Opinions from Inside

What U.S. correspondents in Germany think of how the war is going--unlike the opinions of newsmen in Bern, Stockholm, Ankara and almost everywhere else--had until last week been little heard in the U.S. To find out, TIME'S Stephen Laird got 18 U.S. newsmen in Berlin (all except those of United Press and Chicago Daily News') to answer a questionnaire telling, as they saw it, how things are going, how the war is likely to end.

On only three out of the 21 questions did the group reach or nearly reach unanimity: 1) they agreed that Turkey could not avoid signing with or fighting Germany; 2) 16 believed that Turkey would sign within three months; 3) they unanimously agreed that Russia was a self-seeking neutral.

On eight other questions the group reached a majority opinion.

>Nine felt that Germany had suffered no appreciable military damage by bombing (six felt it had, three said in effect "Not in Berlin, don't know elsewhere").

> Fifteen thought that Germany could not be defeated from the air (one thought it could, two qualified).

> Thirteen agreed that it would be impossible for anti-Axis forces to land and remain on the Continent (three thought it would be possible, two qualified).

> Eleven felt that Germany could not be defeated by economic strangulation (six felt it could, one qualified).

> Eleven saw no chance of revolution within Germany (four saw some chance, three qualified).

> Only eight thought that Germany eventually would declare war on the U.S., but six others pointed out that Germany doesn't bother to declare war.

> Ten believed that U.S. fighting forces would be involved in the war (four said no, four qualified).

>Nine agreed that Germany would eventually fight Russia (two said no, four qualified, three said nothing).

Questions on which no majority could be reached included whether Germany would invade England, whether Germany would succeed if it tried, whether success of such an invasion would end the war, what the Japanese-Russian Pact signifies. Asked how long the war would last, the correspondents gave answers varying from "peace negotiations before October" to "indefinite years" to "I pass--can't play in this poker game with a pair of threes."

They split equally sharply as to the war's outcome. Four said: "German military victory." Two said: "God knows." Other answers: "No winner. . . . Not a German victory. . . . German or Russian victory. . . . New order on German lines or chaos in Europe. . . . Winners: Russia and the United States. . . . Communistic controlled Europe and totalitarian Western Hemisphere. . . . Headaches, heartaches, bankruptcy and new but probably not better world."

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