Evening star., 1949-08-20
New German Republic
Seen Off 10 Bad Start
Despite Elections
Stubborn and Realistic
People Expect War, but
Believe Motion Is Pawn
By Dorothy Thompson

11OWctcI ldNOAdblC oAAC 4SoAAe'
of the German elections, the cam
paign which preceded them was
proof that the Western German
republic is off to bad start. The
party leaders found nothing con-
structive to offer the people.
Aware of the universal skepticism
and apathy, they drew their own
conclusions regarding the reasons.
Since it has not been permitted
to license an outright nationalist
party, the Social Democrats, the
Christian Unionists and the Com
munists assumed that the apathy
arose from this vacuum and, as
the campaign developed, COM
peted in nationalist slogans, until
it was hard to distinguish some
speeches from those once made
by Nazis, and foreign observers
gained the impression that Ger
many is still. basically, Nazi.
Now, this may be true, but !
do not think so. My impression is
that the vacuum is real, but it will
not be filled by aggressive ma
tionalism. Today's German is
stubbornly, bitterly realistic. He
sees that his country is a mere
pawn in a usso-American strug-
gle and that the conditions for
revival of Naziism simply do not
exist.
Immune to Slogans. \
He believes that there will be
war, but is convinced that Ger
many can win nothing from it.
The average German today is
practically immune to slogans,
phrases and promises. He believes
only what he sees and experiences
in reality.
Experience bellies ideologies and
slogans. How, for instance, shall
he believe in the Bonn constitu-
ton? He reads, "the personal
dwelling places is inviolable." But
1t is violated day by day. He
reads, "all Germans possess full
freedom of movement throughout
the German federation.'
What joke, especially for the
100000 fugitives from the East!
No one in Germany possesses full
freedom to change his habitation.
The fugitives cannot leave the
camp or village to which they are
assigned without a permit from
another place, and guarantee OF
a roof, and effectively these are
impossible to obtain.
Today's German reads, mo one
may be compelled to undertake
any specific work." but any one
who refuses to cooperate in de-
stroying his own factory on order
of the dismantling authorities is
liable to punishment. He is prom
ised freedom of religion and of
political belief, but is told by
politicians who signed this promise
that liberal and socialistic views
are incompatible with the Catholic
conscience.
Capital M-Equipped.
A capital city is picked for him
in Bonn, about as ill-equipped for
such a function as a city could
be, and untold millions flow into
it to make a halfway adequate
government center, while millions
of Germans live in ruins and
cellars. He sees cathedrals, opera
houses and fashionable spas re-
built, while counterpart funds are
withheld from housing.
He sees Western , Germany
balkanized into II states, each
with parliament and huge gov
ernment apparatus. And he sees
new "democratic's politicians liv-
ing on great scale, and enter
tanning lavishly on expense ac-
counts paid by the poor.
He is asked by the Allied press
to greet with gratitude the cur
rency reform and economic re-
covery. But he sees fortunes
made by manufacturers who had
boarded essential goods until they
could get good money; and
unconscionable black marketing
conducted from 1RO camps in
American food and the last house.
hold goods of people who. with
the currency reform, lost every
pfennig of a lifetime of toll and
thrift.
In an inchoate way, no longer
with faith. or even hope. the aver
age German longs, not for ma
tionalism," democracy" or so
cialism." but for truth, decency,
stability, even common sense.
released by the Bell syndicte, Inc.)