HITLER’S FEARS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 September 1943, Page 4

HITLER’S FEARS

BETRAYED IN LONG=DELAYED SPEECH SOME IMPLIED ADMISSIONS. LACK OF UNITY ON HOME FRONT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.30 a.m.) RUGBY, September 10. . What stung Hitler into breaking his long silence was soon manifest when he began speaking at 7.30 tonight. It was what he described as the intrigues of certain circles in Italy which had prevented her fulfilling her treaty obligations in 1939 and eventually had succeeded in compassing the downfall of that “great man,” his friend Mussolini. Hitler expressed a firm belief what had happened to the Duce could not possibly happen to the Fuehrer. This was because the “German Command” faced the Allied plans as “a fanatically united community.” After this remarkable indication of a lack of unity among the German people, as opposed to the High Command, Hitler admitted that the enemy was able to “terrorise the German home front” by air, though he made the usual vague promises such as that “terror attacks” would be met by technical improvements. Finally, the doomed Fuehrer took such comfort •as he could in thanking the Lord “for every hour he grants me to work for and among my nation.” The speech lasted only 18 minutes and is believed to be the shortest made by Hitler.