There were echoes of 1935 and 1938plebiscites in Russian-occupied Saxony last week. Hitler never loaded aquestion more heavily than that which the Russians put to Germanvoters: “Do you agree to the law for the transfer of the plants ofmilitarist and Nazi criminals into the hands of the people?”
Few Germans dared express their own questions. Why was there no list offactories affected? Hadn’t the Allies already confiscated all Naziproperty months ago? Was not the real issue at stake thenationalization of all private industrial property?
Said Der Tagesspiegel, the U.S.-licensed Berlin newspaper: “Partieselected by nobody have issued a law, and the people are allowed to say’Yes.’ And still the people do not know to what they are agreeing. . ..”
Wrote a Saxon Social Democrat: “We are living here as in the days ofHitler. I shall write on my ballot ‘What are you trying to put acrosswith this nonsense?’ “
On Monday morning Russia proudly announced that 77.7% had voted Ja.Hitler had trained the Saxons well.
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