Hardest Job Of All Begins In Germany

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 118, 21 May 1945, Page 4

Hardest Job Of All Begins In Germany

By CYRANO

THE Allies have begun to educate the Germans. They are not only controlling the Press, the radio, and the cinema, but a start has been made with the purging of school books. That the Allies should have started on the schools so early is a reminder that while they settle down to the job of taking surrenders, disposing of prisoners, and administering the government, the life of the country must go on. There are millions of children and hundreds of thousands of teachers, and it is better that as many as possible should be in school than that they should be adding to the unimaginable confusion caused by the conquest. If the schools are to be kept open, something must be done at once to eradicate or modify Nazi teaching. The Nazi poisoning of children's minds could hardly be allowed to go on under the very noses of the conquerors. By the Germans Themselves But, of course, the far more interesting point is that the tremendous task of re-educating Germany has actually begun. I take leave to doubt whether a large proportion of the victorious soldiers realise how extraordinarily difficult it is. The Americans would set about the job more confidently than the British. Their disposition is more buoyant. They are less troubled by scepticism. They have achieved a higher degree of social equality, and have a more fervent belief in the value and power of education, on which they are prepared to spend what to us are incredible sums. Have they not turned millions of immigrants into good Americans? Many American soldiers must feel sure that if American teachers could be let loose in German schools, German children would soon be turned into good democrats.

However, even this simple remedy would not take us far. Where would all the teachers, who would have to speak German,, come from? And what sort of reception would they get from the children and their parents? If Britain had been conquered and the Germans had manned the schools with their own teachers, would Britons have taken kindly to such. instruction? Would they not have fiercely resented it, and read the banned books in secret?

True, the Germans are much more docile than the British, and therein lies part of the Allies' hope, but it is significant that Lord Vansittart, who is pretty extreme in his views on the treatment of Germany, opened a discussion on this problem of reeducation a few months ago by saying: "Most of us, I think, are agreed by now that-the education or reeducation of the Germans will have to be done by the Germans themselves. It is obviously futile to think of bringing in a crowd of alien teachers." Tne Allies' re-education measures would have to be mainly negative; they would have to prevent the teaching of militarism and racialism and so on, which would require a firm hand, and, indeed, a strong arm. Who Will Help? This led up to a discussion on the classes of Germans who might be looked to for help. There were the people who had resisted Nazi-ism, and suffered for it. A hundred thousand teachers were dismissed after Hitler came to power, and some of these must be still alive. Then there were the Churches, from which some opposition to Nazi-ism had come. As late as 1937 an indictment of Nazi philosophy by the Pope was read from every pulpit in Germany. The 8.8.C. debate, however, leaves me—as I think it left most of the debaters — foggy about the amount of help to be relied upon among Germans. Over the whole question broods uncertainty as to the trustworthiness of Germans of every kind. It is significant that the outcry in Britain against "Vansittartism" has died down to something quite small. Recent events have been too'much for Lord Vansittart's critics. There is no sign of repentance In. Germany. Meanwhile the Allies have to act. The first part of the job will be to get home to the Germans the truth about German policy and conduct. Remember that we shall be dealing with a most credulous people, who have been lied to systematically for years. Remember the story of the German girl in America, who, hearing it said that the Germans attacked Belgium in 1914, came out with the assertion that this was untrue; Belgium had attacked Germany. Somehow the Allies have to break through this hard crust of ignorance and falsehood. It may be possible to do a good deal by Press articles, books and films, but these are bound to be regarded as propaganda, and you can't compel people to read books or see films if they don't want to. Something new and spectacular seems to be called for. Suppose public buildings that Germans had to use—places like railway stations, libraries, museums and even restaurants—were decorated with diagrams showing the destruction of life and property wrought by Germany, and pictures of concentration camps such as we have seen lately; that', I think, would do more than anything to impress these vital facts on the German mind. Reminders Abroad When the Belgians rebuilt the Louvain University Library after the last war, they wrote on it: "Destroyed by German ferocity." German pressure forced the Belgians to remove the inscription. This time there will be no such compliance. Germans who go abroad will encounter not only bitter hatred, but stark memories of the unfathomable cruelty of the German Army and the Gestapo. Indeed, the erection of such reminders should be organised. On every German frontier there might be such conspicuous inscriptions as I have indicated. Moreover, for a period of years, every German wishing to go to one of the countries his nation has violated might be required, to satisfy a board of examiners that he knew the main facts about the German assault on and occupation of that country. Don't think for a moment that because the Allies have occupied Germany, German propaganda will cease. It will try to create sympathy and build up legends. And let us never forget that, if I remember rightly, Hitlerism had its origin in a meeting of five quite obscure men after the last war, to see if something could not be done to put Germany on her feet again. Another five men may be meeting, with a similar purpose, in Germany to-day.