Nazis and
the non-Nazis, and 1t was common
complaint OF. the Germans that Hit
lerites were getting good positions
under occupation sanction.
His reflections on future peace,
these things being so. do not take
on too sanguine tone. AS an artist
he is an individualist, and watching
the ineptitude of the mechanisms
set up for attaining peace. he
reaches an individualistic conclu-
sion. Society, he says, has come to
a new place in its development. 1t
has to choose not just to be free,
as it has chosen in the past. 1t has
to be good. The moral element is
now the significant one. For now,
as never before, the failure to be
good will bring utter chaos, end
civilization, perhaps end the race.
But the transmutation of the gen.
eral word society" into terms OF
individual men troubles Mr.. Spender.
He does not see how. In practical
terms, it is to be brought about.
In the same way he worries about
Germany's guilt. Germany is guilty
yes. But what does that mean to
the individual German? He con-
cludes that every German, no mat
ter how innocent he may be per-
sonally, must admit his country's
guilt in his heart and accept q
share of it. That, and not blan-
ket condemnation of collective
guilt" will bring about a regenerate
people, he thinks. But again he is
in doubt as to how it is to be done.
Mr.. Spender, then, sees the mechan-
isms failing, but he does not see
the way for any alternative to take
over. He says only that some
alternative must take over or we
all are lost.