862.42/61
The Consul General at Stuttgart (Dominian) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 22.]
Sir: I have the honor to submit in the following lines certain methods now used in German universities and institutions of higher learning as a result of the establishment of a regime of suppression of liberties in Germany by the National Socialist party.
As described by a member of an important local faculty the situation in Germany for liberal-minded university teachers has become intolerable. Teachers whose views were free from prejudice or who belong to the Jewish faith have been compelled to resign from their faculties, this being particularly noticeable in the field of political science. In the universities of this district the National Socialist Government is appointing special commissioners known as “Beauftragte” or investigators [Page 317] whose business consists in investigating members of the teaching staff and determining whether these teachers make it a point to inject National Socialist viewpoints in their lectures. In one of the universities in question the first act of the Commissioner was to dismiss the Rector and the Pro-Rector. Both of these gentlemen whom I happen to know were inclined to be conservative in their views and their liberalism, if any, was of a mild variety. They were strong nationalists and could hardly be considered as favoring a republican form of government for their country. The Rector in particular stands high in his field of work. It appears however that his grandmother was a lady of Jewish faith. The dismissal of the Rector was all the more surprising as only three weeks more of his term of service as Rector remained.
As far as can be ascertained at present there exists great confusion in faculties all over the country. Reports at Stuttgart are to the effect that the entire faculty of Medicine at the University of Berlin has been depleted of its teachers as a result of resignations and dismissals. The Universities of Goettingen and Frankfort are stated to have suffered particularly because they were seats of liberal education. At Heidelberg and Tuebingen, however, the universities have been affected only slightly because both were centres of strong nationalism.
The situation as far as German universities is concerned may be summarized in the statement that a spirit of excessive and possibly harmful nationalism now prevails in all of them. For the first time in centuries doubt may be reasonably entertained as to whether education imparted in the conditions now prevailing in German universities is of sufficient value to prove attractive to foreigners.
Respectfully yours,