-5-
 
     Turning to the economic side he remarked that it 
was tragic to see Germany losing much of its wealth and 
losing its trade as, for example, to Japan. He said 
that he and his successors in economic authority had 
greatly strengthened the Reich's ability to withstand 
war. After this remark he made a rather veiled 
statement in which he said he understood, however, 
Gamelin's strategy of postponement and that at a 
given time the war would suddenly blaze out into a
"Material Krieg", which, he indicated, would put a 
great strain on Germany's supply of materials. The 
implication was obvious that Germany's position as 
regards eventual sufficiency of war materials was not 
good. He hoped that in some unforeseen way this 
useless tragic conflict could be stopped before it 
reached that point, not only for Germany' s good but 
for the welfare of England and France.
     He concluded by saying that he had always held 
that a regime which crippled freedom of thought and 
speech and compelled obedience by the exercise of 
authority to the point of terrorism must eventually 
disappear, and that it could only maintain itself 
in a Country like Germany while it had a record of 
 
                                                 success.