Brasses & Plots

The "Christmas Truce" in German politics ended last week with a blatant, blaring parade of Berlin's largest party, the Communists. Miles of marching Reds snarled the capital's traffic for hours. Their brass bands shrilled and thumped the "Internationale" (written by a Frenchman). Shaking their fists at stolid police the Reds shouted "Down with Hunger and Chancellor von Schleicher!" The parade was Berlin's most harmless Red spree in years. No one was hurt.

Next day Taegliche Rundschau, the news-organ closest to Chancellor von Schleicher. carried surprising news of a conference in Cologne the night before between two Germans who a few weeks ago were bitter foes and have since been shelved by the sure, soft hand of the Chancellor. The former foes, Adolf Hitler and ex-Chancellor Franz von Papen, conferred for an hour and a half. According to the plot-hatching Chancellor's own newspaper, they conferred for the purpose of hatching a plot to oust von Schleicher.

Hitlerites staged their first Berlin mass meeting since the "Christmas Truce" last week, after attending the funeral of a young Fascist killed in a New Year's Day riot. "If our leader had been Chancellor when this Hitler youngster was killed," cried Baldur von Schirach, "50 Communist leaders would have decorated lamp posts next day! The soul of this dead lad is mightier than the von Schleicher Cabinet!"

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