Between the Lines

Certain Zionist leaders who have believed that Dr. George Martini, the German journalist, is a friend of the Jews will be highly disappointed with the news that Herr Martini has arrived in Palestine as correspondent for the Voelkischer Beobachter, Hitler’s chief Jew-baiting organ.

It was at the last Zionist Congress in Praha that Dr. Martini suddenly appeared among the foreign correspondents who covered the Congress. At that time he had already been suspected of acting as an agent for the Nazi government and that his observations of the Zionist Congress were intended for Nazi officials rather than the newspaper which he said he then represented and which had very little interest in Zionist affairs.

Despite the warning sounded by many against Dr. Martini, certain influential Zionist leaders—especially those interested in the Zionist movement in Germany—played up to Dr. Martini and tried to create the impression among the other delegates that he had no connection with the Nazis.

AN ANSWER TO A QUESTION

The arrival of Dr. Martini in Palestine as the representative of Hitler’s paper, no doubt, make these Zionist leaders realize that they should be careful of him in the future. Any person working for a Nazi newspaper today is practically a government official under the existing press laws of Germany. Any person working for the Voelkischer Beobachter is definitely a Hitler man.

It is a well-known fact that Herr Martini has tried to win the confidence of important Zionist leaders abroad ever since the Nazis came into power in Germany. Sober minded people have always asked the question why a 100 per cent “Aryan” journalist should suddenly become deeply interested in such a 100 per cent “non-Aryan” movement as Zionism. Now this question is practically answered.

The fact that Herr Martini was among the first passengers on the Jewish steamer Tel Aviv is indicative of the desire of the Nazi party to have a complete and fundamental knowledge of what is going on in Jewish life. A Nazi passenger on a 100 per cent Jewish steamer has nothing to fear. He is not exposed to the dangers a Jewish correspondent would be exposed at a 100 per cent Nazi gathering. On the other hand he has all the opportunities to make all possible Jewish connections on this steamer which could later be of use to him in his work in Palestine. He could also have a good chance to report on the first Jewish steamer in which the Nazi government has, no doubt, an interest since it was formerly a German steamer.

THE END OF A “FRIENDSHIP”

When Goebbels’ paper Der Angriff, sent a correspondent to Palestine several months ago for the purpose of gathering material for a series of articles on the Jews of Palestine, this correspondent did not pretend to be a friend of the Jews. Herr Martini, however, has always played the role of being pro-Jewish. His joining the staff of the Voelkischer Beobachter at this time unveils the purpose of the role he has been playing. He has simply become the specialist on Zionist affairs for the Nazi party.

The Zionist Executive in Jerusalem, whom Dr. Martini will probably continue to approach as a “friend,” will know how to appraise his “friendship.” The mistake which certain Zionist leaders have made during the last Congress by keeping Dr. Martini too well informed on certain matters — especially on the matter of the Zionist attitude toward the boycott of German goods—will now, let us hope, not be repeated upon Dr. Martini’s arrival in Jerusalem.