SAME OLD ERROR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 April 1941, Page 8

SAME OLD ERROR

NAZIS UNDERRATE AMERICA PROPAGANDA BOASTS. SIMILARITY BETWEEN 1917 AND 1941.

LONDON. April 4. Nazis like to boast that everything in their propaganda is new. Stop me if you’ve heard this one —1917: Too Late: “Even supposing our submarines weren't able to prevent its transportation to Europe, an American Army would be absolutely no use because by that time the war would be over." (Captain Salzmann in the “Vossische Zeitung," February, 1917.) 1941: “The British front line will wait in vain for the arrival of vitally necessary American supplies. Britain will be beaten before American help becomes effective.” (German broadcast in English, March 13, 1941.) No Munitions: “We have no need to take America's sabre rattling seriously. We are acquainted with the possi-

bilities under which she could face us on sea and land. The whole American armament scheme remains.for us nothing but a phantom.” (Major Moraht in the “Berliner Tageblatt,” February, 1917.)

1 “A prerequisite for Roosevelt’s armaments scheme is modernisation of plant, which is so out-of-date that the enormously increased output he demands is not possible within the time set by him.” (Transocean Weekly Economic Report, January 21, 1941.) No Money: “As far as money and munitions are concerned, Americans cannot injure us more than at the beginning of the war, while the lies and calumnies of the greater part of the American Press cannot be more poisonous than they were before.” (Professor Zorn, “Der Tag,” April, 1917.) “America could not do much more against us than she is already doing. From the economic standpoint she is already in the middle of a big crisis which will grow to catastrophic proportions. Financially she is on the road to bankruptcy.” (German correspondent in the “Popolo d'ltala,” March 23, 1941.) Too Dangerous: “We shall wait quite calmly to see whether the Americans will discover the remedy against ‘Uboats,’ which the English and French, who profess to be the. finest, champions of humanity in the world, have failed to find.” (Professor Zorn in “Der Tag,” April, 1917.) “Now that the Lend and Lease Bill has been passed Britain will be pinning fresh hopes on support from the United States, but the successful activity of the German naval forces during the past week proves that the German submarine arm will know how to cope ' also with the increased volume of sup- ' plies and transports to Britain.” (German broadcast to England, February 12. 1941.)

A Promise: “I give you my word as an officer that not one American will land on ithe Continent.” (Admiral von Holtzendorff to the Kaiser, January 9, 1917.)

“Let not those who believe they can help England deceive themselves. Those who believe they can help England must take note: Every ship which appears before our torpedo tubes is going to be torpedoed.” (HenHitler, Munich, January 30, 1941.) “The American Army is not worth much. It is recruited from people who take service in preference to doing honest work. The British have always been a fighting race. Americans never.” (Captain Salzmann, in the “Vossische Zeitung.” February. 1917.)

We are expecting the 1941 quotation shortly.