1936-10-19 — Page 15

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1936.

HITLER: LLOYD GEORGE'S VIEWS

For 10 Years

Russo-German War Impracticable For 10

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.

Ho 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 full 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 nt Churi 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 or a menace to the peace of Europe?"

"That depends on the way Germany is treated. If she is at tacked and her territories invaded as they were by Poincare in 1923 then she will no longer crouch penceably under the lash. You may. call this new attitude of self-defence and self-respect a menace to peace,"

"Has not Hiller set up a militáry 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 soldiers behind him.

Two Kinds of Dictators

"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 a 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 ranks of Dictatorships.

"Liberalism does not mean "the German Army is not ready, choose for and could not be ready in that that you shoul another country the form of Con- time. It is not in a position to

anybody. stitution by which it should be attack

Though a governed.

formidable. army for defence, it "There are two kinds of dic- has neither, the weapons nor the lators. One is the ruler who the trained officers nor determines how his own country trained men for any such enter can best be governed. The other prise. the one who presumes to dictatel

to another country how it should

"The conscripts are very be ruled. The latter is not Liber- young; they are coming in at

alism-it is just impertinence."

"What do you regard as the

GERMAN ARMY

4

about 500,000 a year.

LLOYD GEORGE

"I am still a Gladstonian"

...

HITLER WOULD BE

TOO OLD

**ither himself admitted to some- one that met that his army could not L¥* ready 119 211 altacking force for 15 or 20 years, *1{{9y 3*i\1 thought how old i shall be then?" he said. A that age men do not seek wars."

"Doesn't he want to fight Russia?" I asked.

"No," said Mr. Lloyd George; "he has a fanatical hatred of Bolshevism. For 17 years he has made speeches against Russia and Bolshevism. He devoted the propaganda of years to on ganise an onil-Communist front In Germany. But he scoffs at the sur- gestion that he means to march to Moscow or that he covets the Ukraine."

"No." went 071 Mr. Lloyd George, "though Hitler naturally wants 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 Slays, whom he den- pines and would regard as an of- fever to the doctrine of purity."

racial

FEAR OF ATTACK

BY RUSSIA

UNITY BEFORE

LIBERTY

Hitlera

"What do you think of methods of establishing his regime?" "He built up his movement by 14 years of propaganda under a regime' of freedom-free speech and a free press. But it is maintained by the

of revolution. methods

"Germany had to decide in a great national emergency between unity and liberty, She chose unity and she still regards it na the only possi- bles choice.

"I am convinced that in the face of the hostile nations with which they are surrounded the vast majori ty of Germans of all classes dreadi a return to the old faction fights int followed their defeat,"

"And German unlty

nity involved Ger- man concentration camps?"

"I need hardly say that I am no advocate of the inmuring of political oppients in concentration camps. But unfortunately once you establish an authoritarian Stale it is the only alternative to the wholesale mas- sacres which disgraced the first year of the Russian Revolution."

"Diet you see any of the concen-| tration

Germina mile. you were int

.

"No, I did not visit the Berlin Aren. But I accept the description of their wondition. It is well that the few

Liberal countries silit left in the world should. realise what are the alternatives to free demperatle InstRutions."

ADOLF HITLER

"He is unquestionably a great leader."

The

inl of liberty suppression Germany us in all countries under a dictatorship," Mr. Lloyd Georije went on, "is a terrible thing to un old Liberal like myself. But youj

that the Germin must remember democracy, like Italian democracy. was very young. It was not deep-i roated as in our country. Political, with the utmost simplicity. He is abstemious. Apparently his and personal liberty does not yet very

The men to Germany what it means to only recreation is gardening.

room in which I hud a meal with him "Moreover, we do not need and in musterely furnished. certainly would not tolerate this!

115.

form of Government. Our weatness

Is

'not in democracy, but in thel executive, in the leaderships.

no

"There are few rich people in In- Germany (o-day. The great dustrialista who mode vast profils before the Revolution аге longer allowed to retain those pro- fits. They are compelled to expend large proportion on welfare_im- provements Inside the factories. "As to what remains, they are. 50

"I am convinced that a strong executive could accomplish our country all that Hitler has accomplished in Germany and much more for we have greater financial resources, and Parliament heavily taxed by the State that it would respond ta executive.

HITLER ADMIRES

THE BRITISH

strong

is rare to find any industrialist able

to command for his own use a very large income. I do not think the rich Germans altogether share In the general worship of Hitler. They regard him as a passing necesalty,

"One extraordinary feature of this Nazi regime is that it has tended to break down class distinctions. There

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IT'S CHILLY-THINK

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"The people through Parliament would in an emergency give legis lative effect to any proposal by the sxeulive which public opinion be- lieved

to be essential for dealing many,Hitler has a down on social "Is he afraid of an invasion of with, a great crisis. In the emer- snobbery. He says: of the Great War I had no Germans-you are geney Germany by Soviet Russia?

dimeulty with patriotle Parlia common people. ment, the majority of whose mem- This view is now almost a reli- bers were Liberal and Labour. gion. On one occasion my comTM

"Hitler has

profound admiration panicam told me that they sat in a for the British

Isarge restaurant with two or three pepple, which shared by Germans of all classes. members of the old aristocracy and Their desire for friendship with us, it was most interesting to see that Is indisputably real. Over and over their chauffeurs sat with them na again Germans sald to me: We have a matter of course at the same

"I think there is a genuine appre- hension of an armed attack from Communist Russia. In 1920 the Red Armles, badly equipped as they were, got as for as Warraw.

"On the other hand, a very able me that the German soldier told hopelessly defective transport gantsation on the western borders

or-

of Russia makes a Russian invasion of Germany on any scale of magni- tude a strategle impossibility for at cast ten years."

"But Hitler is very anxious for France to renounce her pact with Russia?"

"Yes, that is so. I pointed out to him that he could hardly expect a Socialist French Premier to re- nounce a pact with Russia

which had been signed by a predecessor from the Right."

"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

"Until that army has built up facts about the menace of Ger-its reserves and an adequate lightest 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 has effected remarkable 1914, which Foch described as 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

has

"My answer is that Germany has ever seen.

desire to attack any country in Europe and that Hit-

no

"The German army is formid-

3.

"They look upon him as monarch. Though they criticiso things safd and done by Goering and Goebbels or other subordin ales they will never say a word against Hitler. He is a dynamic personality.

ler is arming for defence and able for defence because of the not for attack.

splendid spirit of the men, be- ***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 its powerful fortifications many desired war, which she East and West; but it is not an the European democracies; since the certainly does not unless army that could march across its other better-equipped nations frontiers with any hope of suc- buit in and attack her,

CASTORIA

CCSS.

A TIP ABOUT CHILD CARE

Health authorities point out that a harsh adult Jaxative is too strang for a child's delicate sys- tem, even in reduced doses, Castoria, made es- pecially far children, son- taing nothing harsh or harraful and is safe, gen. te in its action. It tastes good soo.

THE CHILDREN'S LAXATIVE

CASTORIA

R

"It is a grave misfortune that great leaders are not being thrown up by war they have arisen only in the

authoritarian States. DEMOCRATIC LEADERS

ARE FUMBLING

"That is the inost serious feature of modern Europe. The dictators are

acting whilst the democratie leaders are fumbling. That is the real menace."

"Att American," 1 interjected, "pointed out the other day that a large part of Europe is now being governed not by men of brains but by dynamic morons."

la

Whatever Hitler may be he is certainly no mechanical moron, la foolish to suggest it," said 'Mr. 1.lovd

George,

loughing, "nor Mussolini.

"It was the weakness of demo- cracies-the failure, if you like, of a Popular Front to unite the progres- nive sections which forced Italy into Dictatorship. The fallure of the German democratic parties to make effective use of their opportunities which had reduced Germany to the. lowest ebb, and thus made inevitable either the "Hitler or some other re- volution."

only had one quarrel will England: tabletter. though he doesn't ad

we must never have another' Hitler wants our friendship."

"What, Mr. Lloyd George, is Hit- ler's quid pro quo?"

"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

mit It is doing many things on lines similar 10 the Russian method of running the economie Státe,

"I believe large numbers of work- men are more satisfied with their present relations with their ployers than with their relations under the old regime.

cm-

"I talked to many of these young workmen. both middle-aged and young, and they admitted frankly "How is it, if he wants our friend- that their Works Councils with ship, aska for no quid pro quo, and right of appeal to the district arbi- has no military designs anywhere in trator or judge were a great advun- Europe, that for six months he has tage and produced quicker and more left unanswered the very reasonable definite results than the old method i British questionnaire on his inten- of strikes. tions?"

"It ought never to have been sent. We submitted no questionnaire to France or to Italy. Why to Ger- many? They are much more fully armed than Germany.

oll questions

that

"More than one of them said to me that it was good thing to have got rid of what they described as the political trade unions.

.

"They preferred to keep questions affecting conditions of their work- "They were

ing life out of politics. John Burns, ought to have been put at the con- Henry Broadhurst, Thomas Burt ference itself.

They justified the and most of the old trode union suspicion that we do not even now

leaders were

of that opinion as an equal. We when it was decided to incorporate treal Germany administered interrogations as if we the unions in a political party.

me

strongly

W guit. were litigants in some petty s "On the other hand, a leading prius It was pettifogging and manu

manufacturer in Germany said to not high diplomacy."

I realise that we have never "If itler has no ambitions for now. understood the point of military conquest how is he going view of the workman." to carry out his expansionist pro- "How far to the Improvement in gramme for making a prosperous Germany due to rearmament?" Germany?"

The

figures of absorption of the "expansion is an expansion of German unemployed into the re- Germany's internal resources, Out-, armament

Industry это greatly

BIG PLANS FOR

side It will be a commercial expun- exaggerated. I inquired into that sion. Both processes are going on matter, and I am convinced that not now.

more than 25 or 30 per cent. have Germany Is already developing been so absorbed." her external trade. She has an Im- proving trade, for instance, with Yugo-Slavia. with Bulgaria and Hungary. She is trading more and more with Russia. She is going to put up a great Aght for trade 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

rearmament at present complete, his

gramme?"

• is a poor country?"

a very poor country. Her people were Hierally starving at the end of the war. Afterwards infla

ion, wild and uncontrolled, left her Insolvent. There are many indica- tions of that, one of which-not the 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.

NO SOCIAL

SNOBBERY

all

"Hitler.- in fact, discourages forms of luxury. He himself lives

pro-

"I understand that is all cut and dried. Hitler told me that his re- armament programme, will be soon completed.

་

"He is ready now for the Imme- diate transfer of the main activi- sles of German labour to gigallo reconstruction schemes. All is ready now for the word 'Go. "Germany is doing a wonderful work in the building of

Kreat aricriul roads and in the reclamation of millions of vacres of land. And when rearmament is at an end German Industry will begin at once (Continited on Page, 11.)

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