A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 1, 26 September 1939, Page 6

A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

South America Wooed NAZI PROPAGANDISTS ACTIVE Nazi propaganda, according to reports from New York, is flooding South America. The campaign is being directed partly against the United States, the Latin Americans being “warned” that the neutrality conference is an excuse for making the southern republics protectorates of Uncle Sam. This is simply a wartime intensification of a policy which has been carried out ever since the foreign affairs of German Nazism became organized.. For years Germany has been making a strong bid for influence south of Panama, particularly in Brazil. The British blockade spells the end of her trade in that direction while hostilities continue, but she is endeavouring to continue to make use of her political contacts. There are the best part of 1,000,000 Germans in Brazil, and about 100,000 in the Argentine. In consequence, these countries have come in for particularly close attention from Berlin. There have lieen Germans in Brazil since 1843. In some parts of the south of that vast country the population is almost entirely German in origin, towns, and townships having German mayors, councillors and police. In these places German is commonly spoken; indeed, the people live almost as self-contained minority settlements. Repressive Measures. ' In recent times the Brazilian Government has 'been obliged to take severe measures against such Germans, among whom the Nazi gospel was being openly preached with increasing fervour. Agents from Germany were touring the country establishing Nazi “cells and nourishing them assiduously. An impudent climax came early in the present year, when Berlin ordered that all Germans, whether Brazilian born or not, must report at the nearest German consulate to be registered tor military service, reprisals .being threatened against those who refused to do so. This was described in the Congress, at Rio as “a crime against Brazilian sovereignty,” and Ute authoiities proceeded to check the activities of the agents. Germany’s Vanished TradeIn spite of political differences, trade between Brazil and Germany has become greatly increased in recent years. Aided by the compensation marks trading system Germany has become an important customer for Brazilian coffee at a time when that product badly needs buyers. Since the Nazis came to power in 1933, the German "drive” to capture the Brazilian market has been reflected in trade figures; imports from Brazil rose from 69,000,000 marks in 1933 to 186,000,000 marks in 1937, while exports to Brazil, which were 77,000,000 marks in 1933, had risen to 1 77,000,000 marks tby the end of .1937.

This trade has vanished. Germany plunged herself into war and war with Britain means no world trade. The Nazis cannot have their cake and eat it too.

. The Germans in the Argentine for the most part are artisans, together with a sprinkling in the professions. Few are real settlers, since most of them intend eventually to return to Germany. This fact has given the Nazi propagandists a certain hold over such people; in fact, any German exhibiting antiNazi tendencies in the Argentine was apt to be boycotted by the Nazi group as a whole. In Other Countries.

Chile is another field of Nazi plotting in South America, the 25,000 Germans in that country forming a useful nucleus for the spreading of Hitlerist trade and political propaganda. Chilean purchases from Germany rose from 52,900,000 pesos in 1935 to 91,600,000 pesos in the following year. In the same period United States trade rose by only 6,000,000 pesos, while British trade declined by 11,000,000. Bolivia has had close links with Germany, many officers in the army being of German origin. To Ecuador Germany has offered three scholarships for officers to be trained at Potsdam; in that country, also, a sidelight on the extent of German influence was provided by a decree early this year that all Jews except those engaged in agriculture were to leave the country at 30 days’ notice. For Venezuela Germany offered to build two destroyers, while Colombia was reported a few- months ago to be negotiating with the Third Reich regarding purchases of oil by the latter. German trade with Paraguay has shown surprising increases of late years. Paraguayan imports from Germany in 1936, amounting to 1,900,000 marks, were double the figures for 1935; in the first quarter of 1937 German imports totalled 760,000 marks compared with 440,000 marks for the corresponding period of 1936. This trade has also gone with the wind of war. x\H Germany has left is her political influence, which she is exploiting for all it is now worth. The Vandalism Of War

Buildings that are among the most picturesque and famous in Eurojw have been destroyed by the bombardment of Warsaw. One is the Cathedral of St. John, the most ancient church in tbe Polish capital. It was built in the 13tli century and was restored in the 17th century.

The Royal Castle containing priceless treasures has been razed. This magnificent structure .was the central point of the life of Warsaw. It was situated on Sigisumuud Square, and was steeped in centuries of tradition. Four main thoroughfares radiated from it, each containing imposing buildings. Resources Of Kenya

The Kenya Colony and Protectorate, which has placed all its resources tit the disposal of Great Britain for war purposes, has an area of 224,960 square miles and a population estimated in 1936 at 3,261,522, including 3,186,976 nat Ives.

The main producing ureas are in the highlands where coffee, maize, wheal, sisal, tea and pyrethrum arc crops of major importance. At lower altitudes where conditions are tropical, maize, sisal, sugar, coconuts and cotton are crops of principal importance. The dairy and wool industries are important, and considerable quantities of hides are exported annually. The merchantable forest area extends over 3300 square miles. The mineral resources, which comprise gold, silver, marble, limestone and sodium carbonate. are not yet fully explored. Tbe area under wheat in Kenya in 1935-30 was ■18.05-I acres. Exports in 19.36 were -15,990 cwt. of wheat and 61,875 cwt. of wheat Hour. In the same year 1,458,9121 b. of wool was exported.