European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 9, 1950, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 the stars and stripes thursday february 9, 1950 text of Mccloy s address at Stuttgart America House cites u. S. Interest in affairs of Germany the following is the text Ofa speech delivered by . High commissioner John j. Mccloy at the opening of the new America Houstler Media the achievements of a people enjoying Freedom of thought and expression Iree Spee he and a free press. It is not All to be blindly and Mohd and imitated. It is Here to be judged and appraised for its True would take More than this Houe to portray America or to understand it. The american University for example is not merely a workshop for scholar and re search. It is a vast training ground for democratic thought in Amer Ticac universities hundreds of thousands of students from All Waits of american life become acquainted with the vast history of world civilization. Not All of them become doctors lawyers teachers or civil servants. The Gre it majority return to farms ind mistry and Commerce. Here is a phenomenon to be observed and appraised quite As much As amer7 lean methods of scholarship and Resi Larch. But whatever May be Learned from a visit to America House i years ago. Be. 9, 1946 a 34-Day Western Union strike ends in new York. Be i. 9, 1947 Tae Georgia gubernatorial seat is contested As Eugene Talmadge be i. 9, 1s4s meat prices drop sharply. Feb. 9, 1949 Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty is sentenced to life imprisonment in Budapest. It is there to be utilized to the sex int you wish. We Hope you will nuke yourselves at Home in it. The dedication of this House in Stu Tygar also gives me an Opportunity to report to you on my recent trip to the United Stales. I want to Tell you something of the impressions i received from the people and officials while there. I want also to restate As limply As i can certain fundamentals of american policy in Germany. Describes purpose of visit to . As you know i returned to the United states to talk with the president the members of the Congress particularly concerned with our foreign affairs and other Public officials also through radio talks and other Means i spoke to a very Large sector of the american people. In the past two weeks i not Only answered questions put to me by the president and the Secretary of state by members of Congress by news paper publishers editors Cor respondents and columnists but also As a Public servant i stood before Many hundreds of Leopie in Washington new York and Boston to give my appraisal of German developments arid to answer their questions. 1 Corne Back Hure much aided and encouraged by these contacts. May i in a Frank and Friendly manner recommend this healthy if rather exacting process to the people and officials of Germany. It would be Good for All of us. My deepest impression from my visit to the United states is of the intensity and extent of the interest in Germany. There Are almost daily reports from Germany on the front pages of our news papers. Our civic organizations devote a Large amount of their time to German questions and it is easy to understand the reasons for that interest. The people of the United states have expended an enormous amount of human and material treasure to defeat Hitler to wipe out nazism and restore decent living in Germany. All generations in the t United states As is True of Many other countries have been deeply affected by the former German aggressions. They Are concerned Over any signs of a resurgence of those forces which led to nazi domination. They know that Ger Many is a critical Factor in Europe and in the world today. Recalls questions americans asked among the almost infinite Vari Ety of questions i was asked a few constantly recurred. These Are samples of the main line of questioning what Are the chances at a re Vival of nazism How important Are nationalistic trends who is behind these movements what Are certain German officials trying to achieve with their recurrent nationalistic statements How Strong Are the extreme rightist movements the extreme left what Are the German people and authorities doing about them How Strong is the will to democracy the will to peace i Germany Are the germans sincerely interested in joining the Western european Community of nations Are significant groups and individuals working to make Ger Many a peaceful democratic state How Long will it require before one can be certain of the Emer gence of a sound and a peaceful state these were questions of deepest concern. But As persistent As these inquiries were there were also such questions As hour can we help the German people recover what can we do As private citizens As private organizations John j. Mccloy to help the germans meet the great problems before them in other words along with deep concern Over Germany i repeat there was Hope and a most Amaz ing eagerness to help. Moreover the number of people in the United states Many germans and Many americans who suffered or whose relatives suffered from nazi barbarism and who still Are prepared to Aid Germany never fails to amaze me. Concerned Over revival of nationalist groups you know i believe How i answered these questions. I told the american people that i was concerned Over the re emergence of nationalist groups that there was in my judgment still too much traditionalism and authoritarianism in German life that Many undesirable former nazis and nationalists were finding their Way Back into important places that there was still resistance to reforms Long overdue that too Many German people were apathetic or negative in their approach to their political re Sponski Loties. But i also said that in my judg ment the picture was positive rather than negative. I pointed out that there is today in Germany a freely elected government and parliament that there Are Excel Lent men to be found in Public life sincere in their Devotion to Freedom that there is an accumulation of progressive Legisla Tion in the Lander that the Ger Man newspapers Are showing an increasing alertness and tendency to give the people the facts. I stated that it was my conviction that the great majority of the German people want peace and to uld deplore the demilitarization of Germany that they have Faith in the Unity of Western Europe and that they see them selves As a responsible part of Western Europe. I mentioned some of the very Fine spirits whom i had met in Germany during the time i have been Here and who gave me great encouragement for the future at the country i did not minimize the dangers in Germany. J pointed out thai the millions of refugees the Home less youth the unemployed added to these dangers. I said that beneath their superficial differences the extremists on the right in Germany and the communists on the left Are totalitarian allies and that they would not hesitate to exploit for their own Benefit the distress of these groups. Now i want to make a few More Over ail Points. One is that the people of the West Are United in regard to Germany. There Are differences of opinion and some differences of interest which appear from time to time but fundamentally the guiding Pur pose of the officials and Peoples of the other three occupying Powers it the same. All Are members of the Western world till seek peace ail seek , the Western Peoples Are bound together by very of common sacrifices endured in Many Fields. In Short there a no likelihood of wide discrepancies and there is Strong likelihood of sustained and collective support for each other and toward a peaceful Germany. Sec Iii by May i say a word or two on the subject of collective guilt. This is a term Over which much Ink has been Spitt and hesitate knowing the propensity of politicians to orate on the subject even to mention it. Evaluates responsibility for War crimes there is no need to tilt at windmills. No one least of All the people of the United states i charging All germans with the responsibility for Hitler s crimes. Their enormity alone would pre clude this. No one demands a beat ing of the breasts or a scene at Canossa. But what i do expect is an end to the arguments of those germans who would not Only deny their own guilt but also seek to place the responsibility for the consequences of that eur Tex Clu sively upon the shortcomings of other Peoples. There has been recently a tendency of certain spokesmen in this country to jump Sll the was from a denial of collective guilt to an assertion that other Peoples and countries Are responsible for Germany s postwar difficulties and problems. In All seriousness i want you to know that such utterances do incalculable harm and set Back the cause of Germany. They display a deep misunderstanding of the events of the past 17 years. They Call to mind what people Are now disposed to forget that be the amazing docility and acquiescence of the greater part of the German population toward nazi outrages. After a it was these outrages which brought about the distress from which Germany now suffers and much More besides. Says humility leads to strength humility leads to strength and not to weakness. It is the highest form of self respect to admit mis takes and to make amends for them. In this critical time of Ger Man and world history the people and the leaders of Germany have a great Opportunity to Demon Strate that they have Learned these lessons of the past. They can demonstrate their Good will by attacking in a democratic manner the deeply serious but not insurmountable Domestic problems now facing them. Agitation of foreign issues however tempting cannot distract attention from vital Domestic issues and from the press ing need for Domestic reforms. In the months ahead it is imperative that the German people their leaders and parliaments Deal with the problems of unemployment of the refugees of the youth. These Are major prob lems. If they Are attacked in a the stars and stripes vol. 1, tit235 editor in Cluel managing editor sports editor. Thursday february 9, col William m. Summers. Ken Zumwalt. Phil Taylor executive manager chief of distribution Maurice h. Kirkwood. Louis h. Brown news bureaus Frankfurt .32181-32361 Darmstadt berlin., 84-6681 84-6680 Vienna Bremerhaven 2iw4-21363 Munich 15� the european edition is published Dally at Darmstadt Hesse Germany for the . Occupation forces under the auspices of the army air forces troop information and education division Neucom Tel. Frankfurt 34141, the stars act stripes. Darmstadt correspondence should be addressed to the stars and stripes Apo 175, . Army mail to the new York office should be sent to g41 Washington Street n. This is not an official publication of the . Army re entered As second class matter sept 22, 1s47, at the Post office at new York n. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Asks integration with Western Europe manner if German leaders will remember that every thing they say reaches a world audience As Well As a local one the problems Witt be nearer Solu Tion. And Germany will find that the american people and their representatives in this country will help in their solution. The Western nations have Al ready made unprecedented efforts to help. The High commissioners Are prepared in conjunction wit the Federal and land govern ments to study and seek Means to Aid in the solution of these problems. I am prepares to say for myself at least Itiat in employment for exampk.", is not j exclusively a German problem be cause if for no other reason it is so greatly aggravated by the influx of the refugees from the terror in the East. In View of the fact that the United Stales has already done so much to help Germany it is difficult to think of what More we can be reason ably asked to do. Nevertheless Given a full measure of German Endeavor we Are certainly pre pared to cooperate to the utmost. Not Here exclusively to feed germans let me emphasize however and this i say particularly to the political leaders of Germany we americans Are not Here exclusively to feed the German people and promote economic recovery. Nor merely to see that tanks and planes Are not built. Our main purpose is to help Germany achieve political recovery. By that i mean to help the German people establish a political democracy in which they can live As free men and enjoy the benefits of their Freedom. Thai be my answer to those who occasionally say that we have no right to mix in to the political problems confronting this country. And now i think you Are entitled to know certain lines of american policy today. Somewhat More than three years ago the then Secretary of state James f. Byrnes sounded a note of encouragement in this City to the Gex Man people. In making the Fol lowing statements i went to add to that Hope. Here As i see it Are the leading principles of our pol icy in this country the German people a Multi a enabled to develop their political Independence along democratic lines in close association with the free people of Western Europe. They should be integrated inv free Europe. The German people should when they and their governments have demonstrated their readiness and responsibility share fully in free Europe s economic benefits and correspondingly assume its obligations. The German people and govern continued on Page 11
