The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, THURSDAY, OCT. 12, 1939. GERMAN MINORITIES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20066, 12 October 1939, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, THURSDAY, OCT. 12, 1939. GERMAN MINORITIES

Herr Hitler’s latest plan for solving the problem of German minorities by transferring them back to the Reich might be interesting propaganda, but it is a doubtful remedy. Indeed, it may seriously be doubted whether it is really advanced as a remedy at all. The one thing that is certain is that it provides further evidence of the hopeless inconsistency of the Fuehrer. What Hitler refers to as “the resettlement of nationalities” is not by any

| means new. The creation of a Jewish j national home in Palestine —made : more necessary than ever as a result jof Hitler’s policy—is .a somewhat | parallel case. More striking, perhaps, was the arrangement made between Turkey and Greece after the last war. but in this case the migration was voluntary and just provision was made for compensation. A more recent instance was Hitler's own plan for the transfer of Germans in the Tyrol. This was done to appease the junior partner in the axis, Italy, as a result, being left in undisputed possession of territory that was traditionally German. Now the procedure is to be extended to Baltic and Balkan countries and the question is raised of whether Hitler is following his own inclinations or whether he is being compelled to act to avoid friction with his new partner. Certain it is that this “Back to the Reich” movement, if it were sincere, would go some distance towards solving the problem of the minorities. The surprising thing, perhaps, is that Hitler did not think of it before, because, hitherto, his policy has not been to transfer the minorities but to extend the territory of the Reich to embrace them. Poland offers an excellent example. Less than 4 per j cent of its population was of German | blood, so that if Hitler had really j wanted a peaceful settlement of the ! Polish issues he could have done what I he is now doing in regard to the 1 Balkan States and would then have avoided plunging Europe into war. If | he had taken his minorities out of this j and other areas there could have been j no question of “oppression” and no cause for hostilities. Then, however. Hitler apparently preferred the doctrine of force or welcomed the excuse for extending the Reich. The explanation of this contradictory policy probably lies-.in the fact that Hitler is now under the domination of Moscow and has been compelled to remove his nationals from the Baltic and Balkan countries in order that there can be no ground for dispute between Germany and Russia and, also, to thwart any possible attempt to establish, through peaceful penetration, predominant German influence in countries which the Soviet desires to bring under its own "protection.” This wholesale migration of Germans is itself a contradiction of other aspects of Hitler’s policy. The idea of bringing peoples, instead of territories, “back to the Reich” conflicts with the Fuehrer’s own utterances. Only two days ago he was repeating his old claim of the need for “living space” to which Germans, “by reason of their numbers and their greatness, were entitled.” If Germany wants more living space, why should she further cramp her existing territory j by bringing back tens of thousands of peoples who have voluntarily migral- ' cd? If Germany is in need of these j additional people in her own borders, ■ how can she hope to substantiate a j claim for colonies which would give j her room to expand? Surely Hitler ; cannot hope simultaneously to pursue policies of both expansion and contraction. Nor does there seem to be much justification for the claim that Germany is in need of more workers, because, speaking at the same gathering which Hitler addressed, Dr. Coebbels disclosed that in 1938-39 more than 10 per cent of the German population was in need of winter relief. The only possible inference from this is that there is still a great deal of unemployment in Germany, in which case relief could best be obtained from a policy of emigration instead of immigration. This proposed wholesale transfer of populations opens up other interesting questions, not the least of which is the extent to which race can be harmonised with religion and politics. Presumably, substantial proportions of ; the German minorities are people who have emigrated voluntarily (o escape Nazi persecution or Jews who have | been driven from the country on acI count of the accident of their birth. ! Does Hitler propose that these people | should be compelled to return to a

fatherland which they disowned or which disowned them? If so, in the

one case he will again be negativing his own policy, and, in the other, will be storing up a good deal of trouble for himself by importing opponents of his own regime. There is at least a suspicion of Soviet drive behind this migration plan. Will the Soviet insist, or approve, of the return to Germany of German Communists who have found refuge in Russia, and willit demand the return to Russia of Russian exiles who may have found refuge in Germany? If so, then, in either case, it seems that a plan that

has as its avowed objective the avoidance of the oppression of minorities will lead to worse oppression than ever before. And if these developments do not lead to sufficient complications, consideration might be given to the possibilities in the event of Russia demanding the release of Communists from concentration camps in Germany. However the question is viewed, Hitler again stands exposed as inconsistent and insincere.