HITLER’S VIEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 September 1938, Page 5

HITLER’S VIEWS

' ON CZECH CRISIS TROULLE MUST BE ENDED. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright). | LONDON, September 19. The Berchtesgaden correspondent of the “Daily Mail” says Herr Hitler in an interview said that the Czech Constitution seemed to provide only one tliing ) namely, the suppression of 8,000,000 minority subjects by 7,000,000 Czechs. Herr Hitler added: “This trouble must be ended once and for all, and ended now. It .is a tumour poisoning the whole European organism, and its continuance would infect international relations until they fatally collapsed.

“The existence of Czechoslovakia as Russia’s ally in the very heart of Germany forced me to create a new air force, which led France and Britain into increasing their air fleets. It we Vailed to settle the crisis now, Field-Marshal Goering would soon ask me to order that our air force be redoubled. Then France and Britain would redouble, and the mail race would continue.

“Nobody in Germany dreams of attacking France, for whom we harbour no resentment, but on the contrary a strong feeling of sympathy. No German wants war'with Britain.”

Her Hitler argued that the French Minister’s promise to stand by Czechoslovakia. was a contradiction of their own past actions. France had allowed the Saar to vote itself from her control, and Britain in the same way had let the Southern Irish have complete autonomy. “Holland,” lie said, “gave the Belgians independence a century ago. The Czechs were never independent until the peace treaties raised them to undeserved mastery over minorities more numerous than themselves. The creation of the post war Czech Republic was a lunacy. The Sudetens will never accept Czech rule.”

Herr Hitler resented the warrant for Herr Henlein’s arrest. He declared: “If Herr Henlein is arrested, I myself shall become leader of the Sudetens. I would be glad to see how long after that Dr. Benes would issue decrees. I hope he would not issue a warrant for my arrest. If ( the Czechs had possessed a great statesman, no would long ago have allowed the Sudetens to join the Reich, thus assuring autonomy for the Czechs themselves, but Dr. Benes is a politician, not a statesman.”