Germans In Czechoslovakia

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 74, 21 December 1937, Page 13

Germans In Czechoslovakia

Sir, —Pleased to see that Mr. A. C. Barrington has again come to light. The confident tone of his letters might be more impressive if he did not issue challenges and then deny them, and indulge in unproved negations. Remarks calling attention to the persecution of Germans in Czechoslovakia are dubbed by your correspondent as “vicious propaganda” of the Hitler Government. Conversely, it might be. argued that Mr. Barrington mav be influenced, -by “vicum--propaganda” in the opposite direction. However, the fact remains that Mr. Barrington has disproved nothing. Your correspondent says that he, "dm not challenge statements of a ’Times, correspondent, for there were none given This'is an empty quibble on Mr. Barrington’s part, for if he did not challenge a word-for-word transcription ot tlie statements of the “Times” correspondent, he challenged the substance of them, which amounts to the same thing. 'I lie “Tinies” correspondent said that "tens <>l thousands of Germans” had been dismissed to make room for the Czechs: also that Dr. Benes’s pledge of May 20, 1919. had not been Rent. If that does not satisfy Mr. Barrington, I can only sug; gest that he write to the London “Times and fling his “challenge” at the correspondent in question. „ ■Regarding Dr. Benes’s “incredible statement (so Mr. Barrington lays down) in his book on Czechoslovakia, viz., that 20,000 Germans committed suicide within a period of 10 years, I may point out that this figure is correct. The 5000 referred to in a previous letter is merely a clerical or typographical error, and is not due to information from conflicting sources. Perhaps Dr. Benes’s written statement (which anyone can obtain by writing to Prague) is a bit of “vicious propaganda,” for, and on behalf of, Herr Hitler’s Government! In connection with the Germans and educational facilities in Czechoslovakia, I may mention that there are at present 225 Czech schools, while the German, schools have been reduced to 72. Al-' though the number of German schools was formerly considerably more than 72. I have not at the moment got the exact figures of the former number of schools. Nevertheless, the figures regarding the reduced number of German schools in Czechoslovakia can be verified from Czech official records. Finally, although Mr. Barrington professes to dearly love, “explicitness” and “definiteness,” he'is, despite his “definite” dogmatism in general, far from being explicit himself, e.g., he says that “it is possible that some Germans might lose their positions,” etc. “Possible” and “some” are neither explicit nor definite. Further, he says that the Czech authorities admitted that there had been “some” discrimination between Germans and Czechs. Again, I ask, to what extent is “some"? And in his letter to “The Dominion” (28/10/37), Mr. Barrington remarks that “one can quite imagine some privileges (of the Germans) being withdrawn,” etc.; and in his following sentence .lie asks for “explicitness” ! It does not take an effort for “one to imagine" (excuse the phrase) that Mr. Barrington is very much guilty of that which he has the effrontery to complain.—l am. etc.. FACTS. Wellington, December 16.