LOW LOOKS AT HITLER

New York Times, Sept. 3rd, 1944.

## HITLER IS NO HERO
### TO DAVID LOW

Looking over the files of past cartoons, I find that when Hitler first came to power in 1933, I did not find him particularly good to draw. For a Man of Destiny he struck me as remarkably lacking in definite visual character. His points - mustache and forelock - were distinctly synthetic aside to notice, which, if removed, would leave an impression hard to remember. This shortcoming was compensated, however, by a theatrical deportment, and by the picturesque quality of his ideas, uttered with violence and obvious sincerity. These certainly offered opportunities for cartoons. My impression was that the man was a fool. To-day I find no reason to change it.

MEIN KAMPF and subsequent speeches revealed his two big ideas to be Race and Force. The "Aryan race" (whatever that was) was the best, and the German people its highest type. The latter, therefore, was the fittest to run man-kind. The British, French, Americans, etc., were piebald, degenerate and debauched. The Russians were just animals. For the Germans, two things must be achieved: Complete purification of German blood, by eliminating all foreign elements, especially the Jewish (The term "Jew" was to be taken not merely in an etnologic sense, but also in a social and political sense, as signifying all who disagreed); and complete unity by obedience to an absolute Leader, who would tell everybody what to do. The Leader would do the thinking, the people would concentrate on loyalty and feeling ("thinking-with-the-blood"). The Leader would perfect the entire economic and social organisation and direct it to one end - the end alone worthy of Germans - the seizing of their rightful place as Masters of the World. War was the ultimate morality, the supreme test of Right and the highest activity of man. Force could do anything. Germany had already the best talents at organisation, generality, science, industry and fighting ability. Germany had an immense advantage over the inferior peoples in their purity of blood, their single-minded leader and their unity. The whole thing was a cinch. There would be some coming diplomacy, then a flash of lightning war - and the might of Germany would recreate Humanity and the world to her own advantage and instal a New Order that would last for 1,000 years. That could be simpler?

-2-

Well, Hitler's war has been going on now for five years. How have his pet ideas worked out?

The "Master-race" myth has been blown sky-high. The "pure-blood" theory is proved to be pure nonsense. The Americans, who are a community of practically all the peoples with all the blood on earth, and the British and the Russians, neither of whom have ever worried about their bloods (and use Jewish generals when it suits them) are at this moment wiping the "Master-race" off the map. They are collectively and separately defeating them in organisation, science, industry, generality and battle - in every department, that is, of Hitler's own supreme test, war. Perhaps the average German soldier is no better nor worse than the average American, British or Russian soldier. Perhaps his fate might have been different had German leadership been better. Certainly Hitler as the Leader has been a washout. The only wreath he will get from History will be of raspberries, for his complete failure ever to read the minds of Britain and the United States, his fatal error in attempting Soviet Russia before he had finished Britain, and his ruinous plunge at Stalingrad. (One might add, his plain stupidity latterly in diverting his industry from the production of vitally-needed planes to that of novel nuisances-weapons). Of the Leader-principle, it would seem easily demonstrated (once more) that unless the Leader be infallible, his cost is too high and his unity is unity in suicide. Of Force, it is surely proved, (once more again) that it can NOT do everything, and that human nature can NOT wholly be subdued thereby. Hitler had all Europe in his grip for over two years, but he was never able to cope with the resistance movements of France, Yugoslavia, Holland, Poland, Denmark and the rest. Even without the opposition of the Allies and Russia, it is unlikely that his "New Order" could ever have become firmly established. Actually its shaky career has lasted four years.

Much has been said, quite mistakenly, about Hitler's realism and insight into human character. He was so right, people say, about the power of propaganda. Given a monopoly of information and education, and a power of censorship, any scoundrel could twist the mind of innocence to his own ends, no doubt, for children are not born with an inherent sense of moral values.

-3-

Hitler has had no difficulty in producing an entire generation of ignorant young genetics. But, if he realized the weaknesses of human character, he failed to perceive its strengths. He succeeded with his young Germans, probably because he flattered their ignorant vanity by promising them mastery. He failed with the young peoples of the occupied countries because all he could promise them was slavery. Hitler's biggest, his fundamental mistake was in underestimating the depth of the human yearning for freedom, which is as instinctive as the drawing of breath.

Future historians surveying *this present* passage of history down the perspective of time, will wonder why half the world had to be blown up to prove that the ideas of this vicious nincompoop were wrong. The man was so obviously a fool, they will say. What was the matter with his intended victims? Why did they let him nearly get away with it all?......... Not a very pleasing comment upon our generation, I'm afraid.