196 J.-A. PEMBERTON
Every race possesses its own biological characteristics: a hierarchy of the
races must be affirmed, but the consciousness of this ‘racial hierarchy’ does
not lead to the toleration of the destruction of inferior races. National-
Socialism, will endeavour to further the specific characteristics of the native
races by permitting the tribes to live in their traditional environment,
according to their ancestral customs: racialism rejects only, but with vigour,
the concept of assimilation.^382One of the German memoranda placed at the disposal of the confer-
ence included a chapter entitled ‘Principles of Native Education in the
former German Colonial Territories’ wherein Martin Schlunk sought
to reassure the targets of German colonial propaganda that Germany’s
intentions in regard to the administration of colonies were benign.
Schlunk, professor of mission science at the University of Tũbingen,
insisted that a National Socialist colonial policy would seek to preserve
the ‘religious and moral attitudes of the natives, but in such as a way as
to enable them to share in certain manifestations of the higher European
culture. A collaboration of this kind,’ Schlunk added, ‘can be based only
on a recognition of the truth of the Christian religion.’^383
Although the conference’s deliberations were absent of any discus-
sion of National Socialist racial doctrine, in ‘speech after speech’ at the
conference, as Lytton pointed out to Berber, the obligation to protect
the interests of subject peoples was emphasised.^384 Berber indicated to
the conference that he considered the invocation of this obligation mere
hypocrisy. Perhaps alluding to Churchill’s statement condemning the
‘repulsive talk of handing over millions of human souls irrespective of
their wishes like cattle or slaves to new sovereignties,’ a statement sub-
sequently echoed by Lugard and Sarraut, Berber observed that France
(^382) Maroger, L’Europe et la question coloniale, 307. See also Chalmers Wright, Population
and Peace, 126.
(^383) Martin Schlunk, 1937, quoted in Moresco, Colonial Questions and Peace, 60. The
publication details for the ‘The Principles of Native Education in the former German
Colonial Territories,’ are as follows: M. Schlunk, ‘Grundzũge der Eingeborenenerziebung
in deutschen Schutgerbieten,’ in Westermann, ed., Beiträge zur Detschen Kolonialfrage,
27–44.
(^384) International Studies Conference, Peaceful Change: Procedures, Population, Raw
Materials, Colonies, 469.