The Southland Times SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 1940. Theory of Gangster Warfare

Southland Times, Issue 24106, 20 April 1940, Page 4

The Southland Times SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 1940. Theory of Gangster Warfare

AMONG the causes of the war must be included the failure of British statesmen to understand the nature of the man who had become the first Nazi dictator of Germany. This failure is harder to excuse when it is remembered that the plans and aspirations of Hitler, his contempt for Christian morality and his belief in the destiny of a master race which is to dominate a world of slaves, are all set down in the confused but vital pages of “Mein Kampf.” Perhaps the official mind excludes books from the region of practical affairs. And it must be admitted that officials and politicians are not the only ones who have been deluded by the literary audacity of Hitler. There are persons who mistakenly believe that books belong to a static world of make-believe, that once an idea or theory is in print it has mysteriously attained finality. Others insist that no demagogue would be mad enough to warn the nations in advance of his intention to destroy them. It is true, of course, that only an omniscient reader could separate productive writings from those that will have no political meaning for posterity. Any competent critic would dismiss “Mein Kampf” as untidy, badly written, and noisy with a futile bombast. The importance and danger of the book (and this should have been recognized) is that it expresses the German mind in a period of cultural regression, and that it was written by the man who has since reduced this mind to bondage.

“Hitler Speaks”

Now that events have confirmed the singleness of purpose outlined by Hitler in “Mein Kampf,” the British Government and its advisers can scarcely fail to shape their policy in accordance with the demands of a new type of warfare. If they are in need of further enlightenment they can find it in another book, also by a German. Hermann Rauschning’s “Hitler Speaks” was regarded by some critics as a too deliberate attempt to capture public interest. Its material was so sensational that it seemed to fall at once to the level of “scare” stories which appear sometimes in the popular London Press. Other critics (forgetting Boswell) wondered if it could be possible to reproduce verbatim the conversations between Hitler and his- inner circle of Nazis. After the conquest of Poland, however, the book had to be taken more seriously. It contained predictions of developments which later occurred, especially the attempt to destroy the Polish nation, and the forced migration of large population groups. But in the past 10 days Herr Rauschning’s book must have gained a greatly increased prestige. In its first chapter can be found the following passage: — “When I wage war, Forster,” he declared, “in the midst of peace, troops will suddenly appear, let us say, in Paris. They will wear French uniforms. . . No one will stop them. Everything has been thought out, prepared to the last detail. They will march to the headquarters of the General Staff. They will occupy the ministries, the Chamber of Deputies. . . An army without a general staff! All political leaders out of the way! The confusion will be beyond belief. But I shall long have had relations with the men who will form a new government —a government to suit me.”

Primitive Outlook

If “Oslo” and “Norwegian” are substituted for the words “Paris” and “French,” the passage is a roughly accurate picture of what has recently happened in Norway. Hitler had no doubt that he could find traitors in every country. “We shall not need to bribe them,” he said. “They will come of their own accord. Ambition and delusion, party squabbles and self-seeking arrogance will drive them.” It is chastening to realize how close to the truth was this cynical estimate of human nature. Other sentences from a remarkable conversation can be used to illustrate Hitler’s theory of infiltration and his innate ruthlessness:—“War is the origin of all things. Let us go back to primitive life, the life of the savages. What is war but cunning, deception, delusion, attack and surprise? . . . Why should I demoralize him (the enemy) by military means if I can do so better and more cheaply in other ways? . . . Let us not play at being heroes, but let us destroy the enemy ... I shall shrink from nothing.” Such declarations sound like the dark fantasy evoke„d by writers of thrillers. But now they have been proved in action, and in all the smaller capitals of Europe the police chiefs are rounding up men and women who could be the agents of Hitler’s next coup. There is one comforting thought. Gangster warfare depends largely on the element of surprise. In this strange conflict the power of Hitler becomes less potent as the nations discover the tricks of the bandit in their midst. There is no longer any excuse for those that still hesitate to bar their doors and call in the police.