Hitler “Acts First And Thinks Afterwards”

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 220, 13 June 1936, Page 26

Hitler “Acts First And Thinks Afterwards”

THE view of treaty obligations widely held in the Nazi party may be illustrated by quoting the discussion I heard on the train while travelling through thy Saar (writes a special correspondent of the London “Daily Telegraph”). It was the day of Herr Hitler’s meeting in Karlsruhe. The train was packed with Hitler’s followers travelling from Saarbruecken to Karlsruhe to take part in it. There were about 300 mon on board, tilling all the coaches, first, second and third class It was a day’s outing and they were travelling with free vouchers. The leader of the party, a burly man witli a shaven head round its a billiard ball, wore the well-tailored brown-shirt uniform of the Nazi political organization, with the two silver oak leaves, the Nazi insignia of rank, on his collar. The others were in mufti. Political discussion began when it was noticed that I was reading an English newspaper. “The British,” one of the party shouted, "arc playing the French game. But they have played cat and mouse with us long enough; We have guns now and we are strong. if Mr. Eden tries to tell us what to do be will get his nose nulled.” “The French," another shouted, “want us to be unarmed. We are under their guns, but they do not want us to have any. We don’t want war, but if Air. Eden and Al. Flandin try to interfere in our affairs, we will show them. . . . We have an Adolf Hitler now.”

I mentioned something about the sanctity of treaties, but this brought forth a loud outburst of laughter. “When Germany was weak," the Nazi commander explained, “she had to accept the dictates of other nations. Now

-be is strong and other nations will obey our dictates.” This concluded the discussion on treaties. Throughout my trip in the Rhineland and Saar I encountered Ibis same attitude. Any reference to the Treaty of Versailles or the Locarno Pact brought forth jeers or laughter. In the eyes of the Nazis the Locarno was in the same category with the Treaty of Versailles; both, they insisted, had been inflicted on a weak and powerless Germany, and repudiation was just and noble. The only criticism 1 heard of Herr Hitler’s unilateral action came, from Reichswehr circles. In Karlsruhe, an army officer of the old school told me that in his opinion the business had been mismanaged. England, he said, should have been consulted first, and then everything could have been arranged through negotiations. A commander' of one of the battalions in the Rhineland held the same views. “Herr Uitler,” he said, "always acts first and thinks afterwards, lie announced to the world that the Germany army had re-occupied the Rhineland when most of the troops were still halfway to the Rhine.” He admitted that the whole plan could have been scotched if France bad acted at once. There was considerable annoyance in Reichswehr circles at the fact that the Nazi party had received information of Herr Hiller's intention long l.efore the Germany Army had been told.