Did Churchill Ever Admire Hitler? 2/3
Part 2: “Friendship with Germany” ,,,continued from Part 1
Churchill’s critics sometimes quote sentences which they think came from his original Hitler article or Great Contemporaries, among which this is the most common:
One may dislike Hitler’s system and yet admire his patriotic achievement. If our country were defeated, I hope we should find a champion as indomitable to restore our courage and lead us back to our place among the nations.
In fact this passage is from Churchill’s article in the Evening Standard, 17 September 1937: “Friendship with Germany” (Cohen C548), subsequently reprinted in Churchill’s book of foreign affairs essays, Step by Step (London: Thornton Butterworth, 1939, Cohen A111).
(1897-1945)
Churchill wrote: “I find myself pilloried by Dr. Goebbels’ Press as an enemy of Germany. That description is quite untrue.” He had made many efforts on Germany’s behalf in recent years, Churchill continued, but it was his duty to warn against German rearmament: “I can quite understand that this action of mine would not be popular in Germany. Indeed, it was not popular anywhere. I was told I was making ill-will between the two countries.”
Then Churchill adds something that is perhaps relevant to present-day situations:
I drew attention to a serious danger to Anglo-German relations which arises out of the organisation of German residents in Britain into a closely-knit, strictly disciplined body. We could never allow foreign visitors to pursue their national feuds in the bosom of our country, still less to be organised in such a way as to effect our military security. The Germans would not tolerate it for a moment in their country, nor should they take it amiss because we do not like it in ours.
Concluded in Part 3…
3 thoughts on “Did Churchill Ever Admire Hitler? 2/3”
There were a lot of times where I wouldover shoot a platform or get stuck on something I could not see, plus it turned a
five minute period into a fifteen minute stage because I can’t get passed among the jumping obstructions.
If you do not have the time nor the patience to farm for supplies to
assemble items you will likely only revert to buying
from the cash store so that you do not have to grind the same phases over and
over again (even though it does not feel like the same point
because they randomize) to obtain the items you need. A lot of the
gameplay mechanics are quite similar to games like Max Payne, Gunz the
double, or Jedi Academy, where players can run sideways or vertically upwards on walls, dive off of platforms while shooting, or slide on the ground and use
your sword to cut your enemies legs off.
Neither I nor Churchill was referring to Orthodox Jews in the context reported.
“Then Churchill adds something that is perhaps relevant to present-day situations:
I drew attention to a serious danger to Anglo-German relations which arises out of the organisation of German residents in Britain into a closely-knit, strictly disciplined body.”
I just thought that I would comment on this, since I see myself as one of the groups under discussion (“present-day situations”). I am an Orthodox Jew — ultra-Orthodox in some people’s eyes, I suppose; I wear clothes which most people consider odd, and I was shocked by the recent French law about the burka, wondering when my turn will come.
First of all, most of the ‘strange’ ethnic groups in Western Europe and the US are in no way organized, in no way disciplined, and much less closely knit than others may think. Each of ‘us’ is an individual, and each of ‘us’ has an individual agenda, just like each of ‘you’. My personal agenda, for example, has nothing to do with politics.
Second, in Britain and the US, it wouldn’t matter if we were organized, disciplined, and closely knit. The constitutional tradition in both of those places would forbid the authorities from interfering in our customs, feelings, etc., as long as we stay well within the law. Those governments may have more leeway in wartime, but even then, ONLY TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE CONSTITUTIONS. Somehow, I have the feeling that governmental tampering with the constitution according to political mood represents a much greater danger to society than my wearing a suit without a tie and a fedora on a hot summer day.
Thanks.
D.