HITLER WANTS SOUTH AMERICA

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 237, 5 October 1940, Page 1 (Supplement)

HITLER WANTS SOUTH AMERICA

Germany wants South America and wants it badly. What's more, she's determined to get it. Not its physical possession necessarily, but its economic control, the real prize for which wars are fought. That is the plain meaning of German activity in South America as I have seen it in the course of a ten-week aeroplane trip which has taken me into Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

The observations made in the course of that trip lead to these conclusions: First: If Hitler defeats Britain he may be expected without delay to renew the economic warfare which he began long ago to monopolise the extensive unexploited natural resources and markets of the huge continent to the south. This bloodless battle is still smouldering despite the war of arms in Europe.

Second: Hitler is ready if necessary to foment revolutions to set up Governments which would adopt the Nazi theory that their proper sphere was to accept economic slavery under a vaster barter system than ever seen before, dominated by the "master" German race. They would supply raw materials to a Nazified Europe and take its manufactured goods to the complete or very large exclusion of trade with the United States.

Third: Hitler may give the signal for such political changes even in the midst of the present war if the United States enters it or threatens to become a decisive factor in** shipping supplies to Britain.

Fourth: Eventually, if Hitler succeeds in the Battle of Britain, perhaps immediately after the war, perhaps not until several years of preparation for such a grandiose undertaking, he is fully capable of attempting the invasion of South America and the establishment of German colonies in every sense of the word, in order to secure bases from which to attack the United States.

The shadow of Aiolf Hitler lies meroa South America. Already Us agents have made headway there. Hia propaganda is floodinr the country. His Fifth Column is ready. America mast act decisively and quickly if she wishes to offset this activity and so guard herself against possible attack through those Latin republics. This is the startling warning given in this article, condensed from the highly reputable "N«w York Times."

By Russell B v . Porter

This is the plain meaning of the Nazi fifth column in South America. There is a fifth column in every one of the countries I have visited. It is organised, operating and waiting for the signal to strike, in exactly the same way the fifth column worked in its preliminary stages in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Lest anyone should believe that this is a lurid or fantastic report of the situation, let him think back over What has happened in Europe and think ahead to the possibilities of military aviation in a world dominated by Nazi Germany. Came as Refugees

Let him imagine Germany the undisputed possessor of the African coast, only eight hours' flight or less from North Brazil, and at the same time the master or destroyer of the British Fleet. Then let him observe that Germany already has a network of com- - mercial airlines and their radio stations extending' from North Brazil down the coast to Argentina, across tlie high Andes to Chile, Bolivia and Peru, and separated only by a few hours' flying gap from another German airline in Ecuador, within 500 miles or easy bombing distance of the Panama Canal, the key to the defence of the United States and the western hemisphere.

The Germans originally came to South America aa refugees from an earlier autocratic regime after 1848. They settled chiefly in South Brazil and South Chile in "colonies'" now estimated to have grown to about 1,000,000 population. Town after town in' these sections is a "Little Germany," where the people speak German and live according to the old

country ways. After 1918, during the hard times in Germany, others came to South America, an estimated 50,000 going to Brazil alone. They were mostly business men, representatives of German firms and their employees, who at first engaged in a normal trade drive and sought to engage the sympathies of the South Americans for the "underdog" in Europe.

With the rise of the Nazis, however, the situation began gradually to take on a sinister aspect, although it was some years before South America realised what was happening. Even before Hitler came to power, Nazi agents were sent to sections with large German populations to register all persons of German blood and classify them in every conceivable manner. Since 1933 there has been a constantly intensified drive which has had extraordinary success in regimenting Nazis and non-Nazis alike among all the Germans of South America.

The Nazis have organised the German colonies with the same characteristic German efficiency and ruthlessness in every country. If the country is large enough the Nazi party organisation is headed by a Gauleiter or district leader; if smaller, by a Stuntzpuntleiter or leader of a "leverage point." In either case the leader operates from the German Embassy or Legation. The German Ambassador or Minister plays an active role also, but usually is not a militant Nazi, but an old school diplomat, and the party leader reports directly to the Ausland Deutsche headquarters in Berlin.

There is always a local Atisland's Gestapo chief who also operates independently, and checks up on the activities of the entire German community, including the Ambassador and the party leader.

The German school and German club in each community are centres of party operation. All activities are financed by contributions from people of German blood, sometimes forced by threats by Gestapo agents of concentration camps and confiscation of property against relatives still living in Germany, of boycotts and ostracism, and of refusal of passport visas to visit Germany in the future. Much pressure had to be put on non-Nazi and anti-Nazi elements in earlier years, but Hitler's victories have brought them running to jump on the band wagon.

Behind the scenes Nazi agents are threatening and cajoling South American Government heads, army leaders, business men, Press and radio officials, and others in key positions, but publicly the principal activity in the German drive to-day is that of the propagandists. Everywhere one finds the German Transocean News Service representatives, working out of their embassies and legations or overflowing into separate offices, and flooding the continent with German propaganda received by radio daily from Berlin.

Propaganda Runs Wild Originally this propaganda was proNazi and anti-Allied; in the past few weeks it has become more and more anti-United States, particularly seeking to undermine the Havana Conference and sabotage its work. At the same time the Germans have become increasingly boastful that the war is almost over, and that they are about to put their South American programme into effect.

The impact of the Nazi drive has had a varying effect from country to country. Strong anti-German feeling has been evident in places where actual subversive plots have been discovered, but everywhere the chief reaction is fear. Many South Americans are afraid that Germany will win, that she will make good her threats to force them into economic subjugation, and that the United States will be neither willing nor able to do anything about it. South America has not turned against us, but she is in a questioning mood, waiting to see how we implement the Havana decisions with respect to economic and military defence of the western hemisphere and the campaign against the fifth columnists.

Observers agree that it is not too late for us to offset the Nazi drive if we act promptly and decisively. Not only Washington but the American people as a whole already appear to be taking the most important step of all.

It will have a tremendous effect upon the prestige of the United States in Latin America when they understand that we have grown Up at last in our outlook upon world affairs, that we finally have taken a realistic attitude toward our responsibility for world leadership forced upon us by the European war, that we will stand for no

such fifth column nonsense in the western hemisphere and that we have both the will and the power to protect our friends and put teeth into the Monroe Doctrine.

In the light of fast-moving events, these steps seem to be indicated: We must have complete military co-opera-tion for the defence of the western hemisphere. Following this up, we must see to it that the South Americans get aeroplanes and guns from us on terms that will make it unnecessary for them to look to Germany and Italy for help of this nature, as they did before the war. We must have naval bases and air bases wherever they are needed, with all that it takes in ground forces to defend them.

There must be military, naval and aviation missions from* the United States in those countries vital to hemispheric defence so that co-opera-tion can be made effective and fifth columnists kept out of their armed forces. We need enough four-motored, long-range bombers to form a powerful striking force, based where they can fly far to sea In either the Pacific or the Atlantic, carrying the attack to any invading fleet, and where they can destroy or prevent establishment of any air or naval bases by Trojan Horse or fifth columnist elements anywhere in Latin America.

"We Must Intervene n If the Nazis succeed in fomenting revolutions which appear to be purely internal movements, we must intervene, regardless of the possibility that to do so will seem a complete reversal of our policy of the last few years. Conditions to-day in South America lead one to the conclusion that future steps should be taken by mutual agreement, if possible, but taken in any event. If Nazi propaganda, harping upon the traditional South American fears of an invasion of sovereignty by the "Colossus of the North," keeps the southern countries from accepting our protection, we should say to them, kindly but firmly, "My friends, you are wrong. History will show it, as it has already shown the mistakes of the European ueutrals. We are strong and you are weak. It is our right as well as our duty to protect you and ourselves, and we intend to do it."

In their hearts and minds also, most South Americans know that to be the truth, and will accept it—if we show the strength to back it up.