PZ 7715/39 'Middle East Intelligence Centre: Anglo Egyptian Censorship; information summaries' [‎4r] (7/38)

16
MIDD LE la ST IN T gLLIGENGS C ZV. 'ITtt.
Informat ion rr zsjXfjCi through Angle- Egy ptian Censorship .
Summar;/ ITc ,__2 . No^ em'ber 7 ~ 1-3 , 1939 .
GEBLlaDY .
1 • Intcin^J . Conci i t i.onq .
Letters written from Germans ' including: Austrians, Czechs
and Poles) continue to give accounts showing the two different
points of view of internal conditions (ref. para. 1 of Summary Do.
1 dated 10 November) in Germany. It is noticeable that of late
most of the letters -n praise of the Hitler regime and containing
all sorts of accusations against Germany’s enemies were written by
women, young and old. It may be that their menfolk are mobilised,
or otherwise too occupied to have time for private correspondence.
Letters relating the miserable condition of the country were almost
entirely - during the period under review - from men - Jews, Czechs
and the like.
One woman from Berlin writes, on 18 October advising her
compatriot (female) in Cairo, “to rest calmly with confidence in
Germany”. Another, an Armenian by birth, but married to a German,
says, “Do not believe the lies which are tcld over the whole world
regarding Germany. People have confidence in their Fuehrer, who
knows what he is doing and why he is doing it. Little by little
the people of the world are coming to understand it and the Fuehrer’s
speeches will have their effect". Still another writes enthusias
tically in support of Hitler and condemns the British in the strong
est of terms. She says that a male acquaintance (Kleinberger)
"had to present himself at once, though he is not yet at the front".
This woman has at any rate the courage of her convictions for she
states that she is going through a course in order to fit herself
for war-work.
Two women, one from Munich and one from Gorlitz, make
the most vehement attacks on the Poles. One says, "the Poles
have been torturing Germans in Poland, piercing their eyes with
pins and cutting off their hands. The population (polish) is so
bestial". The other refers to, "the miserable and perverted Poles,
their Government fled in the moment of danger".
2 . Y/riting from a town in Foravia, on 11 October a certain
Kosova states, "All the shops are closed. There is nothing to
buy, not even with ration cards. Six dekagrams of butter per
person per week and 20 dekagrams of sugar. There are no shoes or
stockings in fact there is absolutely nothing. I still have a
few potatoes. I am not able to kill our own pig, because it is
forbidden to kill for less than five persons in the house. Our
censorship as well as yours opens letters".
A woman evidently on a visit to Sweden, writes, "I hope
you feel sorry for me in our terrible state of war. I am at
present in Sweden for fourteen days but must go back to Germany
soon, and to the front as 2 Red Gross Sister. Every night I cry
with horror, so grey is the outlook. We live worse than beasts.
No one has control of their nerves any longer, and one sees a spy
in every fellow creature. Please do not discuss war with me - I
/am