Evening star., 1954-04-25

somehow survived, high German
ot1cers OF the traditional" military
caste eagerly solicited collaboration
with the Russians after their cap
ture at Stalingrad.
Among these were Gen. Won
PauluS. commander of the 9Th Ger
man Army, and Gen. Won Seydlitz-
kurzbach, commander of the Ger
man 5lSt Corps. These officers, COL
laborating with German Commu-
mist emigres, formed the so-called
Free German Committee" verit-
able German government-in-e exile,
which hoped to take over after
Hltler's defeat on the basis of close
Ties between conservative Ger
many and Soviet Russia.
The defeated generals naively be-
lieved that they could resurrect the
era of National Bolshevism of the
mid-1920s, when German Commu-
nists, manipulated by remote con-
troll from Moscow, collaborated with
exponents of German nationalism
and militarism.
Today. just as at the time of the
Genoa Conference in April 1922,
Allied Illustration of Germany's
military revival may we'll play into
the hands of the Kremlin. At that
time. judicious Anglo-French con-
cessions and confidence in Ger
many may have lured Germany
from her inclination to look east
ward for support. Then, partially
under the prodding of Seeckt's rep
resentative, Major General Hasse,
the German delegation furtively met
with Soviet negotiators on Easter
Sunday 1922 in the nearby village
OF Rapallo and concluded a pact
which committed Germany to an
eastern orientation.
To be sure, the conscience-Stri
en- German government in Berlin
later represented the Rapallo pact
to the British Ambassador as an
impulsive act devoid of military i'm
plications. But what it really meant
was bluntly stated by Seeckt in a
memorandum to the Reichs-chan-
cellor the following September IL:
What counts here" he wrote, lis
not primarily the economic aspect
of the pact, although this must not
be underestimate, but it's success
as stroke Of politics. The connec-
tion Germany has forced with Rus
Sia represents the first, and so far,
almost the only increment in power
that we have achieved since the con-
cluSion of the peace. 1t is wholly
natural, in view of the general situa-
ton, that this connection should be-
gin with economic plans; but the
value of it consists precisely in the
fact that this economic rapproche-
ment opens the possibility of politi-
cal and thus military ties"
Kremlin Stonds to Coin
At the present time, when French
intraSigence could blight Western
Germany's commitment to the Euro
pean Defense Community, the Krem-
lin may well become once again the
benefactor. An indication of the
lurking danger is the reluctance of
some former German military men
to accept commands in an all-Euro-
pean army instead of a German
army in an anti-Soviet Allied coali-
ton. They are leaving the way open
for Moscow to make a better offer.
Their bargaining position is i'm
proved by the openly expressed
Anglo-French- United States fears
that a West German army may be
unleaShed to liberate East Germany
and the Polish-occupied provinces
east of the Oder-Neisse line. Thus,
Grand Admiral Doenitz asserted in
his farewell address on May Z. 1945:
1T Is clear that we have to go along
with the Western powers for it
Is only through working with them
that we can have hopes of later re-