The Charlotte News
Thursday, June 26, 1941
THREE EDITORIALS
Site Ed. Note: Dorothy Thompson's column today appears to have a plausible part of the explanation for Hitler's mercurial move against Russia, even if based on speculation of the time. She posits that when in May Rudolph Hess's mediator with Churchill in England, Sir Frederick Kirkpatrick, flew to Ireland unexpectedly, the probable reason was to communicate there with the German Embassy, to tell them that Churchill would be replaced with an appeaser and that therefore to ignore his warning that there would be no negotiated peace while Europe remained under Germany's dominion, that a new prime minister would lead a negotiated peace conference in which the concept of the enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend would prevail and England would support Hitler's move on Russia, perhaps join it. All would be well for Hitler and his new Germania; peace in our time once again.
Ms. Thompson did not have in her possession the fact that Hitler had planned the fateful move as far back as December 18, but nevertheless the theory dovetails with our own that a major part of the formula was to try to appeal to both the appeasers in Britain and the isolationists in the United States in order to obtain a peace in which the status quo in Europe would be maintained. And that such a plan with such a partial motive was hatched in December rather than more recently is of no consequence.
Churchill remained, however, and the policy of appeasement, with the omnipresent daily reminder of London's streets and neighborhoods lying shattered, was forever buried with the death of Neville Chamberlain the previous November, indeed with his no-confidence vote in Parliament the previous May.
But, even if a part of Hitler's irrationality at this point, the greater part of his motive appears to have been apparent on its face: that the grand scheme was to vanquish Russia quickly, obtain necessary terms to have the Ukraine's wheat and oil to feed and provide fuel for a move through Turkey, unencumbered by Stalin's threats to protect Turkey, on to Iraq, there accomplish another putsch against the British occupation, and thereby obtain sufficient oil to sustain the goals of clearing the Mediterranean of the British and then crossing the Channel with a colossal, resistless invasion force, or at least threaten same with the goal of seeking the negotiated peace on Hitler's terms.
Installment 22 of Out of the Night tells of Jan's intrigues for the Comintern first to investigate the lassitude evident within the British Communist Party's propaganda efforts, both expensive and ineffective, within the maritime industry, then to undermine the leadership so that proper replacements might be installed and changes effected. He accomplishes his goal in ways which would make the Plumber's Unit of the WH in the early 1970's envious; indeed, if you have an understanding of that matter, you will instantly recognize today's offering by Jan as a perfect pattern by which the Plumbers' plans might have been executed. So, assuming your acquaintanceship with the affair, we shall offer no more. The head guy of that latter outfit had obviously become so acquainted with his enemies that he followed their methodology hook, line, and sinker-sucker, even to the extent of catching one of his neighbors sitting on his porch in his own yard, over by the Potomac.
Wash, "Jesse" to all his friends, encounters resistance at the FBI offices when stubbornly insistent on speaking with Easy about some emergent situation, is sent over to see some chubby fellow chomping a cigar, probably Gutman after he joined the Bureau post the failed blackbird caper out in Frisco. Wash, being treated like a flake of some sort, is nevertheless quite sincere in his intransigent tenacity to purpose. He probably just wants to see Easy to tell him all about the dreadful coup by the Commies down at Chapel Hill, that this fellow Graham they have there is a menace to society, that his friends over in High Point informed him all about it, via the ham radio.
Lil, a.k.a. Nancy, turns that ray-gun on Superman for the putative murder of her father. Such are the turns and twists of the road through the Black Mountain hills.
And Tops, while busy stalking and harassing Sally, stops to do something with a friend which implies behavior we shall not validate by attempting further description. Suffice it to say that Tops is obviously your blooming juvenile delinquent, two or three decades ahead of his time. Kids, view him only as the model by which to pattern only a role for you not to emulate. Tops is truly a Bottom.
Anyway, why do you think they call it the Com-ic section?
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