THE CHINA MAIL, FRIDAY, JANUARY
DONALD EDGAR RÉPORTS FROM GERMANY
A German speaks: We're
Bonn.
FIND it difficult to
I write
this story
calmly. But I must try. Let me explain the cir- cumstances. I have just from Cologne, come where I have been talk- ing to the Jews who have once more been insulted with the swastika.
I came on here to find out more about these nationalist Nazi_groups, and also what Germans are really thinking about the situation.
Destiny
I turn my head from the table and. I look out over the Rhine-river of destiny for Romans, Ger-
mans,
French, and for us. About the only sensible re- mark Baldwin made in the thirties was that our fron- tier was on the Rhine..
a
And here in Bonn, centre of the West German Govern- German of ment, I met around
50 who told me very freely and frankly what he thought about both the Jews Germany and the position of today.
I found the answers terrifying. Probably the best way is to let him have his say and then afterwards 1 shall try to com-
I believe is ment on whal significant point of view of this great, but crazy race..
Give and take
2
of
a
fed up with this
guilt business
be dire and take. And the trou- ble with the Jews has been that take. We have given them mülious ef macks.
all they have done is to
And
what have we had in BITO- retum? Arrogance. Just
Do you know that the other day they demanded that
gance.
be
Can
- cur history books should written in a certain way. you imagine the English putling up with that?
about Take all this business the Cologne synagogue. It may have been stupid but all thave heard on the radio since 1 happened has been Cologne.... Cologne....Cologne. I've got so tired of it that I won't listen to the radio any more.
No wrong
news- Have a look at this paper-the
General Anepiger. Look
at the
front page big leading article on the Cologne synagogue, Now look at this item inside the paper. Just four insignificant Hos about a Protestant church being desecrated with alth and dirt.
And yet the Jews are only a minority here. And a minority at that.
small
But no, this government-in Bonn and the newspapers and the radio will keep on about the Jews and what they have suffered.
the
Look at me. I am a refugee man from
Pomerania. In 1945 my I had to wife, children and
home everything leave our because of the Russians. I sup- puse I've had about 1,600 marks in compensation, If I had been a Jew I expect I should have
I should say it is very typical viewpoint educated, middle-class with a position of responsibility
I don't wish to wreck his life, sat will not give his name. But I can say he has a quite high organisation position in an inanced by his government and it is to do with youth. God help
us]
It came pouring out like, food.
had about 65,000 at least,
the
I was quite a high official in Arbeitsdeinst (Labour Corps) under Hitler. But why should I feel guilty about what You see, we were quite willing they did wrong? As far as I am All to be decent to the Jews at the concerned I did no wrODE.
ourselves and make we did was to work end of the smenda But there has got to silly from morning till night.
POCKET CARTOON by OSBERT LANCASTER
Watch that right arm,
Siegfried!"
And then what happened me at the end of the war?
Impossible to believe. "Ho," he repiled. They really are do- ing it."
a pity about my It was brother. He was hanged by the Briitab after the war. Somehow or other they managed to pin responsibility on to him for the death of four
agents. British They said he had injected them with something or other.
But after all, war is war, I you are a spy and are caught you expect to be shot
If you are in the army in an cocupled country and they shoot one of your men, it's only tural that you go out and shoot a few of them. War is war.
Bestial
We May
have
bombed Coventry and London. But look what you did to us in return. to ƒ was in Darsestadt during one raid. You burned 30,000 people in 50 minutes,
I had to work at a menial take in factory and then és i labourer en the land-five years of it. It wasn't eaty bringing up a family on that sort of money, when I had been in a big pos- tion, But then 1 managed to get into this Hue and every thing's gone well.
Hanged
We Germans are getting fed this guilt business up with Everybody-including our own government-is always on about what we Germans did.
the
But what about what others did to us. You should know what bertlal things the Czechs did to our countrymen at end of the war. You'd be sick if you heard. What with Czechs and Russians, over died.
3,000,000
something there have.
of anti-Semitism especially against the Jews who were refuges from Germany.
You asked what our modern youth in Germany thinks about the Jews, and democrRLY.
The answer is very little, I was talking to a student the this Cologne other day about affair. He said "What's all this fuss about the Jews?"
You pee that's why our government is 50, wrong giving
10 all this prominence this Swastika business.
If they kept it quiet nobody would have worried about it.
You ask: Are young people heré nationally minded?
Uke his
thoughts. But the trouble is they keep theta concealed.
THEY are fed up with their load of guilt,
THEY are conscious of their tremendous achievements since the war.
THEY associated democracy with defeat.
It was a charming. government
cultured official, no Nazi, "The danger
who said to me: is you see, that we have had But it has democracy twice.
after defeat each only.come time-Weimar and now Bonn
be
"The tragedy is that Nazism was not destroyed by its own inherent evil. It had to
from outside, by destroyed foreigners and on the field of
No....in many ways that's their trouble. They just don't
their raco-not battle." worry about enough.
The danger
The Germans-so able, 50 hard working, so cultured, so courageous, are a tragic race. Even after all the years I have known then I still wonder at them.
For they are a danger.
Two objectives
I think that in the heart of nearly every German there are two political objectives.
ONE- unification East Zobe.
with the
Libe
All our modern youth thinks earning money and about is spending it on a high standard of living. But I will my they are quite willing to work for it.
The trouble is they are com materialistic minded. pletely
a few idealistic Except for students they are just interested in work and a good dine,
Yes, I have many good friends. TWO- getting back in England. I have travelled lost territories--the areas now there. So has my family. And incorporated in Russia, Polsad in my work I try and tell young and Czecho-slovakia. people of today that now they
God only knows how they must respect each other what think they are going to do it.
their race. I tell them ever
But it's just as well to realise about the necessity of Euro- they will have a good try,
unity And I think
They are not on the side of And then take the Americans, Dean
and large I have
the status quo.
German giant The towards Look how badly they behaved I only got to know
succeeded with them? to our prisoners of war.
The hour was getting late. He recovered. He is feeling his the end of the war. My brother medical was a dentist with
small tubby ma strength. He is caressing his I should say that 90 per cent got up-a
He has escaped from knowledge. FL was in the 66.
about very at, very kind and polite, muscles are sorry
the wearing rather long plus fours most of his physical bonds and to happened For some reason or another he of Germans
have of the type the Duke of Wind- now he is determined to forget was punished by being posted what
Jews but
tod,
sides for favoured in the '90s,
the mental bond --- a feeling of to a concentration comp
suffered. There are two
guilt. to every problem,
I don't feel guilty. And I know that most of us Germans same. I should say feel the that 90 per cent of Germans badn't clue of what was going an in the concentration camps.
►
So wrong
and he
We happened to be both on leave together once
I have been to America. whispered to me what was go- ing on. I told him I found it I should say that there is plenty
And
NOBODY `WANTS_ANY Life
FIGHTING ON ‘RIVER
OF THE ARABS'
From GEOFFREY THURSBY
'Abadan.
PERSIA is becoming alarmed at the threat to the
- source of much-
great refinery at Abadan needed foreign currency-from the claim of Iraq's General Kassem to a three-mile strip of land by the Shatt-al-Arab ("River of the Arabs").
Included in the strip is Persia's vital deep-water port Khorramshahr
Persia's
The territory under a river agreement with Iraq. Except for other minor the sections, the remainder of river-which is the border be- tween Persia and Iraq for 70 miles up from the blistering hot Persian Gulfs Iraq's..
I sailed recently in the dis- puted waters of the Shatt-
Arb.
PERSIA
ALIDAN
IRAQ
Persia is determined to stand fast-but in Teheran there is awareness of the great danger with the refinery in Abadan.
I will say this for him. He was honest and outspoken.
For, I should say--and this is Germans the danger - most
Life with the Swiss family Burton
THEY FIND A NEW WALES... WITH MORE SNOW AND LESS TAXATION
RICHARD BURTON is back in Wales. Not, exactly, in the land of his
This one has more snow, more sun and less taxation. But Wales is the new name that the actor-in-exile has put on the gate of his Swiss home. And Welsh indeed is the local colour inside "Le Pays de Galle," a mug secluded villa about 10 miles from Geneva surrounded by vines and stocked with Jenkinses.
It was as one
of the 13
Jenkinses that Burton was
born 34 years ago nearT
By RICHARD HINDLATER
It helps with three other
has DAME
This is the background to the incidents of the last few
weeks..........
STARTER
"Gee, YOU must have a SPEEDY motorcycle. The other policeman couldn't catch us*-
"I heard Dad say you folks were stuck up. Did they get much?”*
NAME MARGOT FONTEYN, Britain's prima ballerina whose husband is Dr Roberto Arias, has been elected. Fanaita's Woman of the Year" by La Hoes, the city's biggest walling newS- paper. And who is the owner of La Hora? Why, De Roberto Arias..
SANTA CLAUS ve police cars, and 108 children chased two reindeer in Toronto isst Christmas. Someone had unharnessed them from Santa's fielch bolalde a department store. One reindeer, Cupid, was eccptured. The other, Comet, is still free.
~London Irpret Service),
A relaxed Richard Burton plays draughts'nutside” a Swiss cafu,
in the same."
Having just worked out his items on his fingers. One flat this, "On Broadway it just isn't contracliai obligations by in Hampstead. One house making Ice Palace and The Wales for my sister. One Jaguar. Bramble Bush, he is now-he And £2,000 in the bank" declared happily-"a free mas for the Brit time in years."
1
revolt against the been imund with a
of the Inland defend his country.
rifle to for antzy mornis).
w
Both Stratford and the Old Vie have invited him to join a. them
The only other theatre Yet, Celigny, isa't just
(a been-Bernard Miller's Mermaid Re's second home. And now he is free to work refuge for Burton. It's a real in which Burton wants to set is Port Talbot, I found a few older jalopy, we walked up to
the little railway cafe for a things to distinguish him from for six months of the year in accepted as Swiss citizen. new play about: Alexander the them
in recently of
from the Burton leads at the sumanit. The other frank (the brew Celigny where the miner's pre-lunch drink of white wine the golden gang of semantic Britain which he less to 1958 in Like every other citizen he's Great has been on the earpet son from Pontrhydyfen- vineyards isn't yet ready for things, I submit, are his strewo demande candour, his shop intellect, and Reventie. now one of Britain's top consumption).
bis blazing theatrical talent, paid stars has just re- turned from another dollar-
-But what is he going to DO with that talent? radio spinning year in Holly- Iraqi Later atter attacks 2. Persia, Teheran wood, A rednery expert told me: "Any fighting in the area could radio said: "Kassem is a Red be disastrous for us. If there ervant of black imperialism"
In large areas of the refinery and now the wharves nte great red signs: "No smoking."
'Disastrous'
were a stray bullet, or certainly
we would go.”
"
'Calm down'
whatever that means,
war.
.
r
Cross-talk
Here some of his richer
Once upon a time he seemed
A musical
And what then? Apart from Testn to determination
his plans are un-
"
There's a year-lenit în As I saw last month, Switzer- King Arther contract; So there's land hums with good theatre a chance that we might see ame And when he wants to go of our best actors on the aluge further meld, "Sybil and I can again in 18811 V be in Paris in 45 minutes and come back after the show.
His diaries
actor's
And with the Jenkina neighbours (including the to be the while hope of the Russlan
Switzerland, ···‚Í' can' certainly unsing fie dürtes in clan I met the latest Bur- one with eight cars but not English stage, an artist who scified until September, when with 16 would give fresh vigour to the he begins rehearsals for the
Lerner-Loewe ton production Jessica, 1 ather, the g
on Broadway about Tet: I am sad la every Sunday it be jotai
report that
he gill loves the In "cryptogrammalle" form the a stray rocket" he threw his But I understand instructions
ing side by side with the local classic acting.
Arthur - based, so they
inter secretsy of an ("that's redi hands in the air-"Whew! Up have now been issued by the then 28 days old. Like her wives) enjoy the French cook- great but eroded tradition of new
working "114," Shah to calm down the radio elder sister Kate (at two, villagers
Turning down fat dim jobs to an T. H. While's The Qbes and theatre, "the youngest Lady Mac democracy"), Among the brick English-like
And here I listened to thei as many me parts as I can bouses from the days when the Britain and America basebeth in the business," says
father relaxing his sectionate crow-like or Bor under my belt be told me refinery belonged to the Anglo- secretly appealed to both sides her
unsentimental tout and his elder brother Bor, then he stered up the Iranian Oil Company you get to settle their dispule. They stubbornly
Shakespearean born once a champion rügger player shallowy of the feeling that too hot a breath fear the destruction of the mask) Jessica was
style. bestan his record yet.?!),.
in the wrong direction is all refinery it there is fighting be without anaesthetics by and co-cutter.
that is needed for disaster.
Trom where I was in river
louch on the
1
could see no Iraqi troops. But reports in Abadas say Iraq is reinking the arcs.
Persia is certainly- "bringing
tween the two, icnustrien,
natural childbirth.
So far Russia has made no Welsh, too, is her mother threats in the river fare-ID--| though i gating were to break Sybil, who comes from the ba one bebound Fresh and Iran Bame comer of the Prin, where
doubt dipality but the other side the "Bundani ' spuld no
the pccasion 10 bring of the fence (her father
reintremonts into the area are on Perala in the snowy managed aʼmine),
round Abaden. There are tanks, mrtillay and anti-alctraft guns.
„Köpekac Zaktár),
calit in
for har nic
Tet it's over three years nowD
fort of his
the
Máy Mate_right back to his
Nothing he has ever done Alms, he adßellkas over: given bln -ras an actor — a first pole at Oxford, whén, bu fraction of the satisfaction na talked himself into the lat hat Lound in wrecking on the