Show Victory Would Bring Nazis Swag Says Lochner By LOUIS P. P LOCHNER NEW YORK June 4 Wide World World Its Its It's all aU gravy for the Hitler boys if der fuehrer should win won the war The nazi party will be in more complete te control of the country than ever and the party button will win open the doors to all positions all graft all swag There probably would be one grand purge first during which all those members who have rendered mere lip service to the regime would Thir be a ousted u s t e d as asU asi Th d i I r U dramatically as Article were Ernst Article Roehm and In Series other nazi leaders lead lead- ers era during the famed June purge of 1934 But whoever survived such a purge and remained a party member in good standing might look forward to a lif life of power plenty and possession During the first two years of the war the army seemed temporarily tempo to e eclipse lipse the party and its formations But Hitler was quick t to see this Hi His top men like Goebbels and Himmler jealous of at the party's power were perhaps even quicker to sense it The army with its thrust through Poland its blitz bUtz victory in the west and its conquest in Yugoslavia and Greece appealed more to the public imagination than the brown rather pot-bellied pot nazi ward heeler who remained at home to organize the distribution of food cards check up on the loyalty of the population and render other service far from front the din and danger o of battle battIe Laid Aside Atilde Uniforms I It Ii came to the point that in small maIl localities hazi nazi party officials officials dais deemed it a part of wisdom no longer to wear their party uniforms except on festive occasions occa coca lest they be spotted as slackers No sooner did the top men notice how the party was sUpping slipping slipping slip sUp ping in popular esteem than they began to play up the exploits exploits exploits ex ex- ex- ex of party functionaries Inthe in inthe inthe the Gobbels press There were articles to prove that the majority of the S A brown- brown shirts were playing a heroic role at the front that the black- black u uniformed S S was in the vanguard vanguard vanguard van van- guard in every military undertaking undertaking undertaking under under- taking requiring courage and fearlessness that the party wa was taking upon itself the thankless thankless thankless thank thank- less role of unostentatious heroIsm heroism heroism hero hero- ism at the home front As the war went on the S S formations at the front which were under separate command though subordinated to the army command were mentioned at every possible opportunity in inthe inthe inthe the daily official S SS S Given Spotlight Final blows at the en enemy my af after after aft aft- t er era a a long period of softening up by air force and army Infantry in infantry infantry in- in fantry were increasingly delayed until the S S could arrive and share in the glory of victory At home too the party was more and more it itself it- it self An ill American business man returning with us on the DrottnIngholm Drottningholm Drott- Drott told me this story which I repeat not because it itIs itis itis is unusual but because it t is s typical of what I learned again agam and again before my internment almost six ix months ago My law in this man said a German manufacturer in Munich in 1938 bought up p an anold anold anold old round merry solely to use the brass for manufacturing purposes He neglected to re report report report re- re port the deal to the economics ministry Recently this oversight oversight oversight over over- sight was discovered by the authorities authorities authorities au au- au- au was law in my indicted and fined reich reich- marks equivalent to Justice Nazi Justice Nazi Version pleaded My law brother with the judge to moderate the severity of the sentence Are you perhaps a party member the judge asked RISked I Sorry but I never got got around j to that Ive I've tended to my business business bustness busi bust ness and haven't bothered about politics 4 too bad the judge observed You see see if you were a party member the presumption would be that your patriotism is beyond the shadow of doubt wherefore your failure to report the brass gained from the might be presumed at be a mere oversight The fact that you are not a party member member member mem mem- ber throws doubt o on your loyalty loyal loyal- ty and we must assume you tried to cheat the government So you must pay the full fine Quits Civil Judge Judg-e Post The Incident r recalls calls w what at a a. aGerman aGerman German friend of m mine ne who is isnow isnow isnow now a military judge but who had start started d put on a civilian juridical career told me more than a year ago I 1 was county judge at K he lie said Time and again just before I was about to pronounce judgment after hearing all aU the evidence I would receive a visit from the local party boss You probably do not realize that defendant so-and-so so is a member of our party the visitor would say and has rendered meritorious service to our cause ause Public interest interest interest in in- terest demands that you find him not guilty I Or I would be visited by bythe bythe bythe the party boss after I had al alreadY already already al- al ready pronounced judgment a miscarriage of at justice justice justice jus jus- tice he lie would say and the party demands revision or com corn mutation The man y you u sentenced sentenced sen sea ten ed has nas rendered the cause great service Justice in Army Courts Can you wonder that I re resigned resigned resigned re- re signed as county judge and went over into the military ary courts There Ther at least justice still obtains obtains obtains ob ob- ob- ob and politics plays no role Reich's Justice Minister Hans Frank who is also governor- governor general of Poland has on more than one occasion stated that in Germany two kinds of justice prevail prevail for for the man or og woman who belongs to the party or one of its numerous subsidiaries adfor and ad for the hapless individual who hasn't em embraced raced the nazi faith The latter like the Jew in nazi Germany is usually out of luck luct Party domination has b become come so so great in n the daily life of the German citizen that he speaks of vitamin B as a prerequisite to success B stands for be or pull with the party During the last months of my stay in n Q Germany I noted one more ominous and portentous sign igI of Hitler's determination to tomake tomake tomake make the party even more dominant dominant domi domi- nant pant after the completion tion of the war than it now is At all sorts of strategic intersections intersections inter inter- sections of Berlin Berlin on on corners like and and TIM Uhl- to mention but one example the example the gestapo was re removing removing removing re- re moving the tenants of corner buildings and putting S S families families families lies in there instead And the ground floor corner flat was converted into an S S strong hold with machine guns and hand grenades and other Instrumentalities instrumentalities instrumentalities mentalities fc for r waging civil war warIn warin warin in case of an uprising Soldiers returning to Berlin on furlough had no illusions asto asto as asto to the significance of these S S posts We know perfectly well that after weve we've done our duty we shall be I swept wept into the discard they would say in a tone of resignation Well We ll probably be disarmed as we reach the gates of our home towns Then the party will again take control of the situation and the S SS S will see to Lee to it t that discipline Is ia maintained maintained main main- tamed |