RE-EDUCATING GERMANY
SIR,—At the end of an interview with the wives of Generals Jodl and Keitel a reporter asked, " Why did this war begin and whose was the responsibility? " Frau Jodl and Frau Keitel in unison : " The chief res- ponsibility rests with the British, because they, did not allow Hitler to Germanise the German part of Poland." (Daily Express, 18th May, 1945). This reply reveals in a nutshell what probably almost every man, woman, and child in Germany believes, and the belief is the core of their self-confidence, self-righteousness, and self-pity. Until it is shaken they will not believe our facts and revelations and news any more than we used to believe theirs. The first necessity, therefore, is to show them how they have been brought to believe it. By wireless, film and Pamphlet, the, principles and methods of Goebbels' propaganda should be constantly analysed and explained to the Germans. As yet they have little idea that they have been made the (willing) victims of the most diabolical, cunning, ruthless, and completely successful conspiracy in history. (For the results show that although Hitless conspiracy ended in ruins, Goebbels' share in it was wholly successful: in ample time for the war to begin all Germany believed what he wanted it to).
Valuable materials are provided by Mein Kampf. The passages in Which the German people are likened to a flock of sheep, and the famous maxim is set forth, that any lie will be believed provided it is big enough, should be repeated in our broadcasts (from German stations) ad nauseam. Ideas bear repetition .in Germany- long after we-think- them stale. As to the atrocities, we used to listen to the German people being conditioned to these during the phoney war, when night after night they were regaled on fabricated stories of atrocities committeed by Britain in the process of " conquering the empire." We knew from this what to expect once the war got going, but probably most Germans still do not realise the purpose of these stories, or even connect them with one of Hitler's other maxims: " BOmbard your adversaries with lies and calumnies." Until Germans realise the audacity and magnitude of the cam- paign to dupe them over the last twelve years and understand how it worked, it is useless to expect a change of heart and useless to nail
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