PAGE TWO THE -MICHIGA N D AILY'
TUESDAY; MARCH 20; 1945
Would Have Killed Hitler If Only .0.
Attempt on Life of Der
Fuehrer Related by Nazi
after- Hitler's death, and also ,to
offer peace.
This is his story:
It became increasingly clear that
only someone in uniform and from3
the old Prussian military caste could
carry out the assassination. Un-i
known even to Hitler, a first attempt
was carried out in December, 1943,
but the bomb was defective and was
recovered before Hitler's associates
discovered it.
The circle of conspirators ex-
tended even to Himmler and Mar-
shal Erwin Rommel, supposedly two
of Hitler's most trustworthy pala-
dins. Rommel was killed in France
and escaped detection. Himmler
afterward reneged. It was he who
delregated Popitz, the Prussian Fi-
nance Minister, to sit in on the
conspirator meetings, and he also
sent.an attorney named Langbehn
to Switzerland to ask the Allies
whether he, Himmler; would be ac-
ceptable in case Hitler ceased to
exist.
In a meeting with gauleiters seven
days after the ill-fated attempt, how-
ever, Himmler claimed Popitz had
contacted him and that he had pre-
tended to play along just to get
evidence on the plotters.
The ideal occasion for putting the
plot into effect seemed to come when
CLASSIFIED
DIRECTORY
LOST AND FOUND
LOST: Sigma Chi ring, white cross
on black stone. Phone 2-4481. Re-
ward.
LOST: One amber. earring Saturday
night on Geddes between Observa-1
tory and Oxford. Phone 4089, Ann
Schuemacher.
LOST: Brown billfold between Jordan
and Museum. Call Shirley Leeck,
4530 Stockwell. Reward.
LOST: Large sterling silver compact,
Union dance Saturday. Reward.
Call Lois Iverson, 2-2539.
LOST: A lady's wrist watch. Re-
ward. Call Betty Blaske, 24471.
LOST- -- Between Goldman's &
Withams - red wallet with im-
portant papers. Reward. Call Mary
Ann Barr, 2-6989.
LOST At Odonto Ball, Friday eve-
ning,, brown wallet. Sentimental
value. Reward for return to Cath-
erine Watson, 1325 Geddes.
WANTED
Hitler invited Mussolini to General
Headquarters near Loezen in East
Prussia to attend a ceremony incor-
porating two Fascist divisions into
the German Wehrmacht.
Von Stauffenberg, as executive of-
ficer to the chief of troop inductions,
Maj. Gen. Friedrich Olbricht, was the
customary officer designated formally
to take in the Italian units with a
crisp, brief speech. Von Stauffenberg
and his fellow-conspirators, however,
assumed that Hitler as usual would
preside over the ceremony in a bomb-
proof concrete bunker.
Instead, Hitler desired to put on
an act of fearlessness before Musso-
lini, and hence held the staff meet-
ing that particular day in a wood-
en shed camouflaged as a grove of
willow trees.
The session opened with a 10-
minute address by Field Marshal Wil-
helm Keitel expressing gratitude to
the Fascists. Von Stauffenberg fol-
lowed. Stooping to fetch a piece of
paper with his remarks from a brief
case next to his chair, he also pulled
out an egg-sized bomb and with his
boot shoved it unobserved under Hit-
ler's chair.
His brief address over, Von Stauf-
business and Hitler called for the
fenberg left since he had no further
daily overall Wehrmacht report. Von
Stauffenberg lingered outside a few
moments.
There was a terrific explosion.
Von Stauffenberg, looking through
a door that had been blown open,
saw Hitler lying on the floor, blood-
covered and aflame, and took it for
granted the Fuehrer was dead. He
calmly entered a waiting plane and
flew back to Berlin, certain the
plot had been successful.
But he learned later that Hitler,
while listening to the Wehrmacht re-
port, had left his chair and stepped
to a cupboard for a magnifying glass.
Thus the bomb hit him indirectly.
The effectiveness of the blast also was
marred by the fact it was intended for
a concrete bunker rather than a res-
ilent wooden shed.
At the war offices in Berlin, Von
Stauffenberg met Generals Beck, Er-
win Von Witzleben and Erich Hoepl-
ner, according to my informant, and
told them Hitler was dead. Machin-
ery was put in motion for the coup.
"Two vital mistakes of omission
were made, however," the informant
said. "First was the failure to make
certain that a 'hight' duty officer
was in charge of the Berlin guards'
regiment. Instead, an ardent young
time advanced from sergeant to ma-
jor-was on duty. He carried out
the first order unquestioningly -
namely, for the regiment to seize
the so-called government quarters.
"Another order, however, was to
arrest Goebbels. Instead of mere-
ly obeying instructions, he told
Goebbels 'we must arrest you be-
cause our Fuchrer is dead.' "
Goebbels intuitively, and with ac-
Leftist Voters
Gain in Finnish
National Ballot
Anti-Russian Elements
Blocked in Parliament
By The Associated Press
HELSINKI, March 10 - Extreme
leftwing voters scored a resounding
victory in their first bid for power
in Finland's parliament by winning
approximately 50 seats in contrast
with substantial losses by conserva-
tives and social democrats.
The election generally was inter-
preted as a, rebuke to those responsi-
ble for the policy which cost Finland
so dearly in the war with Russia and
a vote of confidence for those few
who opposed alliance with Germany.
Paasikivi Triumphs
It also was a triumph for Premier
Juho K. Paasikivi, whose appeal for
"new faces" in parliament appar-
ently drew much greater support
than generally was expected.
Among other things the election
was a blow against anti-Russian ele-
ments within the former dominant
Social Democratic Party led by Valino
Tanner. This party, on the basis of
incomplete returns, probably had its
holding of 85 parliamentary seats
reduced to about 50.
Leftists Poll Majority
With 1,500,000 votes counted out
of a probable 1,800,000 cast, the Com-
munist Democratic Peoples Union
and Social Democratic candidates to-
gether had polled about half the
votes tabulated, virtually on a 50-50
basis. The prospect was that the
Leftists and the Socialists could, if
they chose to work together, com-
mand a majority of slightly more
than 100 in the 200-member as-
sembly.
The chances for such a coalition
were bright, since the Social Demo-
cratic candidates who opposed the
Tanner policies appeared to have
led their party and therefore should
be in a position to stamp out reaction
within the party, aligning it with
the radical left.
customed bluff, replied, "it isn't true!
I'll prove it to you!" He seized a
secret private telephone connected di-
rectly with General Headquarters and
got Hitler to stammer a few words.
Then he called together all propa-
ganda ministry officials and told
them of the attempt on the life of
the Fuehrer.
Then Renner, on Goebbels' orders,
rushed back to the war office where
his men overpowered and shot Von
Stauffenberg and Olbricht and gave
Beck, was was bleeding to death
slowly from a self-inflicted wound, a
final shot. Then he had the other
plotters arrested.
'HOME GUARD' FORMED:
European Peace Reports
Cast Shadow Over Japan
By J. M. Roberts, Jr.
Associated Press Correspondent t
NEW YORK, March 17-Peace re-
ports from Europe are casting even
deeper shadows across Japan than
are the wings of the B-29's.
Tokyo's organization of a "home
guard" against invasion points up
what must be Japan's growing aware-
ness that soon she will be standing
alone against the world's greatest
battle-hardened armies.
Peace in Europe would release be-
tween three and four million Ameri-
cans alone: of which it is estimated
more than 80 per cent will be avail-
able for the Japanese cleanup.
Whole Army Available
Indications now are that, with the
exception of 10 or 12 per cent of the
men and such machines as are hardly
fit for duty in the far Pacific, the
whoele great army built up by Eisen-
bower in Europe will be thrown
against Japan with the utmost speed.
Key men, and men to prepare for
the arrival of the great body, will
go directly. The great mass, if con-
ditions are right, will go by way of
home. But their leaves will not be
long, perhaps not even the 30 days
to which overseas personnel are ac-
customed.
Great fleets, literally thousands of
slips, will start carrying the ma-
teriel left over from Hitler's defeat.
Every bit possible will go to join the
heavy flow of weapons especially de-
signed for the Pacific job. Mere
plans for collecting, crating and ship-
ping constitute one of the monu-
mental tasks of the wvar.
Military Secret
How many planes - to take one
weapons category alone - can be
thrown against Japan immediately
is a military secret. But as the world-
wide war theater narrows, it is evi-
Clrke To Give
Talk March 2
Dr. George L. Clarke, professor of
zoology at Harvard University, will
lecture on methods used in the study
of the ocean at 4:15 p. m., March 28
in Rackham, under the sponsorship
of the zoology and geology depart-
ments.
Dr. Clarke, marine biologist at the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
at Cape Cod, will discuss the applica-
tion of similar methods in the Great
Lakes. He has carried on research
studies in the physical and biological
aspects of the oceans, particularly in
the West Indian and North Atlantic
regions. Dr. Clarke is president of
the Limnological Society of America.
dent that the 10,000-sortie days of
Europe could easily become 100,000-
sortie days,
Britain and France already have
announced the presence of naval
fleets in the Orient-very large ones
in the case of Britain, and American
ships already outnumber Japan's by
more than two to one in every cate-
gory, while superiority in some cate-
gories involves the multiplication
tables.
Every indication is that, barring
a German collapse within a very
few days or weeks, the Pacific stage
will be well set to receive the trans-
ferred armies.
Heads of Cities
Demand Action
On State Aid
By The Associated Press
LANSING, March 19-Legislators,
beginning to think of home, hoped
to take a big step toward adjourn-
ment this week with action on the
demand of city officials for state
financial aid.
Rep. Walter G. Herrick, Chairman
of the House taxation committee,
said his group probably will vote
Tuesday on whether to report out
a Senate bill imposing a 10 per cent
levy on liquor, rebating about $10,-
000,000 in revenues from it to local
units of government.
Legislative leaders indicated they
are planning to give local govern-
ment about $12,000,000 in state aid,
in addition to the grants it always
has received in the past. A group
of mayors is trying to boost that
to $16,500,000.
Herrick said his committee will
consider again Wednesday a bill to
permit cities and villages to levyex-
cite taxes. The committee has been
ready to release the bill twice, and
each time has retreated before
strong pressure from business groups
which fear they might bear the major
burden of -the tax.
Lobbyists for those organizations
have asked that the levy be limited
to one-tenth of one per cent, that
it be imposed on the gross incomes
of all business, industry and profes-
sions and that a taxpayer be allowed
to deduct his personal property tax
from the excise tax payment.
Vogan To Give
Organ Recital
Frieda Vogan, instructor in organ
and theory at the School of Music,
will present a recital under the aus-
pices of the- Eastern Michigan Chap-
ter of the American Guild of Organ-
ists today at Marygrove College, De-
troit.
This program will mark Mrs. Vo-
gan's third appearance for the Guild
in Detroit. In addition she has played
during recent seasons for other chap-
ters in Cleveland, Grand Rapids and
Chicago.
Mrs. Vogan is also director of
music at the First Presbyterian
Church here.
TIDBITS FROM WASHING TON:
Iwo Jima-To Be Leatherneck Island?
WANTED: Name of
at Livernois and
March 17. Accider
on Dexter. Car h
E. C. Schroeder, C
lect, immediately.
HELP WA
CLERK WANTED m
ernoons. Some kn
ing and music.
Lyon and Healy.
sailor picked up
Grand River
natn 15700 block y The Associated Press
it in rear. Call WASHINGTON, March 17-Ma-
Chberry 6700 col- rines are grateful to Rep. Hays (D.-
Ark.) for suggesting that the name
ANTED of Iwo Jima be changed to "Marines'
Island."
ornings and aft- But the boys feel that it might
aowledge of typ- come to be carelessly called "Marine
Call in person. Island," which would be unclear.
How about "Leatherneck Island,"
*1
He just mad
L S
they suggest-or "Semper Fidelis"?
* .
Need it themselves: American sugar
men have little hope we'll import any
Philippine sugar this year. The
islands need it themselves, but esti-
mates are that we'll get about 250,000
tons next year.
Overtime parking: The Navy is
uphappy over prospects of keep-
ing a sizeable force of warships
near Iwo Jima to prevent a coun-
terlanding by the Japs.
The high command had hoped
the Iwo show would force the re-
duced enemy fleet out for a show-
down, but the bait wasn't taken.
Down labor's alley: expect organ-
ized labor's approval of an address
this coming week by Rep. Engel R.-
Mich.) He'll give statistics on spend-
ing power of the low income group,
recommend that income tax exemp-
tion for heads of families be extended
to $2,000.
Pin-on boy: When General "Vine-
gar Joe" Stilwell came to Washing-
ton recently, he wore no service rib-
bons. With him was a young ma-
jor, wearing service ribbons.
The major told this story:
Once lie removed his own ribbons,
emulating his boss. Stilwell spotted
him and aked "where are your rib-
bons, son?"
"I left thirmoff,.sir="
"Well, get 'ci on, son."
The major got 'em on.
Eve on the sky: The government
.9i
is training Latin Americans as avia-
tion pilots, mechanics, technicians.
Among reasons: (1) to prevent fu-
ture infiltration of German and
Italian aviation influence in Latin
countries, as happened before the
war, (2) to help create a market
for American aviation products, (3)
to help create good-will.
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Now Showing - Note Time Schedule
IHERE THEY COME ..
OUT OF THE WILD BLUE YONDER . . .
FLYING STRAIGHT INTO YOUR HEART!
MOSS HAR T'S
ICTOBY~
with
Pvt. Lou McCallister, Jeanne Crain,
Sgt. Edmond O'Brien, Jane Ball,
Sgt. Mark Daniels, Jo-Carroll Dennison,
Cpl. Don Taylor, Judy Holliday,
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iThe '45 NSlA
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