Prince Hubertus Friedrich Loewenstein, arriving in the United States Saturday on his first visit here, predicted the downfall of Adolf Hitler within two years and announced he would assume all responsibility of leadership. His democratic system of government, he promised, would relieve the desperate situation of German Jews at once.
The Prince, a young man of twenty-eight, was founder of the Republican Reichsbanner organization in Germany, a counter-movement to the Nazi government in its early days, and is now a voluntary exile from his native land. His enmity to the Hitler regime is regarded with such seriousness that a price has been placed on his head by the Nazis. He is here on a lecture tour, during which he hopes to solidify anti-Nazi feeling in this country.
“Hitler, we hope,” said the former leader of the Catholic Centrist party in Berlin, “will remain in power for another year or two. By that time our plans will be matured, our organization strengthened, and Hitler’s fall a certainty due to the economic crisis and the dissension in the German army.
WORKING FOR ORGANIZATION
“For the last two years,” he continued, “I have been constantly working to create an organization of all Germans who are not Communists and who do not like Hitler.” Nazi Germany is not identical to the real Germany. There are 35,000,000 people in the world who are sympathetic to our cause for restoring a democratic system of government in Germany. The Jews in America can be of considerable help to us by supporting our movement.
“For that matter,” he went on, “Jews throughout the world can help their brethren in Germany to the greatest extent by rallying to our organization. In fact, it is the only way by which I believe the German Jews may be aided.”
SEES NO LET-UP
Prince Loewenstein is of the opinion that the Jews in Germany are still suffering as many hardships and restrictions now as when Hitler first assumed power.
“The situation,” he remarked, “has not been relieved whatsoever. Only the Nazi propaganda machine works a little better and the real stories do not get out. No Jew can become a lawyer, a doctor, or an official of the state. Neither have the conditions of shopkeepers or commercial Jews been bettered.
“I am not ambitious,” he earnestly stated, “but I am willing to assume responsibility of leadership. With this democratic system of government that our party will set up the condition of German Jewry will be relieved at once. That is why Jews throughout the world should support our organization.
“The popular foundation of Hitlerism has already become a thing of the past. The so-called purge of June 30 last year was the turning point. This cost Hitler his popularity with the people. He is no longer greeted in the streets with the same acclaim that was his two years ago.”
FOUGHT FOR STATUS QUO
Prince Loewenstein had hoped the Saar would be made a nucleus for a new German government while Hitler was still in power, but in this he was disappointed.
“I was fighting for the status quo. The people who voted did not even know what that meant. However, I expected the vote to turn out as it did for two reasons. First, because the terror of the Nazi movement was tremendous and the pressure terrific. The polls were patrolled by Storm Troopers. The Deutsche Front had issued special cards to those who wished to vote for Germany and every voter was asked by the Nazis to show his card at the polling place. If he did not have one it was known that he was in favor of the status quo.”
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.
