Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1947-08-01


Danish troops to participate, be-
side Allied armies, in the occupa-
ton of Germany tends to accent
uate Denmark's principal interna-
tional problem, the disposal of
South Schleswig.
When the new Danish ruler,
King Frederik, reviewed the sold
iers that were ready to depart, in
spic and span uniforms, specta-
tors correctly could have remarked
that the soldiers were all dressed
up but had no place to go. At any
rate they are not expected to go
to South Schleswig, as originally
planned.
Seek Tie With North
South Schleswig, German prov
ince neighboring Denmark, has an
important Danish minority which,
since the end of the war, has been
agitating for unification with its
Danish brothers beyond the 'front.'
err. The Schleswig question has be-
come very important political
issue in Denmark and well may
provoke a crisis in the near future.
The question was discussed at the
Moscow Conference, but no deci-
sion was taken.
Danish nationalists, many of
whom belong to the Conservative
Party, never accepted the Versail-
les Treatys compromise, which re-
turned to Denmark only the north
ern part of Schleswig where Dan
ish speaking inhabitants formed
majority of the population. They
continued to demand the merger
of the whole of the province with
the Danish fatherland"
During the entire period be-
tween the two world wars, South
Schleswig continued to be a bone
of contention. After Hitler invad-
ed Denmark in 1910 and imposed
oppressive Nazi rule, the Schles-
wig question was not mentioned.
With the defeat of the Third Reich
by Allied armies, the Danes, or
rather an active nationalist group
among them, again raised the
Schleswig issue.
Minority Group
There can be little doubt that
the majority of the inhabitants in
South Schleswig are Germans and
that the Danes form only veal
thy and influential minority. In a
recently held election there, the
Danish South Schleswig Associa-
ton" received $4,000 votes, and the
German parties, 201,O00 votes.
Moreover, many German voters,
especially from well-to-do families,
voted for the Danish list as they
expect material advantages from
the eventual merger with Den
mark.
On the other hand, a very i'm
portant number of refugees from
eastern Germany have been sett-
ling down in Schleswig and Hol-
stein since the war, almost doubt
ing the original population. The
nationality struggle in Schleswig
has become also a fight between
the original settlers and the new
Corners.
Communists Hit Merger
The Danish minority and their
German followers are receiving
moral and financial support from
conservative circles in Denmark.
But moderate Danish leaders sim
cerely regret that the Schleswig
issue has come up again. They feel
that the Schleswig campaign may
involve Denmark. still suffering
from the consequences of war and
occupation, in serious international
troubles.
Not only the Germans but also
the three major occupation powers,
the United States, Great Britain,
and Russia, are opposed to cutting
another slice of territory out of the
defeated Reich. On the interna-
tional plan the split between the
partisans of annexation and the
friends of a hands off" policy
goes trough most of the political
4 parties in Denmark. with only the
Communists uncompromisingly op-