THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1936.
HITLER: LLOYD GEORGE'S VIEWS
Russo-German War REARMAMENT
"FOR
DEFENCE ONLY"
WHY FUEHRER SUPPRESSED LIBERTY ·
M
By A. J. CUMMINGS
R. LLOYD GEORGE has returned from his visit to Germany and Hitler in magnificent health and spirits. For two hours he talked to me in absorbing detail of his impressions and conclu- sions.
He thoroughly enjoyed his visit and he thoroughly enjoyed his talks with Hitler, for whom he evidently en- tertains a sincere admiration,
His views on Hitler's intentions in Europe, on German policy and on some other characteristics of the Germany of to-day are certainly not those of many other Liberal visitors to Germany.
They do not, let me frankly admit, accord with all my own direct impressions derived from personal visits. A Menace? That Depends-
But Mr. Lloyd George expressed himself with the courage and plainness of speech one always expects from him. He is Call of his subject and just as full of confidence as the rest of us in our own Interpretation of facts as we see them.
He received me in his library at Chart with great good humour. "I read with interest," he began with a laughing grimace, "your savage attack on the German menace published just before I reached home."
"I rather gather," I replied, "that you do not regard Germany as a menace to the peace of Europe?"
"That dependa on the way Germany is trentex. If she is at- tacked and her territories invaded as they were by Poincare in 1923. then she will no longer crouch peaceably under the lash,
You may call this new attitude of self-defence and self-respect a menace to peace.
"Has not Hitler set up a military dictatorship?"
"A Dictatorship, yes, but no more militarist than any other ruler who relies on his Army to defend his frontiers." replied Mr. Lloyd George. "Blum, the Socialist Premier, has millions of fully trained and equipped soldiera behind him.
Two Kinds of Diclators
"I am going to give you my candid opinion. I am neither a Fascist nor a Communist. I went out to Germany as a Liberal, I looked at Germany through Liberal eyes, I have come back as'n Lib- eral. But Liberals who refuse to face facts are the curse of Liberal- ism.
"If we want peace amongst the nations we must accept as a regrettable but indubitable fact that most of the countries of Europe are ruled by dictators.--Two-have-recently joined the runks of Dictatorships.
Impracticable For 10 Years
LLOYD GEORGE
"I am still a Gladstonian“
HITLER WOULD BE
TOO OLD
"Itler himself admitted to pames one that I met that his numy could nut 1 rendly ILM ANY attacking 'force for 15 or 20 years. Have you thought how all I shall be then!· Be said. At that nge men đụ not
erk withs,""
UNITY BEFORE
LIBERTY
"What do you think of Kitler's methods of establishing his repime?" "He built up his movement by 14 years of propaganda under a regimo of freedom-free speech and a free, press. But it is maintained by the methods of revolution.
"Germany had to decide in a great national emergency between unily and liberty. She chose unity and she still regards it as the only possi ble choice,
སྐ
*J ຕາກ convinced that in the face of the hostile intions with which they are surrounded the vast majori-| ty of Germans of all classes, dread
a return to the old faction fights that] followed their defent."
"And German unity involved Ger- man concentration camps?"
need hardly say that I am no! advoente of the imunuring of political opponents in concentration camps. But unfortunately once you establish an outhoritürlun State it is the only alternative to the wholesale mos- BACTER which disgraced the first years of the Russion Revolution.
"Did you see any of the concen- tration camps while from were In Germany?"
ון
"No, I did not visit the Berlin But I necept. The description of their condition. It is well that the few Liberal countries still left In the world should realise what are the alternatives to free democratic Institutions."
The suppression of liberty It Germany
s in all countries under a
Lloyd George! dictatorship," Mr. went on, is a terrible thing to un old Liberal like myself. But
YOU
"Doesn't he sent to fight Russia?" į must remember that the German Iusked.
"No," said Mr. Lloyd Georiter “he Tus a fanatical hatred of Bolshevism, For 17 years he has made speeches gabet Russia and Bolshevism. He devoted the projaganda of years 10 organize an anti-Cummunist frost in Germany. But he rroffs, at the sug- gestion that he means to march 10 Moscow <t that he covets the Ukraine,"
UND."
went 011 Mr. Lloyd George, "though Hitler naturally wauls Memel and Dantzig, which are as German as Hull is English. and much more so than Cardiff is Welsh, he has no desire to absorb millions of Slavs, whom he des- pises and would regard as an of- fener
racial to the doctrine of purity."
FEAR OF ATTACK
BY RUSSIA
"Is he afraid of an invasion of Germany by Soviet Russia?
"I think there is a genuine appre- hension of an armed attuck Trom Communist Russia. In 1920 the Red Armies, badly equipped as they were, go as far as Warsaw.
me
"On the other hand, a very able German soldier told
that the bopplessly defective transport · or- anisation on the western borders
of Russia makes n Russian invasion of Germany on any peale of magni- tude a strategie impossibility for ut least ten years."
"Liberalism does not mean "the German Army is not ready, that you should choose for and could not be ready in that another country the form of Con- time. It is not in a position to "But Hitler is very angious for stitution by which it should be attack anybody. Though a France to renounce her pact with governed.
formidable army for defence, It Russia?" "There are two kinds of dic- has neither the weapons nor "Yes, that is so. I pointed out to tators. One is the ruler who the trained officers the him that he could hardly expect a
Socialist determines how his own country trained men for any such enter-nounce a pact with Russia
French Premier to
which can best be governed. The other prise.
had been signed by a predecessor from the Right."
the one who presumes to dictate
to another country how it should
"The conscripts
nor
are very
be ruled. The latter in not Liber-young; they are coming in at alism-it is just impertinence," about 500,000 a year.
"What do you regard as the
GERMAN ARMY
རྞ་
"Until that army has built up
rc-
"What do you think of Germany under the dictatorship?"
"Hitler has done great things for
his country. He is unquestionably
a great leader. There is not the
facts about the menace of Ger-its reserves and an adequate slightest doubt that the workers and man militarism?".
complement of highly-trained particularly the younger generation officers, it cannot be compared are absolutely devoted to him. with the German army of "He hans effeclied a remarkable 1914, which Foch described na improvement in the working con- the greatest army the worldditions of both men and women. Of that there can be no manner “of doubt. And they appreciate It."
NOT READY YET
"My answer is that Germany has no
has ever seen. desire to attack any country in Europe and that Hit-
"The German army is formid- ler is arming for defence and able for defence because of the not for attack.
splendid spirit of the men, bo- "My conviction is that for cause of its first-class equipment at least ten years war be of machine guns, the greatest of tween Russia and Germany is defensive weapons, and because impracticable. Even if Ger- of ita powerful fortifications many desired war, which she East and West; but it is not an certainly does not unless army that could march across its other better-equipped nations frontiers with any hope of suc- butt in and attack her,
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"They look upon him a monarch. Though they criticise flings said and done by Goering and Goebbels or other subordin- ates they will never say a word against Hitler. He is slynamic personality.
"It is a grave misfortune that great leaders are not being thrown up by the European democracies; since the war they have arisen only in the authoritarinn States. DEMOCRATIC LEADERS
ARE FUMBLING
Are
"That is the inost serious feature of modern Europe. The dictators acting whilst the democratic leaders are fumbling. That is the real menace."
"An
American," I interjected, "pointed out the other day that a large part of Europe is now being governed
Dernet not
by men of brains but by dynamic morons."
"Whatever Hitler may be le is certainly no mechanical moron.
is foolish to suggest it," said Mr. Lloyd George, laughing. “nor Mussolini,
物
"It was the weakness of demo-
cracies-the failure, If you like, of n Popular Front to unite the progres- alve sections which forced Italy into Dictatorship. The failure of the German democratic parties to make affective use of their opportunities which had reduced Germany to the lowest ebb, and thus mnde inevitable either the Hitler or some other re- volution."
ADOLF HITLER
"He is unquestionably a preat leader."
democracy, like Italian democracy, was very young. It was not deep, rooted is in ou entry. Political with the utmost simplicity. He is and personal liberty does not yet very abstemious. Apparently als mean to Germany what it means to only recreation is gardentag
SR
The
room in which I had a meal with him "Moreover, we do not need and is austerely furnished. certainly would not tolerate this! form of Government, Our weaknessi
uut in democracy, but in the executive, in the leaderships.
is
"I am convinced that a strong executive could accomplish our country ati la ter has necomplished in Germany much more for we have greater
П
financial resources, and Parliament would respond to
strong excentive.
HITLER ADMIRES
THE BRITISH
"The people through Parliament would in an emergency give legis- lative effect to any proposal by the
ig
"There are few rich people In Germany to-day. The great in- dustrialists who made vast profita before the Revolution are no longer allowed to retain those pro- fits. They are compelled to expend a large proportion on welfare im- provements inside the factories.
As to what remains. they are so heavily taxed by the State that it is rare to find any industrialist abie to command for his own use a very Iorge Inenme. I do not think the rich Germans altogether share in the general, worship of Hitler. They regard him as a passing necessity.
"One extraordinary feature of th Nazi regime is that it has tenderi, to break down clasa distinctions. There
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But is it really. In fit condi- tion to wear? It would bo
executive which publle opinion or is very intle cuss iecing in ver- I'LL WEAR MY TWEED Iteved to be essential for dealing muny. Hitler has a down on social with a great crisis. In the emer! snobbery. He snya: 'You are ad geney of the Great War I had no Germans-you are not swells and difficulty
with a patriotic Partiu- common people. ment, the majority of whose mem- *This view is now almost a reli- bers were Liberal and Labour.
Kion. On one occasion my com- Hitler has
profound admiration panions told me that they sat in a for the British
people, which
arge restaurant with two or three shared by Germans of all classes.j meinbers of the old aristocracy and Their desire for friendship with unit was most interesting to see that is indisputably real. Over and over their chauffeurs sat with them as again Germans said to me: We have a matter of course at the only had one quarrel with England; | table,** we-must never-have-another-Hifer- Oller--though he doesn't-ad- wants our friendship."
"What, Mr. Lloyd George, is Hit-| ler's quid pro
que?"
"He doesn't ask and has never asked for a quid pro quo, except equality of status for his great country." MR. EDEN'S
QUESTIONNAIRE
"How is it, if he wants our friend ship, asks for no quid pro quo, and has na military designs anywhere in Europe, that for six months he has left unanswered the very reasonable itish questionnaire on his inten- British tions?"
"It ought never to have been sent. We submitted no questionnaire France or to Italy. Why to Ger many? They are much more fully armed than Germany,
"They
were
same
mit
it, is doing many things on Jines similar to the Russian method of running the economic State.
"I believe large numbers of work- men are more sulisfied with their present relations with icir
with their relations ployers than
emi-
the old regime. talked to many of these young workmen, both middle-aged and young,
and they admitted frankly that their Works Councils with a right of appeal to the district arbi- trator or judge were a great advan- tage and produced quicker and more definite results than the old method of strikes.
"More than one of them sald to me that it was a good thing to have got rid of what they described as
trade unions. political They preferred
questions affeeling conditions of
ane
to cl work-
all questions that ing life out of politics. John Burns,
were ought
to have been put at the con- Henry Broadhurst, Thomas Buri ference itself. They Justified the and most of the old trade union suspicion that we do not even now leaders were strongly of that
opinion treat Germany as en equal. We when it was decided to incorporate administered interrogations as if we the unions in a a political party.
Illigants
in some petty Risi "On the
other hand, Icading prius sult. It was pettifogging and manufacturer in Germany said to not high diplomacy."
me: I realise that we have never "If Hitler has no ambitions for till now understood the point of military conquest how to he gotug view of the workmon." to carry out his expansionist "pro- "How far is the improvement in gramme for making a prosperous Germany due to rearnement? Germany?
"Its expansion is an expansion of Germ Agures of absorption of the
unemployed into th Germany's internal resources. Out-, armament
Industry are greatly side it will be á commercial expan- exaggerated. sion.
now.
BIG PLANS FOR
I inquired into that Both processes are going on matter, and I am convinced that not more than 25 or 30 per cent, have "Germany is already developing been so absorbed." иск
external trade. She has an im- proving trade, for instance, with Yugo-Slavia, with Bulgaria and Hungary. She la more with Russia. She is going to trading more and
put up a great Aght for trode and in the future her trade drive will
PUBLIC WORKS
-"What is going to happen when
be eastward rather than westward." Hitler has completed, if he ever does
"You would agree that at present complete, his Germany is a poor country?"
"Yes, a very poor
country. Her
gramme?"
rearmament pro-
"I understand that is all cut and. people were Illerally starving at the dried. Hitler told me that his re end of the war. Afterwards Infla- armament programme will be soon tion, wild and uncontrolled, left her completed. Insolvent. There are many Indica-
tions of that, one of which--not tho least significant--is the absence of display of luxury goods in the shops even In great cities like. Munich. But there is no hunger, anywhere]
now.
"He is ready now for the imme- diate transfer of the main activi- ties of German tobour to gigantle reconstruction schemes. All is ready now for the word "Go!
"Germany is doing a wonderful work in the building of great arterial roads and in the reclamation of millions of acres of land. And
end when rearmament; ls_at" an. "Hitter, In fact, discourages all German industry will begin at once forms of luxury. He himself lives
NO SOCIAL
SNOBBERY
(Continued on Page 11.)
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