Berlin Diary (40 page)

In the Saar village of Ottweiler yesterday the Germans buried with full military honours Lieutenant Louis Paul Dechanel of the French army. His father had been President of France. He was killed leading a detachment against the Westwall. At his burial a German military band played the
Marseillaise
. The Germans took a news-reel of the ceremony and will use it in their propaganda to show the French they haven’t anything against France. The hell with radio. Just learned my Danzig broadcast did not get through.

B
ERLIN
,
September
21

In an order of the day to his troops last night General von Brauchitsch, the commander-in-chief of the army, announced that the operations against Poland were concluded. Thus ends the “counter-attack.” In eighteen days this amazing fighting machine which is the German army has overrun Poland, annihilated its armies, chased its government from Polish soil. But Warsaw still holds out gallantly.

Heard President Roosevelt ask the special session of Congress to repeal the neutrality law and allow cash-and-carry goods to be sold to those who could buy—France and Britain. Hardly had the President stopped talking before the Wilhelmstrasse issued a statement to the foreign press charging the President with being unneutral. Last summer I tried to find out whether
America came into the calculations of the Nazis at all. I couldn’t find any evidence that they gave a damn about us. 1914–17 all over again. But now they’re beginning to think about us.

Great hopes here that Russia will help Germany to survive the blockade. First, I can’t understand Hitler
’s putting himself in a position where his very existence depends upon the good graces of Stalin. Second, I can’t understand the Soviets pulling Nazi Germany’s chestnuts out of the fire.

The war, maybe, is just beginning, even though the Germans, after annihilating Poland, would like to see it ended. Wonder why Hitler said at Danzig two nights ago—and the press echoed it—“We will never capitulate.” Why bring up the subject when your position looks so strong? Talked to Tess. She is better and is running the Geneva office in my absence.

B
ERLIN
,
September
22

The
D.A.Z
., commenting on Roosevelt’s message asking for the repeal of the neutrality law, says tonight: “America is not Roosevelt, and Roosevelt must reckon with the American people.” Yesterday the B.Z. saw some hope in what it called the “Front of Reason” in America. In that front it put Senators Borah and Clark, Colonel Lindbergh, and Father Coughlin!

B
ERLIN
,
September
23

General von Fritsch, the man who built up the modern German army and then retired just before the
Anschluss
because of a fight with Hitler over attacking
Austria, which he opposed, has been killed in action before Warsaw. A little strange. He had no command but was with the regiment of which he is honorary colonel.

Starting day after tomorrow, new ration cards for food. The German people will now get per week: one pound of meat, five pounds of bread, three quarters of a pound of fats, three quarters of a pound of sugar, and a pound of
ersatz
coffee made of roasted barley seeds. Heavy labourers are to get double rations, and Dr. Goebbels—clever man!—has decided to classify us foreign correspondents as heavy labourers.

B
ERLIN
,
September
24

The High Command, reviewing the Polish campaign, says the fate of Poland
was really decided in eight days. By that time the German army had already obtained its main strategical object, the trapping of the main part of the Polish forces within the great elbow of the Vistula River. Some other things: 450,000 Polish troops captured, 1,200 guns taken, and 800 airplanes either destroyed or captured; and at the end of eighteen days of fighting not a single Polish division, not even a brigade, was left intact.

Dr. Goebbels convoked a special press conference this morning. We piled over to the Propaganda Ministry thinking maybe peace had come, or something. The little
Doktor
stalked in, snorting like a bull, and proceeded to devote his entire time to an attack on Knickerbocker, whom he called “an international liar and counterfeiter.” The Doc said that he himself, as a journalist, had never defamed anyone in his life! Seems Knick published a story saying the top Nazis had deposited
gold abroad to guard against a rainy day in case they lost the war. This made Doktor G. furious. He revealed he had broadcast from the German shortwave stations Thursday night (September 21) a call to Knick offering him ten per cent of any sum he could prove the Nazis had salted abroad. A curious offer. He said he gave him until Saturday night (last night) to prove it. Apparently Knick was at sea, bound for New York. The story around here is that Knick radioed back that as with all German ultimatums the time limit had expired before he received it.

B
ERLIN
,
September
26

They buried General von Fritsch here this morning. It rained, it was cold and dark—one of the dreariest days I can remember in Berlin. Hitler did not show up, nor Ribbentrop, nor Himmler, though they all returned to Berlin from the front this afternoon. The official death notices in the papers omitted the usual “Died for Führer” and said only: “Died for the Fatherland.” Yesterday after Goebbels had finished fuming, some of us correspondents gathered in the street outside and concluded that Fritsch was either shot by order of Himmler, his mortal enemy, or was so disgusted with life and the state to which Hitler had led Germany (disgusted perhaps too at the senseless slaughter by German bombs and shells of the women and children in Warsaw?) that he deliberately sought to be killed; that is, committed suicide. What, we asked, was a general of his rank doing in the front line outside of Warsaw, where the snipers have been picking off German troops at an alarming rate? Actually, I hear, he was killed while advancing with a small detachment of scouts up a street in a suburb across the Vistula
from the capital. A curious thing for Germany
’s greatest modern military figure to be doing.
¹⁰

Hitler
showed a typical smallness in declining to attend the funeral. He cannot forgive a man who has crossed him, even in death. He could not forgive von Kahr, who suppressed his beer-house
Putsch
in 1923, and so had him shot in the 1934 purge.

The war comes home to more and more families that you know. Fräulein T. lost her brother yesterday in Poland. In the World War she had lost her father and another brother. The papers full of the little advertisements that are the official death notices inserted by families in Germany. About half omit the “Died for Führer” expression, retaining only the “Died for the Fatherland.” It is one of the few ways of showing your feelings towards Hitler.

Germany, now that it has destroyed Poland, would like peace with the West. Big peace offensive started today. Newspapers, radio full of it. The line: Why do France and Britain want to fight now? Nothing to fight about. Germany wants nothing in the West.

L
ATER.—
Seven members of the American consulate staff in Warsaw arrived here tonight and we had drinks in the Adlon bar. They told a terrible tale of the bombardment of the city and the slaughter of the civilian population. Some of them seemed still shell-shocked. They got out during a temporary truce between the Germans and the Poles. One German shell scored a direct hit on the consulate, but fortunately the
staff had taken refuge in the cellars of the Embassy.

New restrictions today on clothing. If I order a new suit, my tailor must make it out of a piece of cloth exactly 3.1 metres by 144 centimetres.
¹¹
Also the papers inform us we can no longer get our shoes half-soled. No more leather. We must wait for a new substitute material not yet out.

Also, how to shave? A decree says you can have only one piece of shaving soap or one tube of shaving cream during the next four months. I shall start a beard.

B
ERLIN
,
September
27

Warsaw capitulated today after a heroic but hopeless stand. The High Command says the Polish commander offered to surrender this morning after he had been “impressed by the German attack.”