Thompson's Question

LISTEN, HANS!--Dorothy Thompson--Houghton Mifflin Co. ($2.50).

Thousands of U.S. citizens will go to bookstores this winter and buy a copy of Dorothy Thompson's new book: Listen, Hans! In her book they will find a brilliant political essay making an argument of first importance to the makers of United Nations policies--and to the citizens who control the makers. She clears great jungled areas of confused thought to state the basic issue of the war.

The fundamental question Miss Thompson poses is "whether the world shall be governed by one or two nations, exploiting it in their own interests, or mutually governed by all for the welfare of all." This question, which presupposes that men's choice will be World Commonwealth (as revolutionary a concept as a real belief in the brotherhood of man), is the question which Americans must ask and then face. Says Miss Thompson:

"The reason why we do not pose the question is that we are ourselves divided within the United Nations and divided even within the United States.

"To the youth of America and the world it is our duty to make clear that any outcome of this war that divides the world into monstrous superstates under various leaderships will mean another titanic conflict, and within their lifetimes."

What is Germany? Miss Thompson broadcast by CBS short wave to Germany every Friday from March to September this year, so effectively that she won the blue ribbon of a special condemnation by Dr. Goebbels and. even the grand prize, a reference in a Hitler speech. She spoke her message to Hans, a close friend of bygone years, striving to persuade Hans and like-minded Germans to desire their own defeat--not individual defeats, but the defeat of Germany as now organized.

To win the Germans to this desire the United Nations must understand Germany. To understand Germany they must reject the oversimple notion that Germany is incorrigibly militaristic, unalterably bent on domination. Dorothy Thompson analyzes Germany as two-sided, two-minded, schizophrenic. Says she: "The world is sick and tired of German wars that are apparently fought by Germany partly for the purpose of determining through them what the German destiny may be. ... We are all heartily sick of suffering with her. If the German mind cannot make itself up, then we must make it up for her, by force."

The two German urges are to be a nation and to dominate Europe, or the world--urges which are not parallel but contradictory. Since national states logically must live in a world of other national states, Germany must not be broken up. Instead, the German mind must be set on becoming a unified, genuine nation in the family of nations.

Here comes the cosmic-sized rub. How can the United Nations encourage Germany to be a nation in such a family if they do not know what kind of family it is to be? Here Miss Thompson's clarity is as destructive as a blowtorch: "We" cannot help Germany make up her mind until "we" have made up "ours."

The height of her great 30,000-word argument is reached when she shows how invaluable a German nation would be in creating a World Commonwealth, if the power that has created the New Order were focused the other way.

The rest of the book is of dubious merit, particularly when presented against the power and brilliance of her main essay. But that main essay can be refuted by statesmen in only one way--by producing a better world in some other way.

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