Evening star., 1949-09-03
New German Republic
Head Longs 10 End
Feud With French
Dr.. Adenouer, 73, Regards
British, However, as Not
Quite European
By Dorothy Thompson

Adenauer, is more pro-French
than pro-British. AS a Rhine
lander, from the most European
of Germa1y's provinces, where
French and German culture
miugle most happily, DR.. Ade-
nauer has always longed for the
ending of the 80-year feud be-
tween them expressed in three
disastrous wars.
The new high commissioner for
the French zone, M. Francois-Pon-
Get, speaks German perfectly. DR..
Adenauer, the new West German
president, speaks perfect French.
Both are Europeans"
In October. 1945. the British
pulled terrible boner. They dis
missed DR.. Adenauer from his post
as lord mayor of Cologne, in which
he had been reinStated by the
Americans, for failing to display
sufficient energy and initiative" "
and even forbade him to enter the
city of which he had been lord
mayor from the end of World
War I to the advent of Hitler,
whose party removed him.
Made Cologne Great City.
During that time he made Co.
logne q great city. He founded
its university, rebuilt its river
port, provided superb workers
housing, surrounded it with a
"green belt" and started the ia
NOUS trade fair.'
The real reason why the Brit
ish ousted him is a mystery to
this day. His anti-Nazi record was
impeccable. Under the Nazis he
lived in complete retirement, re-
sisted their repeated attempts at
reconciliation, was several times
arrested, and partly by his atti-
tude, which everybody knew. kept
Cologne one of the least Nazi
cities in Germany.
But DR.. Adenauer, true con-
servative. did not share at all the
popular foreign view of Nazism as
a "reactionary plot" He saw it as
an elementary and revolutionary
outburst from the dark depths of
resentment, a mass movement,
brutal, uncomfortable and hyster-
ical. as mass movements always
are: in fact, a peculiar German
form of Bolshevism sweeping away
all traditions, standards and inhi-
bitions in its torrent of radical ma
tionalism combined with socialist
appeals to the masses.
DR.. Adenaur is neither a vehe-
ment Nationalist nor any form of
Socialist. He does not believe in
the political and economic CEN
tralization that characterizes both,
but in high degree of local self
government and in humanized pri-
vate enterprise. Whether or not
either can succeed in Germany is
a great question, which may de-
termine the future of Europe. At
any rate, under DR.. Adenauer the
know how" boys of German in
dustry certainly will be, given every
chance. If he and they fail. some
sort of violent reaction is certain.
Proved Self Tactician.
Energy and initiative are pre-
cisely the qualities DR.. Adenauer
has displayed throughout his life
time. BY one Of those historical
ironies, his ousting from the
Cologne mayoralty by the British
precipitated him into national
politics, where the victory of his
party proved him the shrewdest
tactician among contemporary
German politicians.
Though he is 73, he is astonish-
ingly youthful-tall. spare, erect
and spry. The British, as indivi-
duals, like him because he looks
and acts like "gentleman"-that
type which DR.. Goebbels swore
would be eliminated forever-and
not without prophetic insight.
DR.. Adenauer is too old land too
much of a gentleman to harbor
grudges. Besides, the British
prejudice certainly did not injure
him. But he is relatively cool to-
ward the British, whom he regards
Qike most continentals) as mot
quite European" For him the
heart of Europe is neither on the
British Isle nor on the Elbe or the
Oder, but on the Rhine; the
tragedy of Europe is the division
of it's two great cultural entities,
and the salvation of Europe lies in
their reconciliation. DR.. Adenauer
is not only anti-Hitler; he is anti
Bismarck.
He does not believe in 1iquida-
ting one revolution by another.
but in liquidating the revolution
isms which are invariably accom-
panied by war. He believes that
what the people want Gin con-
trast to the inflamed masses, who
are anti-people) are law, order,
work, peace and quiet. He believes
in tradition-without which every |
soul feels adrift-tempered
to social and economic realities.
All these ideas are completely
away from "the trend of our
times" But since the accompani-
ment of the contemporary trends
has been class strife, war, and uni
versal despair, the trend may be
ripe for a change.
There are signs of it every
where-perhaps too late.
Released by the Bell Syndicate, Inc.)
French Actress to Wed