Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

FRANCE IS TO BLAME 683behind a screen of supposed non-Communists; Willy Muenzenberg, aGerman Communist leader, had organized the whole undertaking. Theresults were what was to be expected. Even Sir Austen Chamberlaincalled the 'counter-trial' a shameless abuse of hospitality. Lloyd George,England's leader in the World War, co-author of Versailles, who hadlong deeply regretted his own work, said, on September 22, in a meetingat Bournemouth, that if the powers succeeded in overthrowing NationalSocialism in Germany, Communism would succeed it; and that theCommunists in the whole world, from Russia to America, were prayingthat the western nations would drive Germany into a Communistrevolution.Against this world mood, shifting between rancor and hope, tormentedby the fear of irrevocable decisions, National Socialist propagandanow undertook a great offensive. When the plenary assembly ofthe League of Nations met at the end of September, Goebbels was theGerman delegate. Neurath refused to let the propaganda minister appearas the spokesman of Germany in the assembly; but outside Goebbelsfound a wide audience. It was wrong, he told fellow journalists at apress conference, to believe 'that the peoples wanted to governthemselves. They cannot and they have no desire to, they only want tobe well governed.' This was what National Socialism did, said he;consequently, the Third Reich was 'an ennobled form of democracy.' Itseemed as though Goebbels had been sent to Geneva to abjure allNational Socialist principles, for he firmly denied that NationalSocialism had a 'world mission' to fulfill and that it planned thefascistization of Europe; no, National Socialism was 'a typicallyGerman phenomenon which can be explained only on the basis ofGerman environment, German character, and German distress'; in aconversation he said that National Socialism was something so goodthat Germany wanted to keep it entirely for herself.A few days later, simpler, more forceful words were addressed — notto the world, but to France alone — by Goring; as one of the militaryleaders of National Socialism, he invited the military leaders of Franceto a conference. In an interview with Jules Sauerwein, the Frenchjournalist, he made a peace proposal couched in very general terms; itwas published by Paris Soir on