862.404/130
The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 2.]
Sir: I have the honor to discuss below in its various manifestations the new wave of Nazi extremism, which is taking the form of a ‘concerted attack upon the Jews, the Catholics and elements regarded as “reactionary”.
Assault Upon the Churches
The Göring Edict of July 18.
The storm may be said to have broken with the publication Thursday noon, July 18, of the Göring decree against political clericism. This edict seems to have been drawn up as a result of Nazi irritation at a sharp article appearing in the Osservatore Romano, answering Dr. Frick’s recent speech (see Embassy’s despatch No. 2141 of July 13, 1935) by stating the Catholic case in favor of the freedom of religious instruction, the confessional youth associations and Catholic opposition to the sterilization law, and by citing the pertinent provisions of the Concordat safeguarding the Catholic position. The Göring decree countered by first of all calling upon the various provincial governors of Prussia and the State Secret Police, of which Göring is the supreme head, to proceed with the greatest energy against clerical adversaries of the Nazi regime. The decree then amplifies the charge against the Roman Church.
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[Page 359]Extension of the Göring Decree to the Whole Reich.
On Saturday, July 19, the Reich Minister of Justice12 extended the Göring decree to all Germany, in law as it had already been in fact, owing to its having been originally addressed to the national Secret State Police in addition to the Prussian governors. The second order enumerated specific articles of the law under which action could be taken against all attacks by clerics upon the Party and the State, and instructed the prosecuting attorneys how to proceed.
Herr Wagner, Statthalter for Baden, made the full significance of these decrees apparent by declaring that they would be applied with equal rigor against “radical parties in the Confessional Opposition in the Evangelical Church.”
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Appointment of a Church Minister and Catholic Reaction to Present Measures
The step viewed as the most serious threat to the Churches, both Catholic and Protestant, was the appointment on July 18th of Herr Hans Kerrl to be Minister for Church Affairs, who was thereby empowered to take over all questions relating to the Church at present handled by the Ministries of the Interior and of Education. Herr Kerrl has hitherto been Minister without Portfolio and has occupied himself with such miscellaneous tasks as administrative reform and the organization of the Nüremberg Party Congress. Certain biographical notes on Herr Kerrl were included in the Embassy’s despatch No. 1929 of April 15, 1935,13 and to his reputation as a Nazi politician there still cling memories of his earlier actions while President of the Prussian Diet, where he was wont to quell opposition by heaving inkpots and other light missiles. Certain Church people, however, say he has become more moderate, and consider his personality as less of a menace than the task he may be called upon to perform by influential radicals.
It may be recalled that the scheme for a separate Ministry for Church Affairs was mooted as far back as the beginning of this year, and that Herr Kerrl’s name was among the candidates for the post. It was then feared that this device would be employed to impose Reichsbishop Müller’s administration upon the Confessional opposition in the Evangelical Church, particularly as Herr Kerrl was understood to be intimate with Miiller. This development is considered by certain Confessional Pastors as rather less of a danger at present, in view of the almost total loss in the Reichsbishop’s following, and the possibility is discussed that Kerrl might be willing to patch up a settlement of the Evangelical dispute in order to devote all his energies [Page 360] to the Catholic problem. Confessional authorities declare, however, that they will not succumb to these “divide and conquer” tactics against the Christian Church as a whole, but will lend the Catholics their full moral support. In this connection much significance is attached to a letter addressed by the Confessional Bishop of Munich Meiser to Herr Göring, following the latter’s recent speech on the Hesselberg (see Embassy’s despatch No. 2086 of June 26, 193514). This letter is couched in terms very similar to that of the Catholic Bishop of Münster, and denounces such speeches as provocative to Christians; excerpts of it are published with scathing comments in the Essener National Zeitung, which is under Göring’s control.
An announcement was made July 22nd that Minister Kerrl would depart on three weeks’ vacation before taking up his duties, and it is learned from an official source that the files in the various ministries bearing on Church Affairs will be assembled to await his return. Other accounts state that Kerrl will study the Church question while on leave, and the opinion is also expressed that Church affairs are too deeply rooted in other ministries for Kerrl to handle them independently.
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Respectfully yours,
Counselor of Embassy