OPPOSES PROPOSED ANTILABOR LAW IN GERMANY
Frankfurt
Max- Born, the Nobel Prize-winning German physicist who became a naturalized British citizen, has appealed to the German unions ‘to - vigorously oppose a proposed law in West Germany that could be used’ to destroy the labor movement and wipe out democratic rights. Up -to now the German unions under their Social- Democratic Jeadership have offered only token resistance,
The emergency laws for. which the German government. is seéking passage would permit the: “complete militarization of civilians even;in peacetime. In addition to an army of 500,000, the biggest in Western Europe, and 20,000 frontier guards, a’ “civil protection —~ corps" of 200,000 men and a. "civil protection service" of 180,000 would be set up. Besidés this, under the law, 1,000,000 people would be trained in "self-protection wards" and 30,000,000 -virtually the entire adult population -- would be given "selfprotection training."
In a bid for trade-union backing 1 for these militaristic measures, Minister of the Interior Paul Iucke promised that the right to strike would be left intact. But at the same time he declared in a letter to trade-union leaders that about 8,000,000 out of a total labor force of 22,000,000 would be given a "soldier-— like" status, which, of course ,. bars them from striking. 7
The law would reinforce other laws and administrative measures directed against freedom of the press, the right to assembly, and other democratic rights. These have already been drawn up in preparation for "emergency" use but have not been submitted to parliament.
All these laws, plus some already on the books, are designed to be put into effect in "times of tension" -- which does not necessarily mean solely in case of war.
- Max Born wrote to Otto Brenner, the head of the German metalworkers union IG Metall, concerning the threat posed by the projected legislation. . be,
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"What ‘brings me to write you," he said. "are the emergency laws, which f believe. .are the worst, most dangerous and pernicious measures in the history.of the German Federal Republic. I think it is inadmissible to favor these laws which are to be enacted or to observe them, especially everything related to direct war preparations like air protection, food storage, measures against the danger. of fire, and so forth. To a physicist:the least bit familiar with atomic energy, all of this is nonsense. 7
"Politically it can hardly have any other purpose. except to. insure curbing the bulk of the people in order to prepare for a military dictatorship and war. If some physicists hold a different Opinion, this can only be explained by the fact that in matters related to patriotism their scientific judgment has been overcome by tradition....
"In domestic politics, the emergency laws are measures designed to destroy democracy, which is still weak and insecure in Germany. The aim is to set up an authoritarian. government. The measures are: directed against the beginnings” of civilian responsibility. re :
"T am 83 years old, have a heart ‘condition and am too old to do anything. ..Experience during my long life has shown me that my political judgment is not bad...This will be seen in my correspondence with Einstein which is: to be published after my death. Today I see in the emergency legislation a preliminary stage to the final catastrophe for Germany -- and probably, of all humanity because ali peoples are comrades in fate; some more. guilty, others less. I beg you to do everything to stop, this legislation and if Possible reverse it.
Otto Brenner replied that he would do everything he could in
the present situation to block passage of the legislation.
The question will come up. at the congress of the German Federation of ‘Trade. Unions (6,500,000 members) to be held May 9-14 in Berlin., George Leber, the boss of the building workers union and ~ a Social Democratic member of parliament , has already opened an. attack against the majority that has ‘condemned all the proposed emergency legislation. A sharp disctission is expected.
In. the. Social Democratic party, the uneasiness of the trade unions. has ‘begun. to: -be registered. In the preparatory discussion for the June congress, . Some . organizations have not only condemned _ the emergency bills but are demanding that the laws already passed be contested as unconstitutional.