“Hitler had plenty of help from the mainstream press, which he used as his own propaganda machine, which portrayed him as “extra human.”
Useful idiots in the American media is doing the same thing with President Obama........
By FREDERICK T. BIRCHALL
Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES
Berlin, Monday, Aug. 20 — Eighty-nine and nine-tenths per cent of the
German voters endorsed in yesterday’s plebiscite Chancellor Hitler’s
assumption of greater power than has ever been possessed by any other ruler
in modern times. Nearly 10 per cent indicated their disapproval. The result
was expected.
The German people were asked to vote whether they approved the consolidation
of the offices of President and Chancellor in a single Leader-Chancellor
personified by Adolf Hitler. By every appeal known to skillful politicians
and with every argument to the contrary suppressed, they were asked to make
their approval unanimous.
Nevertheless 10 per cent of the voters have admittedly braved possible
consequences by answering “No” and nearly [text unreadable] made their
answers, ineffective by spoiling the simplest of ballots. There was a plain
short question and two circles, one labeled “Yes” and the other “No,” in one
of which the voter had to make a cross. Yet there were nearly 1,000,000
spoiled ballots.
38,279,514 Vote “Yes.”
The results given out by the Propaganda Ministry early this morning show
that out of a total vote of 43,438,378, cast by a possible voting population
of more than 45,000,000, there were 38,279,514 who answered “Yes,” 4,287,808
who answered “No” and there were 871,056 defective ballots. Thus there is an
affirmative vote of almost 90 per cent of the valid votes and a negative
vote of nearly 10 per cent exclusive of the spoiled ballots which may or may
not have been deliberately rendered defective.
How Chancellor Hitler’s vote declined is shown by a comparison with the
result of the Nov. 12 plebiscite on leaving the Disarmament Conference and
the League of Nations. The tabulation follows:
Yesterday Nov. 12
Yes 38,279,514 40,600,243
No 4,287,808 2,101,004
Invalid 371,058 750,282
Per cent of noes 9.8 4.8
These results therefore show that the number of Germans discontented with
Chancellor Hitler’s course is increasing but is not yet seriously damaging
to it. He is the Fuehrer [leader] of the Reich with absolute power by the
vote of almost 90 per cent of the Germans in it but the number of
dissentients has doubled since the last test.
It is not yet a matter for international concern but there are other
considerations which may be.
Dictatorship Now Complete
The endorsement gives Chancellor Hitler, who four years ago was not even a
German citizen, dictatorial powers unequaled in any other country, and
probably unequaled in history since the days of Genghis Khan. He has more
power than Joseph Stalin in Russia, who has a party machine to reckon with;
more power than Premier Mussolini of Italy who shares his prerogative with
the titular ruler; more than any American President ever dreamed of.
No other ruler has so widespread power nor so obedient and compliant
subordinates. The question that interests the outside world now is what
Chancellor Hitler will do with such unprecedented authority.
Nazi opinion is not disposed to be altogether cheerful about the result.
When one high official was asked by this correspondent to comment on it he
said:
“Obviously we feel the effects of June 30.”
He referred to the execution of Ernst Roehm and other Storm Troops chiefs.
That is also the opinion of many other Germans, especially among the more
substantial classes. They interpret the result as the beginning of a protest
against the rule of arbitrary will and as an effort to force Chancellor
Hitler back to the rule of law.
In their view the vote may induce the Fuehrer to steer henceforth a more
moderate course and take account of the sensibilities of general opinion.
Some of the more optimistic even hope it may induce him to get rid of some
of his radical advisers to whom the opposition within Germany is great.
This view, however, is not shared generally and the dissent is borne out by
the remark of a Nazi official who said bitterly, “We have become too soft.”
Ex-Marxists Support Hitler
A feature of the election was that former Marxists cast a far heavier vote
for Chancellor Hitler than the so-called bourgeoisie. In Berlin especially,
judging by their vote, former Communists still are Leader Hitler’s most
loyal followers. In one voting district in Wedding, where a few years ago
Communists fought from behind barricades against the police, the “yes” votes
amounted to 949; the “no” votes and invalid ballots totaled 237.
In one district west of Berlin, inhabited mainly by business men and
intellectuals, the “yes” vote only 840 and the “no” votes and invalid
ballots totaled 351. Other tests provided similar results.
In the Communist districts protest votes with Communist inscriptions were
rare. In Western Berlin they were more frequent. In one district five
ballots had the name “Thaelmann” written in. [Ernst Thaelmann is an
imprisoned Communist leader.] One ballot contained this inscription, “Since
nothing has happened to me so far I vote ‘Yes.’” It was signed “Non-Aryan.”
Interesting also are the following results: the hospital of the Jewish
community in one district cast 168 “Yes” votes, 92 “Noes,” and 46 ballots
were invalid. The Jewish Home for Aged People in another district cast 94
“Yes” votes, four “Noes” and three invalid ballots. This vote is
explainable, of course, by the fear of reprisals if the results from these
Jewish institutions had been otherwise. It is paralleled by other results
outside Berlin.
In all Bavaria Chancellor Hitler received the largest vote in his favor in
the concentration camp at Dachau where 1,554 persons voted “Yes” and only
eight “No” and there were only ten spoiled ballots.
Hamburg Leads Opposition
Hamburg, which only two days ago gave Herr Hitler the most enthusiastic
reception he had ever received anywhere, led the country in the opposition
vote. The official figures were: Total vote cast, 840,000; “Yes,” 651,000;
“No,” 168,000; invalidated ballots, 21,000.
The “No” vote, in other words was 20 per cent of the total vote. Counting
the invalid ballots as negative in intent, the total opposition votes
exceeded 22 per cent. The percentage of the electorate voting was 92.4.
Hamburg is the home city of Ernst Thaelmann and on his triumphant entry into
the city on Friday, Herr Hitler made it a point to drive past herr
Thaelmann’s former home.
As far as observers could ascertain, the election everywhere was conducted
with perfect propriety, and secrecy of the ballot was safe-guarded. The
ballots were marked in regular election booths and placed in envelopes and
these were put in the ballot boxes. After the voting had ended the ballot
box was emptied on a large table and the vote was counted publicly in the
regular manner. Appraising of individual votes seemed impossible.
One check on possible non-voters, however, was exercised by instructions
that the voting authorizations issued to those who for one reason or another
planned to be outside their regular voting district on election day must be
returned unless used. The number of such authorizations issued for this
election exceeded anything known before.
Throughout the day Storm Troopers stood before each polling place with
banners calling on the voters to vote “Yes.” Otherwise voters remained
unmolested. Inside the polling places uniforms and even party emblems had
been forbidden, but the execution of this order was lax. In some apparently
doubtful districts brown uniforms dominated the scene as a warning to
would-be opponents.
Nazis Try for Record Vote
All past efforts in getting out the German vote were eclipsed in this
election. During Saturday night a huge final poster was plastered on
billboards everywhere. It said:
Your leader [Hitler] has traveled 1,500,000 kilometers by airplane, railway
and motor car in the cause of Germany’s rebirth. You have but to walk 100
meters to your voting booth to vote “yes.”
All over Germany means were taken to get the Sunday late-sleeping population
out of bed early. The polls opened at 8 o’clock, but in Berlin Storm Troops,
Hitler Youth Troops and Nazi labor union groups took to the streets as early
as 6 o’clock to wake the populace by shouting at them to do their duty
The comparisons between Hitler and Obama, while offensive to many, were inevitable.