Prince Hubertus Loewenstein’s book, “The Tragedy of a Nation,” has been banned in Nazi Germany. The following interview with the Prince by Joseph Morton, well known British journalist, throws light upon the German patriot’s ideals and aspirations.
By JOSEPH MORTON
“If Prince Hubertus Loewenstein is typical of the younger generation of his fellow countrymen, there may be hope for Germany and for Europe.”-These words which appear in an introduction to the Prince’s new book. “The Tragedy of a Nation” express the opinion of the world-famed student of Germany, Wickham Steed.
On meeting Prince Loewenstein I immediately felt that here was a man who would put all his strength into the fight to win back the German freedom which was stified by Hitler and his Storm Troops. He has been outspoken in his book but his words are those of a friend of all that was best in the German Republic.
“I know my book criticizes the German Jews very sharply,” the Prince told me as he turned over the pages he has written on anti-Semitism in the Third Reich. “But my words are obviously not meant as an attack but as a friendly warning. I want all the Jews in the world to learn from the German disaster. I think the German Jews have made great mistakes and there might be an even more terrible disaster if these were to be repeated elsewhere.”
MOVED BY TRAGEDY
Prince Hubertus was visibly moved by his own words as he thought of the tragedy of German Jewry. His deep blue eyes became somewhat troubled as he continued to express his thoughts aloud. “It is idle for Jews in foreign countries to say ‘we are not affected by Nazi oppression of German Jewry’; because I am convinced that the same situation can repeat itself elsewhere. Germany is no different from the rest of the world. The real Germany is a great and cultured nation which I love and respect. And just as I respect the real Germany, I feel that the self-respect of every single Jew should be sufficient for him to cry out and fight when his brethren abroad are persecuted. You can call this ‘patriotism’ or what you like. It is what I feel for my fellow-countrymen, Germans and Jews alike who are being trampled upon by the Nazis today.”
As the author continued to turn over the pages of his book he interposed, “I must tell you that my fight against Hitler is motivated merely by patriotic reasons for I am convinced that he is leading my country to disaster. I know that I have millions of friends in Germany who think as I do. We are not at all afraid of this passing phase for we are positive that principles for which we stand will again be the principles of the whole of Germany. Germany is not really anti-Semitic and the man in the street is only too willing to admit the great work that the Jews have done in the up-building of the country.”
A YOUNG MAN
Prince Loewenstein has time enough to see a new regime in Germany. He is only a young man and, like his arch-enemy Hitler, was born in the Tyrolese mountains on the Austrian side of the border. He is a tall man with aristocratic features and light flowing hair. “In April, 1933, owing to my political opinions I was forced to leave Germany and now I am again living in the Tyrol in my castle just overlooking the lovely River Inn with its snow-topped mountains in the background.”
We chatted about the Prince’s approaching visit to the United States. “I have a few American friends and, from what I know of them, I want to have many more. I have always had a great liking and admiration for the great American people. I am also anxious to meet American Jewry for I can tell them things about Germany which they do not yet know. I have always been a great admirer of American literature. Mark Twain was my favorite book as a child and now I read all Sinclair Lewis’s books as they appear. Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe are two of my favorite writers. And I cannot help feeling that Roosevelt is the world’s greatest politician.”
The Prince carries two emblems which unite the past and the future. The one is a thousand-year-old Chinese bracelet of plaited silver. It is cut in two, for the Eastern merchants, Prince Loewenstein told me, used to clip pieces of such bands and use the bits as money. “Most people imagine that this emblem of ancient Eastern culture is of Nordic origin.” Prince Loewenstein said. “This illustrates vividly the foolishness of the people in Germany who are now trying to make clear-cut distinctions between ‘Nordic’ or ‘Aryan’ culture, and what they term Eastern barbarism.”
The other emblem is a Golden Eagle which Prince Loewenstein wears in his buttonhole. “This emblem is also a thousand years old,” he declared. “It was first worn by the Imperial House of Hohenstaufen from which I am descended. I have made this eagle the symbol which will fight the swastika of Hitler Germany. I have it also in the form of a flag which flies from my castle in the Tyrol. It is a Golden Eagle on a black background surrounded by a red border. The real new Germany will come to life under this symbol and already we have given expression to the work which lies before us in a song:
“Golden shines our goal above the blackness of the ground, Red the flame encircling it, by which we all are bound.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
