Evening star., 1948-12-19


The old Junkerdom is not dead in
the Reich, either. The real Junker,
the overbearing landlord, has prac-
tically disappeared. But the idea Of
fanatical patriotism, and the burn
ing desire to see the Fatherland once
more a powerful and feared nation
in Europe, exist among many of the
upper strata In the Reich. The
German military caste and the
nobility had no use for Hitler, but
they supported and obeyed him be-
cause he represented to them the
symbol of revived and powerful
Reich after the defeat of World
War I.
! The shortsighted policy of the
French government, which still con-
tlnues to fear prostrated Germany
more than it does Russia, is an ele-
ment which we overlook today but
which is strong in the minds of the
underground German leaders To
these military-minded people it
seemed only elementary logic that
the Allies should arm a German
force and maintain it as a buffer
against the Russians.
Rejected Use of 'Hessians' .
Many American and British mill
tary men have toyed with the idea
Of using "Hessians" in the event of
conflict with the U. S. S. r. The
idea was quickly rejected, however,
when France declared herself un-
alterably opposed to it and the
American and British public, still
under the influence of the war
against Hitler. could not be easily
convinced that such a step would
save many American and British
lives and would be a deterrent to
Russia,s aggressive. intentions.
While We rejected such notions as
using the Germans to check Russian
aggression, the Soviet authorities
the most vociferous -Hitlerites-
were quietly organizing a police
force" in Eastern Germany COM
posed principally of former SS
troops and other Nazi soldiers. This
force, according to our intelligence
information, is not yet large. But
its creation has opened the eyes of
many Undetermined Germans and
shown them that after all there is
possibility of Germany's revival
as military power with the aid of
the u S. S. r.
These men remembered that after
World War I, when Germany was
allowed to have no tanks, military
planes or artillery, it was the Krem-
lin which offered its factories and
other facilities to the German mill
tary for the construction Of proto-
types Of the weapons Hitler built
later in Germany.
The German general staff was
disbanded, in accordance with the
treaty Of Versailles, but it resumed
work in Russia within a year after
the treaty was signed. Able Ger
man staff officers created the now
well-known Russian general staff
school - the Frunze Academy -
where they taught the Red Army
the art Of modern warfare and, at
the same time, devoted themselves
to perfecting new war techniques.
Russia Does the Ostracizins
Russia, wishful thinkers say, at
that time had been ostracized by
the Western powers and was seek
ing friends wherever it could. The
situation is not very different now,
except that Russia is not being
ostracized by the Western powers
1t ostracized them. And still some
what apprehensive as to whether 1t
could win q war against the West,
Russia Is looking to the natural born
warriors Of Germany for support.
This has been driven home to the
German nationalists - who repre-
sent more than SO per cent of the
German population. In their anxiety
to re-create a powerful Reich, these
Germans are now inclined toward
full cooperation with the semi
Asiatics across the border.
The ruthless treatment the Ger
mans received at the hands of the
Soviet Army cannot be lasting. It
is in human nature to forget such
incidents For instance, France
today regards the conduct of the
Nazi troops during the occupation as
exemplary in comparison with that
of our GIs.
1t will not be long before the Ger
man people say the same thing
when they compare the Mongols
who occupy Eastern Germany with
the Allied troops in the West. All
the Russians have to do, according
to some of our realistic political OBJ
servers. is to court the Germans and
ask them for their full cooperation
against the West.
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