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the war, and their work is not half as effective as it was at that
time.
The rest are, in general, a bad lot, stupid, incompetent and often
dishonest.
 
 
 I feel constrained to add that it is my impression that the German
universities had been slowly declining for a quarter of a century
before the outbreak of the war, and that the present situation
represents the result of a long, slowly descending wave on which is
superimposed the result of
a quarter century of catastrophe.
 
 
 One final remark about the universities: I was told over and over
again that there is hardly a first-rate scientific investigator in
Germany who would not gladly accept a call to America or to a
moderately comfortable post in almost any other foreign country.
Needless to say, I take this
statement more confidently as an expression of a strong feeling of
hostility to the government and of hopelessness for the future than as
a prediction of what people would do.
 
 
 A few remarks about Hitler may be set down. I was told that both
von Blomberg and von Neurath have been much impressed by Hitler's
success in educating himself about all sorts of technical or
quasi-technical subjects, and that they find their dealings with him
personally reasonably satisfactory. My informant added that he had come
to believe that Hitler is considerably more intelligent than anyone had
at first supposed. At this point I put in a question that I had
formulated long before going to Germany, to this effect: "Hitler's
principal task has been to rebuild in Germany a feeling of confidence,
solidarity, security, national pride, etc. To me it seems that the very
best raw material available in great quantity for this purpose is the
great mass of the more unintelligent but devout Protestants and
Catholics. Accordingly, I think that his treatment of the churches is
no less than 'wahnsinnig'. What have you to say to this observation?"
The reply was cordial agreement and