862.00/3324
The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 24.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that on July 3, the Reich Government issued a law amending the Reich Election Law so as to adjust it to the “altered conditions”. According to this amendment, a member of the Reichstag who resigns or is expelled from the Nazi Party or from its Reichstag Group automatically loses his seat in the Reichstag. Furthermore, it provides that the chairman of the Reichstag group may, in such an event, select a successor to the former member from the list of candidates but without regard for the successor’s position on this list and without being restricted to candidates of the particular electoral district from which the retiring Reichstag member was elected. An official explanation of this measure states that it has been adopted in view of the fact that the Reichstag is composed solely of Nazis who “in their entirety embody the unity and oneness of the nation” and that by the new procedure it will be possible to select the successor best qualified either personally or professionally to replace a retiring member.
A number of vacancies now exist, occasioned by the death of Röhm and other Nazi leaders. The new law will enable the appropriate authorities to select as their successors individuals who are considered to be most acceptable and dependable.
Respectfully yours,