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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JULY 8, 1983
PAGE 11
One of the two main reasons...why the Russians cling hysterically
to the German eastern provinces and the German Democratic
Republic; govern them nervously through subservient political
henchmen; keep a vast armored army in them ready for instant
war...is the terror (and admiration) Germany has inspired in
Russian hearts for centuries. Russians have always been dazzled
by the Germans' superior scientific knowledge, perseverance,
orderliness, and their unique diabolical military proficiency.
When they are at war they do the job, as they do it in peacetime,
as thoroughly, efficiently, and expediently as possible, without
looking left or right, like the good obedient workmen they are.
They never bother about what the rest of the world will think.
Scruples and doubts might slow them down [note Isa. 10:7 ]. Thus
they sent armies across neutral Belgium twice, as a matter of
course, shocking the world; were the first to use poison gas in
World War I; practically allied themselves to the Soviets in 1939
and then attacked them without warning in 1941•...
Nazi Germany's attempt to unify Europe by force ended in disaster. After
the war, Germany changed again:
Their professed aim during the last war was to.unify and pacify
all Europe forever, but they did not· bother to charm the
Europeans with lies. They candidly made it clear instead that
they considered all foreigners inferior, contemptible, and irre
sponsible, to be governed with an iron hand. Naturally their
prospective subjects did not like the idea at all.... Many
Europeans, in fact, preferred death to a well-regulated future
and a Nazi peace lasting one thousand years.•.. Even its allies
fought half-heartedly or did not fight at all.
They were
infinitely more frightened of winning than of losing.
After World War II, the Germans, evidently appalled by the hatred
directed toward them, worked hard to make friends and influence
people. It was a new experience. They really needed to be liked
this time.
Therefore they tried to be as inconspicuous as
possible and to demonstrate the fact that they were just a
western European nation like all the others. It was one of their
Protean transformations.
The future of Europe, Mr. Barzini writes, has never really been determined
by one nation alone, not even Germany. Nevertheless, it is important once
again to keep an eye on the German Proteus in an attempt to fathom the
probable shape of things to come.
What is the shape of the German Proteus this morning? Which will
be its shape tomorrow? Johannes Gross thinks his countrymen wear
a mask. "But the day may come when someone lifts the mask," he
wrote.... "So long as we wear the mask, we remain hidden and con
tinue to conceal the situation even from ourselves...." Is the
German, as Nietzsche wrote, still "acquainted with the ludden
paths to chaos?"
Author Barzini returns to the German/Proteus theme at the very end of his
book. He concludes his work by writing: