THE "FIFTH COLUMN"

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 121, 23 May 1940, Page 10

THE "FIFTH COLUMN"

PROBLEM IN BRITAIN

SOLUTION NOT SIMPLE

From the plethora of stories, some true and many manifestly false, which have come out of German-occupied Norway, one has led to immediate action throughout Europe, and has had serious repercussions in Great Britain, states the London correspondent of the Melbourne "Age." It concerns Hitler's "fifth column"—the devoted and tried Nazis whom Hitler placed in Norway to act when necessary, and whom, we are told, are also to be found in every neutral country, even in Britain and France. The Home Secretary, Sir John Anderson, agreed to meet 70 members of Parliament, who, at a meeting in the House of Commons on Thursday last, called for stricter control.

Undoubtedly there has been feeling in Britain for some time concerning the large number of aliens, many of them at least technically enemy subjects, who are at large in the country. There are some 74,000 Germans and Austrians within our borders, most of them at liberty and living here in safety and security. Except under certain conditions, they cannot now reside in various areas, and they are under some sort of supervision, but a great many people seem to be convinced that among them there are Nazi agents only waiting for their opportunity to hinder and perhaps sabotage our effort. Some members of Parliament are asking whether the regulations cannot be tightened still further, and whether the present powers are sufficient for the purpose. They point out that neutral countries within reach of Germany are taking almost frantic steps to disarm the fifth columns within their territories before it is too late, and they want similar action here. ANTI-WAR ORGANISATIONS. They are concerned, too, about the activities of the few vocal but by no means strong anti-war organisations which still exist, and are asking for action in that direction also. Anti-war feeling is insignificant, and is confined mainly to cranks. The result of a by-election demonstrated this, for the candidate who opposed the official policy forfeited his deposit —as all other such candidates have drone since the war began. These people shout a good deal, but they exercise little influence and have no real importance. So far they have been treated tolerantly and with that good humour which usually distinguishes us in such cases. As to the enemy aliens in this country, there is a great difference between the position today and that which existed in 1914. Before 1914 there was no general system in operation for controlling the entry of aliens and no registration when they were here. True, the police kept a fairly close eye upon suspectj, and when the last war broke out they immediately broke up the German espionage system by, placing a large number of men under lock and key. But that was due to police vigilance alone. Since the last war, however, there has been strict control over the "entry of aliens. Those from enemy countries in particular have been closely scrutinised, thejr antecedents and records inquired into, arid a very full investigation made in practically every' case. After they were allowed in the country they had to register with the police and report at stated intervals. So the authorities had a pretty good knowledge of all enemy aliens in the country. Many enemy aliens were only technically enemies. A great number were refugees fleeing from the wrath of Hitler, and some of them undoubtedly would welcome the defeat of Germany in this war. Nearly two thousand enemy aliens have enrolled in the Auxiliary Pioneer Labour Corps, which is the only unit open to receive them. . . TASK OF SIFTING. The individual circumstances of every alien have been examined by tribunals which have worked on the principle that if there was a shadow of suspicion the alien must not be allowed complete freedom. Nevertheless, with all the careful sifting which they have done, it is conceivable that some doubtful persons have scraped through and tha J there are at large in England today men who ought to be interned. Obviously, in face of present conditions, a general internment is out of the question. It would include such people as Dr. Benes and M. Masaryk. Regional advisory committees have now been set up to examine afresh the cases of those who have not been interned. ' These committees are made up of men of great experience, and they will advise the Home Secretary, he having complete power to act at once. NAMES NOT A GUIDE. While one can readily understand and appreciate the fears and the con-

i cern of many people on this alien question, there is a danger of the real position being obscured by a lack of thought and a development, of mass psychology. Some people and some newspapers are violent on the matter. They want to intern all aliens, imprison all Communists, lock up all pacifists, and stultify our muchvaunted freedom of speech. This hue and cry after Hitler's "fifth column" in Britain (if it exists at all) has mit the elements of danger, and already it has been pointed out that it will not be easy to discover the right men. A man with a German name is less likely to be a spy than a man named Smith or Jones. Mr. Norman Birket, K.C., one of our most distinguished lawyers, a former member of Parliament, and a man whose views command considerable respect, gives a wireless talk every Friday. This week he dealt with this thorny topic, emphasised its difficulties, i and commended, our practice of examining each case on its merits. How the Germans would have exulted, he said, if we had imprisoned those who had come to this country in search of freedom. He contended that this moment, when we were expending every ounce of energy in the fight for freedom, was not the one when we could jettison justice and humanity. BRITAIN, LAND OF LIBERTY. There were men and women • here today who had suffered and fled from the horrors of their own country just in time. Here we had given them shelter and a welcome. Were we, he asked, now to turn upon them and imprison them in this land of liberty? One can readily see that there are great difficulties in approximating action to national safety and' to our principles of liberty in the case of aliens of enemy origin. As far as the Communists and Fascists are concerned, it is probably wise to let them go on with their shouting from the platforms in Hyde Park and other places, and to continue to treat their minor displays with good-humoured tolerance. It is difficult to discover what is really in the minds of those few people, who are crying for peace in a wilderness of war. Many of them are obviously cranks out for notoriety, but some are quite sincere in their views, and are really pacifists at heart. One, would not stigmatise as subveiisive some of those who are associated with the Peace Uhib'n, though others in the org&nisaticm nave Wardly- acte.dwisely in • the degree of assistance which they have ..afforded to those seeking exemption from military serI vice. ■ Here and there we see little proces-. sions of men and women bearing sandwich boards demanding a "just peace," but nobody seems " to know exactly what they want, and.the public merely smile at them. They, represent today less than a fraction of 1 per cent, of the population, and the policy of ignoring them is probably the best. Yet the authorities-, are keeping a careful watch, upon the activities of some of them. ANTIS AND "QUISLINGS." A certain amount of pro-Nazi and anti-British propaganda is being carried on quietly, though the active organisations were broke:-, up when war came. One society which before the war made no secret of its pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic leanings still carries on some propaganda through the post, though most of its members are now in one or other of the services, including the secretary. The members have pledged themselves to carry on the war with c.l vigour, but their aims are still directed against aliens, and particularly the Jews, in this country. Since the Germans in Norway induced Quisling to forn\ a puppet government the word "Quisling" has sprung into our language as indicating a particular form of traitor, and its appearance has even led "The Times" to devote a leading article to the significance of the word. The European j neutral countries are looking for Quislings, but it may be said with safety that there are none of that ilk here.