“SMALL NAZIS” HAVE OWN PARTY IN EAST ZONE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22690, 15 July 1948, Page 5

“SMALL NAZIS” HAVE OWN PARTY IN EAST ZONE

BERLIN (By Air Mail). Small Nazis in the Soviet zone of Germany, excluded from politics since the end of the war, now have a party and newspaper of their own. The new political movement started operations quietly in March this year when, .without previous announcement,' a new Berlin newspaper, the National Zeitung, published under Russian license, suddenly began to appear.

In more ways than one, the new newspaper was surprising. For one thing, it carried in its first number several readers’ letters—and the preliminaries to the appearance of. the newspaper had been carried out in complete secrecy. The second surprise was that from its first number, both in its editorial columns and through obviously inspired “readers’ letters”, it carried on a campaign for the foundation of a new party in the Soviet zone. Idea Catches On This new party, named the National Democratic Party by a rtader in the second issue of the paper, was to appeal to small Nazis—those who had really believed in socialism, but who had been led astray by the Nazis. Within a few weeks, the idea caught on. Small Nazis, who had been excluded from political activity since the war, deluged the paper with their complaints and suggestions. In many parts of the Soviet zone, provisional committees of the new National Democratic Party were established. Political observers who have attended meetings of these foundation committees state that it is quite clear that some of the initiators may have been “put up to it" by Russian political officers. The great majority of the persons attending the meetings are in fact “small Nazis" jumping at the chance to get back into political life. In several cases, the organisers of the meeting have had the greatest difficulty in restraining the meeting from issuing proclamations. swearing in members, and generally acting as if the party was already a going concern. Although the movement already lias a name and a party organ, the party has not yet been licensed by the Soviet military authorities — and there is no *i£n at the moment that the Russians intend to recognise it. Clever Soviet Move Some political observers regard this as a clever Soviet move to conceal the Russian interest in sponsoring the new party, but the concensus of opinion is that the Russians themselves are not quite sure what to do with the movement they have created. They have satisfied themselves that such a party would win many supporters in the eastern zone at least, and may be content to sit back, having laid the ground work, until the time appears for the official launching of the new party.

In the meantime, supporters of the party, whether genuine “small Nazis" or Soviet “stooges” it is difficult to say, have been canvassing for some big names to lead the party If or when it is officially approved. A number of pre-Hitler political leaders, who “withdrew from politics" when Hitler came to power in 1933, and are reasonably acceptable both to the Allies and to former Nazis as well as to anti-Nazis have been approached, so far, it is believed, without success.

There is no si;*- at present that the new movement is connected in any way with the National Committee for a Free Germany founded in Russia during the war under the leadership of Feld Marshal Friedrich Paulus. When leading members of this committee return to Germany, however, it would probably be much easier for them to work for German-Russian understanding through the framework of such a party as the National Democrats than through the Communist-dominated Socialist Unity Party or the discredited Christian and Liberal Democrats in the eastern zone. No Spread in Western Zones So far, there have been no overt signs of the spread of the new movement into the western zones. The National Democratic Party in Hesse, In the American zone of occupation, which is also alleged to be a party of former Nazis, has no connection with the Russian sponsored party. Thosands of copies of the National Zeitung are being sold in western Germany, however, and it would be surprising if “small Nazis” there were not also pleased with the idea of again taking an active part in politics. An American official is reported to have said recently that “General Lucius Clay (American Military Governor) is very angry about the new party.” Asked why General Clay was angry, the official is reported to have replied: “He wishes he had thought of the idea first.”