NAZI MENTALITY

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 October 1939, Page 2

NAZI MENTALITY

CHARACTER OF LEADERS The revelations of Hitler’s character by Sir Nevile Henderson, British Ambassador in Germany until the war broke out, follow some interesting observations on other Nazi leaders contained in the Blue Book issued last month and summarised in the London Press on September 22. The fact that Goering is house-proud and that Ribbentrop, one of the most highly unpleasant of Nazi leaders, attempts to imitate Hitler, are two of the things which emerge, from Sir Nevile’s account of the negotiations in the decisive days which led up to the newest European conflict. The British Ambassador went to see Goering at his house at Karinhall, and though Sir Nevile was in a hurry the marshal insisted on showing him. “with much pride,” the structural alterations which lie was making, the new dining-room which would hold an incredible number of guests, and to be all in marble and hung with tapestries.” Goering also produced, with pride, drawings of the tapestries, “mostly representingnaked ladies labelled with the names of various virtues, such as Goodness, Meicy, Purity, etc.” They looked pacific at least, Henderson told him dryly, but he failed to see Patience among them. Goering is evasive, too. When warned last May what would be the consequences if Hitler yielded to the advice of his “wild men,” the Nazi at once changed the subject and complained that his holiday at San Remo had been spoiled by the amount of work which had been thrust upon him. Ribbentrop, when asked about the Polish negotiations, flew into a rage and “aped Hitler at his worst.” His most violent passages followed an inquiry why he could not follow “normal diplomatic procedure” and give Sir Nevile a copy of the proposals which the Nazis were making for a settlement and ask the Polish Ambassador to call on him. Hitler, of course, was once again the most misunderstood, most reasonable man. He told Sir Nevile that a war would be the fault of Britain, that she wished to “destroy and exterminate Germany.” that Germany would light to the last man, and it would have been different in 1914 if he had been Chancellor. The way Hitler continues to blame the German Chancellor for the Armistice is an interesting piece of propaganda, for the first man to confess defeat was Ludendorff, and it was only after this confession that the home front crumbled. Hitler said he was an artist more than a politician. that he would settle down and end his life as an artist once the Polish question was settled, and that while he did not wish to make Britain break her word to Poland, all he wanted from her was a gesture to show she would not be unreasonable. He did not wish to turn Germany into a military barracks, he said, and he did not wish to be “small-minded” in the Polish settlement.