A LOSING EFFORT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 3 December 1940, Page 6

A LOSING EFFORT

GERMANS IN AMERICA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION INSTRUCTIONS FROM BERLIN NEW YORK, 17th November. All Hitler's agents in the United States were under orders to wage an intensive battle to interfere with the election for President of the United States, to defeat Mr Roosevelt and -ecure the election of Mr Willkie. The occasion was to be made a major Nazi co jp in the effort to drive a wedge between Great Britain and the United SvPtes.

Copy of the instructions to the Nazi agents has fallen into the hands of a section of the press. Ribbentrop’s remarks on the dossier of instructions are reported to Lave included the following • “More seeds for internal disunity Lave been planted in the United States than at any time since the Civil War. The nation is in the throes of a class struggle. The National Socialist Reich is presented here with a unique opportunity Its interests will be served admirably by an intensification of this class struggle.” Goebbel* is thus reported on the dossier: “This man Willkie comes from native German stock in the third generation. He should have the sacred interests oi the German people at heart. But he may turn out one of the leading antagonists of the Reich. Then there would be nothing to choose between him and Roosevelt. In close co-opera-tion with our Italian and Russian allies on this issue, we should give guidance to an absolute minimum of six million votes. The great majority of these votes a**e in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan. Illinois, and Wisconsin.” In the States mentioned. Mr Willkie polled a remarkably good vote.

The final paragraph of Hitler’s instructions is thus reported : “My orders must be carried out in spirit, as well as in letter But every semblance of interference by the National Socialist Reich in the American election comDaign must be meticulously avoided. In the event of a misstep, the Reich Government will disclaim all knowledge of the matter. The work must be carried out by local groups, interested exclusively in the future welfare of the United States. The Reich Government will help. indirectly and constantly, and before the election day, the name of the candidate for whom every vote must be cast will be communicated.”