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Show Old Pitfalls Stand in f Way of Future Peace fMfi Survival of German Myth, Desertion of frtTM Democratic Elements Would Weaken ??A 'Jn Postwar Security Structure. ij L ii By BAUKIIAGE A'em Anulysl and Commentator. WNU Service, I'nlon Trust Building, Washington, D. C. SAN FRANCISCO. -.California sunshine is pouring down on the bay, a great white fog has begun to drape the distant, gray-green hills in the folds of its floating robe. It has been a day of conferences and Interviews where the great tragedies of little countries Albania, Al-bania, Korea, Poland and the little differences between great countries have been tossed at us, in vibrant earnest voices, In stiff and proper accents. ac-cents. It would be easy to lose sight of woods for the trees. But as I sit here leafing over faded notes of another an-other such conference, I know that the tremendous goal for which these delegates have striven Is so much higher, so much wider than all the little controversies that it still is just what the chambermaid in my hotel ho-tel said it was. She was gray haired. She had a son on Saipan, she told me, and when I asked her what she thought of this gathering she laid down an armful of linen and looked up. "I guess this Is Just about the most important im-portant thing that ever happened," the laid, "trying to stop wars." How important this meeting will prove to be depends on how well the world avoids the pitfalls which wrecked its last attempt to treat war as we treat disease; not as something that we irreverently consider con-sider as an act of God, like a tornado, tor-nado, but something to which mankind man-kind is exposed through Ignorance and Indifference and which can be prevented. Why did the League of Nations fail? What are the pitfalls which the United Nations must avoid? Gtrman Thought Armie Unbeaten I have been talking over that Parts conference with a friend whom I met there a quarter of a century ago. He lived with the League of Nations through its early uncertain days, on until its denth of malnutrition. Together we agreed on certain fundamental mistakes made in the past which must be voided if the result of the San Francisco conference is a success. The object of the United Nations Is the same as the object of the League of Nations: to stop aggression aggres-sion before it starts. Last time, efforts ef-forts were directed specifically toward to-ward Germany as the one potential aggressor. Germany has been so utterly defeated that she cannot trike back for a long time but our conduct toward Germany after the last war can be related to all future fu-ture attempts at aggression. The first mistake made last time, namely, allowing the myth to grow up that the German army was not defeated, that other causes enforced capitulation, cannot be made again Ince the German army is now destroyed. de-stroyed. But there is danger that another myth may grow which will encourage nazl-fasclsm elsewhere. Even if the so-called German government gov-ernment headed by Admiral Doenitz formally capitulated to the Allies instead in-stead of having the various generals gener-als surrender separately, the Nazis might well claim that they them-selves them-selves never did surrender. A very good legal case might be made out supporting the thesis that Doenitz was not the authorized head ef the German government and that government still existed In exile. Whether Hitler and Himmler are dead makes no difference. No proof can be adduced that Doenitz is the authorized successor to Hitler. There has been no recognized revolution which could be recognized first, de facto, then de Jure. We do not know that Hitler author-bed author-bed Doenitz as his successor. We do know that he had publicly Indicated certain successors. I saw and heard him do it in the Reichstag meeting in the Kroll opera house in Berlin on September 1, 1939, when he announced that he was going to the front to join the army already invading Poland. I saw him turn from the lectern nd indicate, first Herman Goerlng, sitting high on the praesldlum ss bis successor, if he failed to return nd second, the toll and lanky Hess sitting In the first row on the rostrum. ros-trum. There has never been any other official designation of succession by the German government. When Hitler Hit-ler made that pronouncement Doe nitz played no role in the Nazi party he was Just another naval officer. Therefore it would be easy for whoever claims official fuchrership to have moved Into Norway while It was still In German hands, take a long-distance submarine and find asylum and support in some country which would conceal his identity and where sufficient sympathy for nazi-fasclsm nazi-fasclsm existed, to carry on underground under-ground activities and foster the myth of the Immortality of nazi-dom Just as the myth of the German army's Invincibility was kept alive. That is one thing that apparently is not realized. It is important. It must be watched. Now there are a number of other pitfalls which I might mention but I won't spend too long over these faded notes with fresh breezes from 1 the Pacific reminding me that we I are living in the land of tomorrow and not yesterday. But alas, some of the dark shadows shad-ows of yesterday have stretched down the years to today. Selfish Interests Stunt Democracy One of the great mistakes which the peace-loving nations of the world, as they now call themselves, made the last time was that they failed to help the democratic elements ele-ments in Germany against the very reactionary or national elements which made World War II possible. At present there is no question about elements in the German government gov-ernment for It is under Allied military mili-tary rule. That problem is some distance in the future. But here at San Francisco and wherever the executive ex-ecutive council or the assembly of the organization planned here may meet, the same question will arise. We have a concrete example in the question of Argentina, not too important in Itself, but Interesting Insofar as it reveals whose selfish political and economic interests af fect world affairs. Certain countries wanted to renew normal business relations with Argentina. Ar-gentina. Great Britain has a great Interest In Argentina because of her trade and Canada because the financing of many institutions there was handled han-dled through Canadian banks. The representatives in the Mexico Mex-ico City conference yielded to this pressure and when they came to San Francisco could not reverse their position. Russia looked on, chortled, and said: Democracies aren't so democratic after all If they Invite a fascist government to Join up with them. This Is not too Important but it is an example of what must be avoided if the United Nations really champion the cause of democracy throughout the world. But the strong hope of avoiding the pitfalls of the last time lies in the Interest, the participation of the people. The people of America. As I sit here In San Francisco and see the earnest effort of these men of all creed and color, I feel they have the will to peace. But their voices all cry In the wilderness unless the people support them. I look over these gray-green hills and think Into thine hands, the hands of the people of America. In order to provide agricultural Information to servicemen and veterans vet-erans of this war who are interested In agriculture, the USDA has ar-ranged ar-ranged to place kits containing samples sam-ples of available information in separation sep-aration centers, hospitals, libraries and vocational guidance and retraining retrain-ing centers of the army. navy, air forces, and the Veterans administration. administra-tion. In cooperation with Washington representatives of the various branches of the armed forces and the Veterans administration, these kits will be available for review In approximately 1,000 places In the continental U. S. and overseas. Accompanying Ac-companying each kit will be a supply sup-ply of order blanks on which the veteran or serviceman can order from the department by a simple check mark, any Item or group of Items he may want Among the materials being offered are several general publications de-signed de-signed to help the agriculturally In-cllned In-cllned serviceman or veteran decide whether or not he really does want to become farmer. |
