862.404/113
The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 29.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that since the date of writing of the Embassy’s No. 1852 of March 16, 1935, the Government authorities have acted with exceptional severity against the Confessional Opposition in the Evangelical Church.
It is learned on what is believed good authority that on Sunday, March 17, some 500 Opposition pastors in Prussia were arrested, or subjected to detention in their homes. It appears that on Saturday, the Secret Police approached these pastors in turn and demanded that they promise not to read the manifesto of last week. Those who refused to give any undertaking were told they would be kept under “house arrest;” Sunday morning a check-up was made, and all those who had gone to their Churches were taken to prison. In the Berlin-Brandenburg district, over 200 were arrested and in Silesia, 190.
Dr. Jakobi, the preacher at the large Gedächtniskirche in the West End of Berlin, was prevented from going to his Church but his assistant took over the service. In order to bear out the Opposition’s contention that they intend no disloyalty to the Reich, he administered to his congregation a joint oath of allegiance to the State, after which he read the manifesto. He was arrested following the service. It is reported that Dr. Niemöller, the well-known Confessional leader of Dahlem, has also been taken to prison. He made no attempt to reread the manifesto Sunday but on the contrary seems to have spent the day in hiding. That evening at seven o’clock he was apprehended by the Secret Police.
That the State may be preparing to crush Church Opposition is shown possibly by certain other steps taken recently. The Prussian State Ministry has promulgated a law providing for the creation of special finance committees to supervise the financial affairs of the Evangelical churches in Prussia. These committees are to draw up the individual church budgets and handle receipts from taxes and [Page 350] contributions. The law is evidently aimed at establishing effective State control over the Confessional churches which, as mentioned in the despatch referred to above, have succeeded in becoming more or less financially independent of tax revenue.
A second law, signed this time by Minister of Education Rust, forbids all professors and teachers in German theological seminaries to take any part in the current Church conflict. Such teachers hold positions supported in part by the Government, and hence, it is argued, have no business interfering with the latter’s plans for Church peace.
What the Government’s plans are with respect to Reichsbishop Müller, is not yet exactly clear. Last week a Berlin Court dealt with an application submitted by him for an injunction to restrain Dr. Marahrens from calling the Confessional Administration of which he is the head, “the Provisional Reich Church Administration.” The request was dismissed and Dr. Müller ordered to pay the costs of the action. While this would appear to be a heavy blow, Minister of the Interior Frick gave Dr. Müller what must be interpreted as unequivocal support in a speech delivered in Lübeck last Friday. “The Church conflict must cease,” Herr Frick declared, stating at the same time that the Church constitution of July 1933 and the elections of that date which carried Reichsbishop Müller to office, stood unshakeably fast. Inasmuch as Herr Frick has shown himself to be a moderate in Church matters, his strong words in Dr. Müller’s favor are regarded here as carrying all the more significance.
Dr. Müller preached at a service Sunday, which was the national day of mourning for the War dead, but made no reference in his sermon to the present Church strife.
Since writing the above it is learned that all the Confession pastors held in detention were released late Tuesday afternoon. While their leaders profess to be deeply concerned with what future measures the Government may be considering to crush their opposition, it is learned from one source that plans are being laid for the holding of a conference between some of these leaders and the Minister of the Interior with a view to ironing out the principal differences.
Respectfully yours,