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POLITICAL WAR

274
STOP AT KIEV !

Until now it hasbeen u o n d e r f d . I t wcl~ both

implung andcomfortzng to watch the Russians

fight turth an eficzency that gave the other powers

d cbance to devote t o t h e creation o f a North Afltcan front the cavefzd thought such a major snterprrse requrred. There IUU no need to p u t any lrmrt
on the general applaase. Of course the people of
the lejt, the nntz-fascists of twendy years standiux,
bad t o be restralned in theiv enthuszasm over RUSsids rlzctcries; any excess on thew part would deliver them znto the hands of M r . Dies. But bankers,
conservatwe columnists, and other respectable people mzght cmry thewRussophzlra as far as they liked.
Now things have cbanged. T h e Russlans are going too fat. These same respectable people begin
to wonder whether there is not at least 4 shadow of
truth i n Hltlers warnrng of the threatened bolJhevization of the Continent. Let the Russlans go on
dyrng /or fleedom-but not too near the frontiers
of Western Europe. I f Stalrn duly apprecrater the
good opznion of the best people, he must now exhibtt a talent for moderation. H e must know whore
to stop. Kiev zuould seem to be the rndrcated pomt.
There he sbould wazt modestly lcntil the opening
of a Europedn second front tan reestablzsh a decenl
bdante of power.

Behind the Enemy Line

BY ARGUS

S THE finalcatastrophe at Stalingrad drew nearer

andnearer, Goebbelss department seemed to develop a kind of schizophrenia. For weeks it has strained
results-to
whip up the
after two dlrectlyopposite
people and at the same time to calm them. The orders
given to thepropaganda office must have been something
like this:
1. Dwell with brutal emphasis on the defeat at Stdingrad. Forestall the enemys celebration of it and dernonstrate our own honesty.
2. Play down other defeats on the Russian front. Use
vague ciramdcxutions such as strJtegic movements according to plan.
3. Distiltheutmostnationdprideand
illusion of
superiority out of the heroes of Stalingrad. Never in
history was there such a glorious struggle. Only the Nazi
army amongthe armies of all countries and a11 times
has been able to createsuchanimmortal
myth for
future ages. Thermopylae and even the Nlbelungeolied
pale by comparison.
4. Makethe
situation aplnear extremelyalarming.
T h e storm from h l a cannot be held back unless there

The NATION

is totalmobilization and the prevailingcomfortable

ness and laziness are throttled. Advertise the new t h r d cry
tling measuresfurtously. The peoplethemselves
out for them, and they cry for greater haste.
5. Do not go into the reasons for the m ~ l ~ t a rcrisis.
y
The Russians, quite simply,are colossally strong. W h y
their strengthwas not reckoned with is not tobe discussed.
6. Glve two slmplereasons why a changefor the better
IS certain. The Russ~anshave already thrown In t h e ~ rlast
reserves. Germany, however, is only now, wlth the start
of total mobbillzatlon, putting forth its gigantic strength.
In a hectic furiosothismixture of themes has been
elaborated for weeks, almost tothe exclusion of any
to
other. The effect hasundoubtedlynotcorresponded
the expenditure of effort. W e know from various sources
thatdefeatism, or at least apathy, is spreadingrapidly.
The anti-Bolshevik line is worked to theh i t not only
for foreign consumption but for the home
audience as
well. It was Germany that Herr Fritzsche-in a mediumwave broadcast on February 2warncd of the Soviet
lust, as inthetime
of thegreatmigrationsandthe
Mongol hordes, to overrun Europe, to destroy its civilization, to root up its people in order to obtain slave labor
or the Siberlantundras. It may bethat in evoking
the fear of bolshevism theNaziscountonawakening
an inclination for peace abroad. But at homethey seek to
whip up the war splrit. Without doubt Dr. Goebbds believes the Germans have a sharp distaste for bolshevism.
And that has led him to a sl~ght shiftthat is worth
noting. The objection must have been raised that t h conquest of Germany by the Bolsheviks is not to be seriously
feared since theAllieswould
never permit Stalin to
establish himself in Germany. SO you think they would
notpermitit?answered
Herr Fritzsche of the Propaganda Ministry, and came forward with a new story.
We have always doubted, he said, thatEngland
and the United States were in any position to save Germany andEuropefrom
bolshevism. After England
declared war, we knew that the plutocracies lacked not
only the power but the will to do SO. . . . And now w e
have received new proof of the intention of the plutocracies to deliverEuropeover
to bolshevism. In a mumber of North American newspapers, among others in the
New York Herdd Tribune and also in the Washington
Tribune(sic), thereappeared yesterday anarticle by
Constantine Brown. From it we learn that theAmericans
now believe Soviet rule over all Europe to be the best
solution obtainable. Mr. Brown declares he would not be
surprised if the Soviets pushed on to the Atlantic and
the Mediterranean and extended their rule
as fax as the
Persian Gulf. This ConstantineBrown of Washington
belongs to Mr. Roosevelts circle of friends and doe5 not
thmk up these things by hmself. . . .
Thls fearful story was invented, we must remembec,
to stiffen the res~stanceof the Germans.