NAZI PROPAGANDA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 170, 30 April 1943, Page 5

NAZI PROPAGANDA

ENDEAVOUR TO DIVIDE ALLIES.

GERMANY'S INTERNAL ECONOMY.

(Special. Correspondent, N..Z.P.A.). (Rec. 10 a.m.) LONDON, April 2S. The suspension of Russian-Polisli relations is regarded as typical of the result hoped for by Goebbels with his Bolshevist 'bogey campaign. Whatever comments may be made regarding the Poles’ short-sightedness or Russians’ abruptness the incident confirms, the Nazis’ engineering and hopes for a political victory instead of a military one. One of Goebbels’s highest hopes now is to sow disunity between the United Nations. He is ti’ying many avenues simultaneously and cleverly; for instance the recent attempt to start British and American bickering. Cunningly knowing that some claims: made by Flying Fortresses of the shooting down of German fighters during daylight raids caused some surprise in England, Goebbels recently stated that the Royal Air Force claims were always exact whereas the Americans’ claims were not, which was explained by the fact they were lacking in experience—a remark subtly intended to stir up dissension between the two air forces and countries. This is typical of expected continuous attempts to cause trouble.

Considerable interest is being paid to the internal situation of‘Germany,. It is obvious that the shattering raids by the Royal Air Force have had a definite effect upon morale. Just how the position will develop as the raids become heavier during the summer is causing some speculation. Observers express the opinion that there are signs of an internal crisis in Germany, and that discontent and war weariness are driving the masses to a point where they may soon have ari important result.

The trend in articles in the'German newspapers and the speeches of Nazi officials gives the impression that ■ the German public is becoming actively restive. There is constant defensive against accusations of war guilt, of bombing guilt, and of political and military blunders, also pleas for confidence and frank admissions that the mood of the country is had. An interesting outcome of Germany’s “total mobilisation” is the intention to destroy the middle class. It is now clear, it is stated, that mobilisation has resulted in a negligible increase in military strength, but the social effects are revolutionary and devastating.

Neutral reports indicate that tens of tliousailds of completely untrained women and expropriated shopkeepers are* idle in factories because they do not know how to handle the'machines, their homes have been broken up and their shops are closed. The German middle class newspapers complain about this with open bitterness, but “Dasschwarze Corps” declared that the middle class is “a Jewish lilieralistic institution,” adding “the German middle class is dead—the German Nation all the more alive,”