NAZISM UNDER STRESS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 143, 19 May 1941, Page 7

NAZISM UNDER STRESS.

GROWTH OF DISUNITY. (British G/licutl Wireless.) IIL'GBY, May 17. iMr A. Greenwood (Minister without portfolio), speaking at Deptford, said : "When a man occupying such an important oflieia 1 position in the Nazi hierarchy as did Tless flees his country and puts himself in the hands of the enemy it looks as though all is not "'ell on the German home front. Disunity, doubt, and disillusionment are growing and will continue to grow within the German Iteich. “The Nazi foundation upon which Germany's grandiose edifice of military aggression rests has begun to show signs ol internal stress and strain. 1 will not say it is cracking, but it is certainly becoming chipped. It should be additional encouragement and incentive for us Lo increase our efforts still further and endure still greater! hardships to speed our victory.

"Wc have proved that our spirit is unbreakable, our island is unconquerable. but yve have still to make our arms irresistible. Let us then draw ucyv 1 a.i til, strength, and energy from the knowledge that all is not yyell yvithin Germany. Let us redouble our efforts to increase flic stress and slrain yvhich have already begun to undermine Nazi unity and loyalty till the pressure brings the Nazi tyrant doyvn into the dust of defeat and retribution.”

A BRUTAL THUG. I The Home Secretary (Mr H. Morril.son), speaking at Hackney, said: “We | can at least he grateful to Hess lor providing the British people yvitli a I good deal ot entertainment in the j midst of grim times. He has been file hero or the villain of a piece oi real life melodrama that would have yvon rounds of applause Irom the Drury Lane gallery m the old days. “1 have no Hess guess. Instead 1 will give a feyv hard facts. Hess, Hitler s right hand man, is like the rest of them, a brutal thug, yvhose hands, like his master’s, are stained yvitli some of the worst political crimes of modern times. liess takes his of the guilt ior the murder of hundreds of comrades in 1934. “So highly did Hitler think of his peculiar capacities that he made it It is j task to out-Gestapo the Gestapo. This gangster is now in our hands. Ho is going to stay in our hands. It does not matter what kind of animal he is—yvhether he is rat No. 1 of the Trojan horse, or just over here in the y-ain hope of finding innocents to play yvitli. The main thing is that he is caged. There is just one more fact to add to this: Whatever his reason for coming here, the German people, to put it mildly, are very much shaken

by the whole episode. They chose be tween tyvo or three different explana-

tions. all of them equally unpalatable. Meanwhile we have seen the edifying sight of Goobbels spending the last few ilays revolving rapidly on his axis—chasing his own tail.” Sir Novile Henderson, former British Ambassador in Berlin, gave his vieyv on the escape of Hess to Britain. He described Hess as an absolutely fanatical supporter of the Nazi system who yvas honest and sincere. The impression Hess’s flight had created in Germany, he said, rilled out the theory that he had - come to Britain on a secret mission. TREATMENT AS NAZT.

I In Sir Nevile's opinion, the DeputyFuehrer had become convinced in the : last two years that Nazism as it had ; developed was on the wrong track., and tiiat it was being used to sferve the lot of the thorough-going scoundrels of Germany such as Himmler, Ribbcntrop, Goering, and the general party bosses who acted solely for themselves. He regarded Hess as an adopted son of Hitler, a man to whom Hitler was devoted, and who was devoted to Hitler. Hess was one of the first men to join the Nazi movement. Sir Nevile thought his number was 21. and Hitler's 7. It was considered m Germany to be a great distinction to be among the first 100. He did not think that Hess had come to Britain to give away German secrets or that lie had come as a spy. His momentous step showed how deep the feeling in Germany must bo to-day, knowing as he did when lie took the step that it would cause tpry and resentment on the part of the leaders. In reply to a question, Sir Nevile said: ‘'You can be quite easy. The Government will not treat Hess as anything but a Nazi.” Colonel Knox (United States Secretary for the Navy) expressed his persona 1 view of the Hess affair in Washington to-day. He concluded that Hess was sane and that he fled to Scotland

| “two jumps ahead of the gun.” “You i know, 1 come Irom Chicago,” said j Colonel Knox, “and there they put the linger on you. That is what they i are duing to Hess.” I The German Government is doing | everything possible to stop the people of Germany thinking about the Hess ! affair. Thursday's German broadcast declared that the flight of Hess had been completely unravelled, and that ! statement was intended effectively to j put an end to the story. Friday’s i German broadcast for home listeners , made no mention of the Deputyi Fuehrer, and neutral correspondents in Berlin are now being told that tile incident will soon be swamped by : tugger news. Dismissing the affair as settled so far as Germany is concerned, the Berlin radio said that everybody was again turning attention to the military campaign. The Fuehrer, after numerous unsuccessful offers, had recognised that only tile might of German arms could break the British rulers, with their mad ideas. 'The Berlin correspondent of the United Press states, that reports are current that Professor Karl Haushofcr, a leading exponent ol the lcbensraum theory, has been arrested. German officials neither confirm nor deny the report, but state that it would not he surprising if the whole firm (meaning apparently Hess's associates; are being rounded up. Hess, who was Haushofer’s favourite pupil, was the means of bringing Hitler and Hansholer together. Hess's plane is not to l>c exhibited in London. Circumstances make its

showing ini practicable. A German broadcast disclosed that Hess’s plane was a • long-range reconnaissance type, not yet in service with the Luftwaffe.’