862.00/3010

The Chargé in Germany (Gordon) to the Secretary of State

No. 2482

Sir: With reference to despatch No. 2399 of May 13, 1933,38 I have the honor to report that the future of the Center Party as well as that of other political parties in Germany which have thus far managed to retain [Page 231] a semblance of independence, is anything but promising. Indications are many that the Nazis feel that the time has now come for the complete absorption of all political parties in accordance with their philosophy of a “total State,” in which there can be no room for any party other than the Nazi Party.

Following the recent reorganization of the Center Party on the principle of authoritative leadership which now rules supreme in Germany, and the conversations between Hitler and Dr. Bruening, the new leader of the party, there was hope in certain quarters that some form of cooperation might be established between the Center and the Nazi régime. The frequent attacks by Nazis upon individual members and whole groups of the Center Party, as well as certain other developments, show, however, that an improvement in the tense relations between these two parties is not likely, at least in the near future.

Arrests of Catholic leaders and the suppression of Catholic journals have been reported from various parts of the country. In Baden, former Minister of Finance Köhler, a leading member of the Center Party, has been taken in custody, allegedly “for his own safety,” because a large crowd had assembled in front of his house and assumed a threatening attitude. The leading organ of the Center Party in Baden has been suppressed for one week, while in Bavaria an edition of the official organ of the Bavarian People’s Party, which is affiliated with the Center, has been confiscated.

An outstanding manifestation of Nazi hostility to organized Catholics was a brutal attack by uniformed Nazis upon visitors to the first convention of the Association of Catholic Apprentices and Journeymen, which was held in Munich last week. The reluctance with which the Bavarian authorities granted permission to hold the convention (the permission had been granted, withdrawn, and granted anew with restrictions) showed that the Nazis viewed the rally with disfavor. As a result of clashes between Nazis and members of this association, the convention, which was attended by about 28,000 persons, was prematurely closed. An open-air mass, at which Cardinal Faulhaber was to preach, was called off because the leaders of the convention were unable to obtain assurance from the Bavarian authorities that police protection would be given.

According to the police, there had been considerable feeling in Munich against Catholic demonstrations because the Nazi “Horst Wessel” song had been sung with a different text, and Catholic priests had been heard to say to Nazi spectators during the procession “You shout ‘Hail Hitler,’ but you will be glad some day when we liberate you from this Hitler.” Moreover, many of the participants in the convention appeared in a uniform similar in color to the brown shirt of the Nazis, who regarded [Page 232] this as misuse of their uniform. The police also charged that the convention leaders failed to inform Vice Chancellor von Papen and Bavarian Minister of Economics Count Quadt, who attended the meeting as Government representatives, of the true reasons why permission to hold the convention had been at first withdrawn. The police report admitted that there had been numerous clashes, responsibility for which it attributed to lack of discipline by the visitors to the convention.

To a careful observer familiar with official communiqués issued by Nazi authorities, it seems beyond question that the police report must have been colored and that the Nazis with whom the Catholic youths “clashed” could not have been as innocent as the authorities wished the public to believe. Subsequent reports did not fail to confirm this impression. It appears that the Nazis not only attacked and maltreated the Catholic journeymen and apprentices, who came to the convention in their usual orange-colored shirts, worn by them for years, but that they also forced their way into the dormitories where the young men were quartered, brutally assaulting the delegates and several of the priests. The convention was attended also by representatives from foreign countries and some of these delegates were likewise maltreated.

The Bavarian Minister of the Interior has now issued an order prohibiting until further notice all open-air and indoor meetings in Bavaria, with the exception of those permitted by the political police. It is reported that Vice Chancellor von Papen, who was the principal speaker on the occasion, protested to Hitler against the premature closing of the convention and denied the statement of the Munich police that he had been misled by the leaders of the convention, pointing out that the convention had placed on record its loyalty to the Government and to the new Reich.

The brutal Nazi assault upon the peaceful non-political gathering at Munich, without effective interference by the police, is certain to evoke deep indignation among the Catholic population and make cooperation between the two Catholic parties and the Nazis even more difficult. The Nazis fear the strength of Catholic organizations, and the purpose of such bullying action was doubtless to discourage further gatherings of this kind by showing the visitors what was in store for them if they should come again. This view is confirmed in an interesting despatch on the subject to the Embassy (No. 122 [120] of June [May] 13, 1933),40 a copy of which has been transmitted to the Department, from the Consul General at Munich, who reports the appearance of subversive talk hitherto unheard.

The present conflict between the Reich and Austria has served still further to intensify the hostility of the Nazis to the two Catholic [Page 233] parties. The Nazis are now accusing the Center of conspiring against them with the Dollfuss régime in Austria. Dr. Bolz, former head of the Württemberg Government, and former Chancellor Wirth are the specific targets of the Nazis in this connection. The Nazis in the Reich are demanding repressive measures against the Center Party in retaliation for the measures taken by the Dollfuss Government against the Austrian Nazis.

Last Sunday a Pastoral Letter issued by the Catholic Bishops of Germany was read from the pulpits of all Catholic churches. In this letter the Bishops pointed out that the German Catholics had no need to adopt a new attitude towards the Fatherland as a result of the national revolution. At most, they must continue with greater emphasis what they had already acknowledged and fulfilled as their natural and Christian duty. The Catholic Church, in which the value and sense of authority had particularly been asserted, expected, however, that the authority of the State would not restrict human freedom any further than was necessary in the interest of the nation’s welfare, but would administer justice and thereby grant to every subject of the State his property, honor and liberty. The Bishops rejected the racial principle as a sole basis for national unity, declaring that racial discrimination must lead to injustice. On various other essential points the Catholic Bishops could not agree with the declared aims and policy of the Nazis.

It will be seen from the various developments mentioned above that the possibilities and causes for friction between the Catholic parties and the Nazi regime are many and varied. The Center Party has repeatedly stressed its desire for loyal cooperation; it is striving hard to retain its independence at all costs, but this is precisely what the Nazis do not wish.

Respectfully yours,

George A. Gordon
  1. Not printed.
  2. Not printed.