862.00/3200

The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State

No. 559

Sir: With further reference to my despatch No. 487 of January 31, on the law for the reconstruction of the Reich, I have the honor to inform the Department that a law dated February 14 has been signed by the Chancellor, abolishing the Reichsrat.

Under the Constitution of Weimar the Reichsrat, a successor of the Bundesrat of pre-war days, represented the Governments of the individual German states. Each state had at least one member and in the larger states one member was accorded for every million inhabitants. No state, however, could have more than two-fifths of the entire membership. The last Reichsrat was composed of 66 members of whom 26 represented Prussia.

The Reichsrat could not introduce legislation in the Reichstag or enact it independently but had certain rights of revision and control. It could, for instance, object to laws passed by the Reichstag, in which case the latter body could reenact them only if a majority of two-thirds voted in favor of these measures. In addition, the Reichsrat was consulted on budget matters and cooperated with the National Cabinet in the management of certain economic activities of the Government, such as the post office, railways, etc.

With the achievement of the complete unity of the Reich on January 30 there remained, according to a statement issued by the Government on February 14, no further reason for a public body with the powers of the Reichsrat. The announcement continues that in view of the simplified legislative procedure authorized by the law of March 24, 1933, the Reichsrat no longer cooperates in enacting legislation or in issuing the decrees necessary to enforce such legislation. The necessary information addressed to the state governments is no longer transmitted by the Reichsrat, but by the Statthalter.

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The Department will recall that in the law of March 24, 1933, the Reichstag and the Reichsrat gave the executive the right to enact legislation without their consent, even should this not be in certain instances in accord with the Constitution. (See despatch No. 2265 of March 24, 1933).5

A copy and translation of the law of February 14 are transmitted herewith.5 The copy of the Reichsgesetzblatt No. 16, in which the text appears, is forwarded in this pouch.6

The Vossische Zeitung expresses its approval of this law, saying “we are one people, we want to be one Reich.” The Tageblatt is more reserved. It states that the Reichsrat performed much essential work through its experienced members. It would therefore be unjust to deny this, but the extinction of the institution was the unavoidable outcome of the suppression of state sovereignty.

Respectfully yours,

William E. Dodd
  1. Not printed.
  2. Not printed.
  3. Not found in Department files.