1940-02-26 — Page 5

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 26, 1940.

THE UNCENSORED TRUTH

This remarkable story gives the facts about conditions in Germany. It was written by a distinguished neutral observer who, a month ago, was sent. on a special,

EXPEDITION

INTO GERMANY

INFLATION

BREAD IS SCARCE, SO

WOMEN IN

PANIC IS

A BEGGING

IS BUTTER

RACKET

one

SPREADING

THEY ARE NOT STARVING, BUT THEY THINK WE ARE

Every

in Britain is asking People Germany. questions about want to know what it is like there now, what the Germans are getting to cat, how they live, and whether the Nazis are "cracking."

Well, I was sent into Germany to questions. get the answer to those And I have. The truth, you will see, of the is a lot different from many

other coun- stories one hears from tries.

Germany-running

My weeks in about the country from the west to the cast, from the north to the south, to Danzig, from Frankfort-on-Main

Dresden from Stettin and Berlin to and Munich--were interesting, if not very pleasant.

They Go Without

I could get precious little bread and So I now practically no butter. weigh 6lbs. less than I did when went into Germany.

I

I don't see what harm there can be in my telling Herr Himmler now that joined so I was the gentleman who lustily in the singing of "Wir Mar- schleren Gen Engelland"-"We March Against England."

I got around to quite a lot of peo- ple that way.

X-Ray Search

had

I was dumbfounded, however, at The Cus- the frontier coming out. toms ofleer, in green uniform, been through my luggage. thing I had he lifted out.

Every-

He had even ripped out the lining of the suitcase. Then he slapped, the Ild down and made his chalk sign on it.

"Finished? "I asked him. "Yes," he said.

"Then I'll just go and have a glass of beer while we wait," I said. He nodded, and off I went, didn't get far.

But

I

A hand fell heavily on my shoul- der. A feld-grey S.S. officer said, Please come along "Just a moment, with me".

said.

And he led me off to a largish cell. "Just take that

off," he

I took off my pointing at my coat. coat.

Take it all off," he said, pointing

"Everything." at my trousers.

"I am to

"I asked strip naked? "Yes.". Even when I was down to my skin He felt in be- he wasn't satisfied. tween my toes and made me open my Then he mouth, and looked inside. took all my clothes behind a screen. and crackling There was a sizzling Armics. noise.

I feel I can tell him now, because I of returning to have no intention Germany until I do so in the wake of the British and French As I told Ernst Udet in the Adlon bar.

Berlin

Udet is Goering's right-hand man In the Air Ministry, and has been do- ing all the negotiating with the Rus- sians. How he enjoyed that joke!

We laughed till the tears came. And Carl, the barman, brought us another Steinhaeger (German gin).

I travelled on the dangerously in- and efficient rallways, first, second third class. Sometimes I had long conversations with my fellow

I

"What are "Heavens!" I cried. you doing? That's the only suit have.”

"Wird geroentgt", came the gru

"It's being voice across the screen. X-rayed." He

my was X-raying

underpants, clothes, one by one socks, shoes and all, to see whether there was anything secret in them.

could But he

not X-ray

memory.

my..

An hour and a half later, back in pas- the neutral country, I was eating the

sengers, sometimes I kept silent and first egg I had seen for three weeks.

listened to them to hear

said among themselves.

what they

I met all kinds of men and women,

taxi airmen, bankers, soldiers, drivers, housewives, shopkeepers, waiters.. I talked with neutral diplo mets, and I kept my eyes open.

Followed By Gestapo

I liked those Gestapo lads Himmler sent after me. Very direct in their technique, they were; no nonsense about artful disguises, or any silly at- tempts at E. Phillips Oppenheim sub- tlety

*

a

I had to wait in the neutral capi- tal, where I applied to the Germans for a visa, for a little more than

they came through I had made no secret of with it. month before the fact that I came from London.

And I suppose that was the reason for the delay. The idea is to make you cool your heels while they check up on you, and while any messages you may have for the enemy agents in Germany go stale.

But in the end I got my passport back with the right stamps in it, and permission not only to enter Ger- many but, most important to me, to a leave it as well.

For some time they followed me the around wherever I went from moment I left the hotel, walking few steps behind me, stopping when I stopped, moving when

sitting down at the next

mine in the beer-halls.

"Don't take anything in with you-

I moved, no butter, tobacco, coffee, soap;

no

table to letters or newspapers," a German of- ́ ́ficial warned me. "That might annoy

I gave them the slip by talking a them at the frontier. I advise you to

taxi... Only a quarter of the number

of taxis are running now that there used to be, which means

take nothing with you."

The

that never

That advice was wrong. search at the frontier was as per

could have functory as it possibly been. I could have taken anything

more than one is free at a time none for the sleuth to follow in.

in.

1

-By- A NEUTRAL OBSERVER

And they made no fuss at all about

in who

with Dutch woman all her bags loaded with good things in food and clothing for her friends inside.

The Woman Was Sitting Alone

BANZI

STETY

HANOVER

MÜNSTER

する

:ཁནཝ་་ ྂས

GERMANY

MUNICH S

Dutch woman. She had only moved on to try her luck elsewhere.

Food-Where And

How To Get it

Scrounging from foreigners on the train has become £1 regular racket. The scroungers find it well worth while, well worth the price of a rail- ticket, way ticket, even a first-class

the to be able to come on board trains and touch the foreign passen- gers for the things that you can't get In Germany,

strangers

On several occasions asked me if I would arrange to send them food from abroad when I got out again. To make their offer par- ticularly attractive they proposed to pay me in advance with marks which I could use during my stay in Ger-

many.

They would give me twelve times, quoted they said, the rate officially

for the foreign currency that I would need for their parcels.

of

is

Inflation spreading

I found and I

That is a symptom

This panic.

panic everywhere in Germany. I was sorry I didn't take anything signs of it wherever I went with me. Every one I met in Ger- shall point them out to you as we go

or later. along. me sooner many asked "Have you brought anything in with And I you that you can spare?” felt quite ashamed when I had to tell them 1 had come empty-handed.

I The asking began the moment

A

woman had got into the train. was sitting alone in my compart

She looked at me for a ment, moment or two and smiled a little shyly.

You

There was nothing very different about those Germans I met in the I railway trains from the Germans had known on my last visit to Ger- Perhaps many eight months before. they were rather more serious. There and this was not so much laughter,

you, is re- part of Germany, mind nowned for its wine, song and laugh- ter.

Bless

"Excuse me. Then she said.

But as for looking starved! and she mentioned you, I saw several fellows hoist them- come from-."

neutral country selves aboard who could have af- the name of the

If you from which I had entered. "You are forded to lose a chin or two.

a foreigner. You are staying only a looked hard-yes, perhaps, these men and women were a shade paler and short time?

on extra sallower. perhaps, "Have you,

or husband, shaving stick for my some soap, or some socks, or some handkerchiefs, or anything else you could spare?"

When she found I was no good to left the com- her she got up and partment.. At first I thought she went away because she was afraid I might denounce her, for of course this is illegal.

But I saw her again quite soon. She of the was sitting in the carriage

31

But it's far too early yet for the rationing to have had a really strik- But talk to them ing visible effect. and the all-absorbing subject is food, where and how to get it. I told the the woman in my two men and carriage · I came from - England..

“Arc There was almost a chorus.

edgerly. they starving?" they asked

much "Our U-boats aren't letting through, are they?"

(Continued on Page 14)

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