| Show I Views of the Press Press' Herr Herr- Hitler opened the third winter relief drive yesterday at the in Berlin with the same boasts of nazi victories victories victo victo- ries and the same d derision of his enemies that he used on the same occasion 13 months ago Last year he had conquered Norway Norway Norway Nor Nor- way Denmark the Netherlands Belgium and France and w was a s about to order the out all air attack which he thought would bring Britain to her knees This year he has occupied large areas areas' m ill Russia and if his words are taken at their face value Is about to bring that country to its knees Everything he assured his cheering audience and his radio listeners each one of whom is in danger of having his head cut off if he listens to British British British Brit Brit- ish or Russian broadcasts has gone according to plan It I i is true that he planned victories vic victories vie vic tories and has had them But did he plan the British resistance resistance resistance resist resist- ance which so far has made invasion in invasion in- in an Idle dream or the British air attacks which have hit Germany hard as far east as Stettin 1 Did he plan the slow but steady rise of American war production and American AmericanS S determination to make no peace with i him and do no business with him 7 Did he plan the 13 S months of fighting that h have a v e brought the German Gennan people not one step nearer peace but have instead fanned the rising flames of hate and violence throughout Europe New Europe New York Times The emphasis this week on a afree afree afree free press informed by truth the reiterations of oC our faith in it it our dependence on it it our determination de de- de- de termination to o maintain it against all assaults assaults this this emphasis em em- has peculiar meaning because because because be be- cause In half the world assaults upon it have hs been made and successfully made Our faith in ina ina ina a free press Is one with our faith in the bill of rights right of which it is 11 a a. part Our depend depend- a 5 f ence on it is such that we cannot cannot cannot can can- not m in in imagination grasp What it would be to live without it to be informed only partially to learn only such truth as is In Inescapable inescapable inescapable in- in escapable or as is parceled out by a clique of clever men who call themselves leaders We Ve cannot put ourselves in the place of subject peoples who have been fed for years on propaganda poisoned perverted lying We cannot know what it is to have to come by truth the hard way through the slow disillusionment born of concrete hurts hurts hunger hunger bombings soldiers' soldiers wounds and of moral hurts hurts cries cries of children children children chil chil- dren who cannot be hushed with words revulsion against cruelty wonder at hate in m the eyes of other men Yet our determination to maintain our touch with reality through a free press must perforce perforce perforce per per- force be hardened by these ef efforts efforts efforts ef- ef forts to comprehend and by repugnance repugnance repugnance re re- re- re for the inhuman cynicism cynIcism cynicism which considers other people people peo peo- pie unworthy of knowledge For Forwe Forwe we recognize in this cynicism a fundamental contempt for mankind mankind man man- manI I kind a contempt which is basic in the nazi-fascist nazi ideology The come to power by preying on the weaknesses of ot the weakest men stirring their prejudices increasing increasing- their hates hate developing their every vanity anity and illogic They would maintain power by manipulating all sources of information to tomake tomake tomake make sure that this contemptible ble lot of men they would rule do not discover how and how much they have been duped By contrast in a democracy men say We Ve are this lot of men and contemptible we are not We will maintain a free press because maintaining it we maintain our right to knowledge knowl knowledge edge and to free ree decision main main- taming it we will know what we must do to counter any force jf f of arms or of ideas which ideas which 5 would destroy it New York Herald Tribune |
