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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 6, No. 3 March 31th, 1943

Editorial

Editorial

In the first, two issues of Salient this year there has been a considerable difference of opinion as to the attitude which we should adopt towards the German people. What should our attitude be to this people whom we are fighting. Do the German people deserve to share the fate of Hitler or are they friends. That is a question we must face. University students can have little excuse for believing in the pseudo-history of Vansittart and his friends, few of us adopt his views but unfortunately many of us ore affected by the insidious propaganda, which is essentially reactionary which holds that the Germans are our enemies past and future. It is true that the German people were unable to prevent Hitler coming to power, but we have no indication that he ever won their whole-hearted support.

The German masses are potentially our friends, but—as long as they allow Hitler and his Nazis to lead them we must treat them as our enemies. The Nazis cannot claim to represent the German people—a large section of them fought Hitler long and vigorously, we must not ignore but encourage their devotion to the cause of progress. This is not a national war. This is a war against Fascism.

M.C.C.