Montgomery's 28-point plan to rehabilitate Germany, July 45

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Cerdic
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Montgomery's 28-point plan to rehabilitate Germany, July 45

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Post by Cerdic » 26 Feb 2014, 13:34

A fascinating plan drawn up by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to rehabilitate the German people from Nazism has emerged nearly 70 years later.

The British army supremo highlighted the importance of a free press and the role of the church in helping to rid the defeated nation of Adolf Hitler's warped fascist idyll.

Montgomery came up with a strategy to win the hearts and minds of the German people after the Allies took control of Germany following the end of World War Two.

He believed British soldiers should connect with the locals by having conversations with adults in the street and playing games with children in public.

He encouraged the people to meet up and socialise or join clubs and associations to create a 'strong bulwark against Nazism'.

Montgomery cited the church as vital in reintegrating the Germans back into a civilised world after it was one of the first institutions to be suppressed by Hitler.

His objective was to gradually replace a sense of fear of the future that had been drummed into them by Nazi propaganda to one of hope and return the country to a peaceful democracy.

The document, marked 'Top Secret', was written on July 14, 1945, two months after Germany surrendered the war and Hitler committed suicide.

It appears to be a template that was issued to the chiefs in charge of the other three sectors of Germany; the Americans, the French and the Russians.

This copy that is now coming up for auction was retained by a senior U.S. intelligence officer.

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The document, titled 'Notes on the Present Situation', has a pre-sale estimate of $8,000.

After the war Montgomery was in charge of the British zone which was north west Germany and included Hamburg and a population of 20 million citizens and two million German PoWs.

To begin with the Allied forces were not allowed to talk or even smile at the locals in order to show the Germans how much damage the Nazis had caused the world.

But by July 1945 Montgomery warned of the need to start engaging with the Germans.

HOW HOPE WAS MONTGOMERY'S WEAPON TO REBUILD POST-NAZI GERMANY
Field Marshal Montgomery drew up a 28-point plan to try to heal the wounds which ran deep in conflict-torn German society.

It covered Propaganda and Information, Meetings, Trades Unions, The German Youth, Fraternisation, Notification to the Germans, and Executive Action.

Far from attempting to control the population with an iron fist, the document stresses how winning hearts and minds is the key.

One handwritten addition to the typed draft reads: 'Our present attitude towards the German people is negative, it must be replaced by one that is positive and holds out hope for the future.'

Point 4 continues: 'In seeking for a solution to the problem we must not forget the human factor; we cannot solve the problem without the aid of the German people themselves...'

At point 7, Montgomery stresses: 'We must eradicate the best allies of Nazism, past and future; these are idleness, boredom, and fear of the future.'

Montgomery wrote that years of Nazi propaganda had left the minds of the German people 'blank', meaning that they needed to be 'told what to do'.

He prescribed a plan of propaganda to inform them of the Allied plan for their country.

Ironically, in point 12, he also emphasised the need to 'encourage freedom of speech and freedom of the press... adding: 'We obviously cannot allow communist propaganda'.

The church was also a key plank in the rehabilitation of Germany.

Montgomery says in point 19: 'The church is possibly one of the few bridges of confidence between the two countries [England and Germany] that is not down.'

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He said: 'There is much fertile soil for the seeds of trouble. We cannot solve the problem without the aid of the German people. These notes deal with the methods we will adopt.

'We must have real contact with the people. At present we allow all members of the British forces in Germany to speak to and play with little children.

'We should now extend this to allow conversation with adult Germans in the streets.'

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The British army commander said freedom of speech, expression and the press were vital in their transformation back to a peaceful society.

He added: 'To allow people to get down to their own life we want them to talk things over among themselves, to discuss their problems and generally help themselves.

'The people will be allowed to hold public meetings and discussions and to talk over their affairs.

'We want to encourage freedom of speech. We obviously cannot allow communist propaganda or Nazi tendencies but I am anxious to restore freedom of the press.'

And Montgomery said the church was vital in helping the German youth expand their minds from Nazism.

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He said: 'The church is possibly one of the few bridges of confidence between the two countries that is not down.

'Among the first things to be suppressed by Hitler were the church's youth work and the Boy Scouts.

'Every encouragement will be given to chaplains to start Boy Scout Troops, clubs and classes. 'We want to encourage juvenile organisations for the purpose of religious, cultural, health or recreational activities.'

The document is being sold by U.S. auctioneers Nate D Saunders.

Laura Yntema, auction manager, said: 'This is an important, fascinating document that delineates the successful integration of Germany back into the world community after WWII.

'The Germans were fed so much Nazi propaganda that they weren't quite aware of the impact their country had had on the rest of the world.

'Montgomery was very sensitive about how to go about this task and this comes across in this document.'

The auction takes place in Los Angeles tomorrow.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... azism.html

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