TACTICS OF NOSKE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10540, 17 March 1920, Page 6

TACTICS OF NOSKE

TOO LATE TO DEfFEAT THE PLOT.

"TIMES" WARNING NOT HEEDED Published in "The Time*." LONDON, March 15. The "Times" states in" a leader tfiat Npske too'J'at© to defeait the Berlin plat, he forced^tfte Revolutdonary party to act before its plana Were complete, and so confined their success to Berlin and East. Prussia. The present stage of the struggle is therefore betfcween Prussia, and the remainder of Germany.- Unfortunately it is being fought with unequal weapons—a general strike versus an organised military force." Noske apparently under-esrfamated tho danger/ although he was sufficiently warned by the sinister growth of. military' organisations masquoradini? under the names _ of "Public Safety Police," "Oivio Guards,'' and ''Emergency Technical Volunteers,*'-'who with the Regular Army gave a'military strength of moro than a, millioriv 1 ''Had 'the Supreme Council acted promptly when "The on"' January 2nd the eerioua growing menace**these forces constituted, it would Have been better for Germany and for ourselves. The signifieawt coincidence of Horthy's extensive mobilisation of the Hungarian Army, the defiant attitude of the Constantinople Government; nntt the Moslem more" dangerous or widespread—combine - to" make the whole situation one demanding extraordinary viKilanco. "We must be prepared to act quickly should fuller knowledge reveal daneer, not only to German liberties, .but to • our own. PULLING THE STRINGS. mr-srb^ rwATR, for HTNDENBUR.G. •tnstralian and "* * *„ n^~|inn LONDON. March 14. Tho Enclish newspapers.., pnncvraY!v express the opinion that it is too early, to . judee .of. the . significance _«f the events in Berlin, and to deoidp whether intervention i<» necessary. The "Daily Chronicle" demands that the Kniper fshonH bo imroediatelv removed further from the frontier. i Major-Gencral Sir F. B. Maurico eajr. tho chief reason for tho success

of tho coup d'etafc is that tho majority of the Germans aro in a stato uf dull despair and do not care what happens. Thero is little doubt than von Ludendorff is pulling tho strings, und that Kapp was put ifito keep the Presidential chair warm for von Hindenburg.

SCARCITY OF NEWS,

RIGID CENSORSHIP IN BERLIN. LONDON, March 15. ' Tho latest official telegrams indicate that tho militarist movoment is not spreading in Germany to the same degree as the general strike; but only brief cables havo been received from Lord Kilmarnock, tho British representative in Berlin. Mr Lloyd Gcorgo did not judge it necessary to stay in town on Sunday, though he kept- in touch with Downing streot. A number of mossages to English newspapers, including the 'Daily Telegraph" and the "Daily Express/' were cancelled on presentation at the telegraph office in Berlin. Those received must be read in tho light of tho fact that they have been censored by Lincoln. But for traitors among the revolutionaries, who communicated tho facts to Nosko on Friday afternoon, Ehert's Government would have known nothing until the revolution was accomplished. Tho newspapers iu Berlin at midday on Saturday, when the • success of tho new_ regime was assured, issued vast editions, but there was no speechmaking to the crowds such as were a feature of tho revolution of November, 1918. Kapp then forbade publication of Majority Socialist or Democratic newspapers, and prohibited any newspapers being published before Monday evening. This accounts for the present scarcity of news as to the events of Sunday. JUNKER PLOT~CLEVERLY ENGINEERED. LONDON, March IS. While the Press agree as to the necessity for taking censored news with caution, the consensus of informed opinion is that it reveals a Junker plot, cleverly engineered and more generously supported 'by the army than was at first supposed. Noske was hoodwinked and caught napping, believing in the fidelity of the Berlin garrison.

The "Times" states that the movement is rather an attempt to establish a military dictatorship than a counter-revolution.