-3-                             
 
preparation. While we were eating, at least 2,000
Hitler Jugend marched past the hotel door. They were 
singing the usual songs, one of which starts 
"Siegreich wollen wir Frankreich schlagen." This 
song was formerly forbidden. It is now heard every
where, at least I have reports that it is sung here 
in Berlin when the troops are marching. When the hotel 
man handed me the picture, I said: "Are all of you
learning to fly, as Goring suggests?" He replied: 
"A very great many. We have twenty expert flyers 
in this town (9,000 population), and they have regi
stered 2,000 flyers in Stuttgart (capital, as you 
know, of Wurttemberg)." I said to him: "Well, that 
would make a good many flyers for the whole of Ger
many." He replied: "Yes, all the big business men 
want war, and the little men are opposed. I don't 
know what will happen." This man did not know who
I was, as nobody else knew during the whole trip, 
but he showed his natural reactions and was not a 
little concerned. I merely mention this as illus
trative of the feeling that is frequently reflected 
in conversations but which is never indicated in 
any public manner. It is fairly certain that nearly 
all the population is being held under the strictest 
control, and as I said above, the object is to put 
France out of business.
 
 
The result of all this, if allowed to go
through, will of course mean annexations and pre
dominance of the whole of Europe. I am not saying 
this is certain, only all the contemporary evidence 
points that way. I need hardly take more of your 
time.
 
 
Sincerely yours,
 
William E. Dodd
 
 
Enclosures.