862.4016/1480
The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 26.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that the anti-Jewish wave, which evidence from all sides showing to be gaining accumulative strength, has lately entered upon a particularly ugly phase. What has formerly been an ever-present undercurrent seems now to be developing into an offensive distinguished as much by the efficacy of its apparent organization by official quarters as by its brutality and ruthlessness.
A new device for encompassing the degradation of the Jew has been the use of the forces of the law, in contravention to the terms of the law itself, to prevent what is portrayed as Jewish “miscegenation” with Aryans. Emboldened evidently by the precedent set by the official at Wetzlar, who refused to publish the bans of a proposed marriage between an Aryan and a Jewess (see Embassy’s despatch No. 2117 of July 5, 193547), the registry clerk of the small town of Bad Suiza, near Weimar, recently declined to issue a marriage license to a Jew who intended to marry an Aryan. The Jew brought suit against the clerk, but in this case also the court upheld the clerk’s action on the ground that, while there was no legal prohibition against such marriages, he could not be expected to sanction a union “adulterating Aryan blood and rendering it useless for all time from the national point of view.”
The climax of such action was reached, however, when, according to public announcement, the Secret State Police of Breslau took into custody on Saturday “six male Jews and six so-called German women” on account of “racial disgrace of a character dangerous to public safety and order.” “These persons,” it is stated, “may expect to be transferred to a concentration camp.”
According to report, some of the couples had merely been seen together, or were engaged to be married; the local Schlesische Tageszei-timg, however, describes their conduct as particularly heinous in the [Page 402] following commentary: “Thus the State has taken decisive action against the shameful conduct of women forgetful of their race and their Jewish companions. Long enough has the Breslau population had to look on with bitter anger, but with great restraint, while impudent aliens and abhorrent females of Aryan blood cynically disregarded the racial commandments of our Reich. The orderly processions of denunciation which marched with discipline were provoked by the Jews through hoots of scorn and insolent remarks. The Secret Police could no longer inactively watch this state of affairs. It is a matter of course that these will not be the only couples to be taken to a concentration camp.…”48
The same paper also reports that one of the women “publicly exposed” in the proceedings of last April (see Embassy’s despatch No. 1925 of April 13, 193549) when groups of S. A. men demonstrated before the houses of women allegedly living with Jews, had brought suit against one of the ringleaders of that action. The court dismissed the complaint, however, observing that it is the self-evident right of S. A. chiefs to make their own the State’s fight for racial purity.
The anti-Semitic drive in its newer aspects, stimulated, it is reported, from three offices set up here by Julius Streicher during a recent visit, was responsible for the recent flare-up in Berlin. The incidents arose out of the showing of a Swedish film, “Petterson and Bendel”, which portrayed the conflict between the simple peasant and the merchant as represented by a Jew, and which received the highest recommendation of the propaganda authorities as being “valuable on grounds of State policy.” Although some suspicion exists that the trouble may have been precipitated by agents provocateurs, the papers reported that certain Jews, taking advantage of the darkness of the cinema house, had raised protests against the film at its first showing. Practically the entire Berlin press, evidently at official instigation, broke forth the next day, Monday, July 15th, in an outcry against this new unbelievable insolence of the Jews. This campaign prepared the public mind for the happenings of the evening.
According to best eye-witness accounts, outbreaks occurred at various times and places, but with a precision and common purpose evincing some sort of advance plan. Quarrels were first picked with individual Jews in the West End quarter, and were then followed up by mass attacks by Nazi disturbers. While almost all of the latter were in civil clothing, it is believed that the majority were S. A. men, while others were more positively identified as belonging to the S. S. [Page 403] by the distinctive “blitz-stahl” rings they wore. At first the Jews stood their ground, shouting “Juden können doch hier bleiben,” but soon disappeared before the gathering forces who, equipped with anti-Jewish signs and Stürmer placards, began to raid the Kurfürsten-damm cafés, where they mishandled and beat Jews of both sexes, and pulled still others off busses. The police, it is stated, refused to act against the ringleaders, but arrested some of the agitators from among the indiscriminate public which joined the fray.
The riot started about nine o’clock and lasted well after midnight, resulting in the breaking of the windows of the Jewish-owned Café Bristol, various other miscellaneous damage, and the placarding of Jewish shops in the vicinity. An interesting sidelight of the affair is that the Acht Uhr Abendblatt, which appeared on the streets shortly before eight, and therefore well before the main disturbance, bore an account suspiciously similar to the Nachrichtenbüro report which related the following morning the “spontaneous public uprising” against the renewed activity of Jewish and hostile elements.
The agitation could hardly have been more ill-timed from the standpoint of its effects upon local foreign opinion. In addition to the large numbers of tourists who at this time of night frequent the Kur-fürstendamm, which is the central cinema and cafe district, there were numerous midshipmen present from the American ships in Copenhagen; the guest British front fighters must also have gained some idea of the agitation from public comment, although they may not have actually witnessed the events. Dining moreover at the Cafe Kranzler were several foreign delegations here in the preparation for the Olympic Games. Many Germans, while they would hardly have dared to intervene in the Jew’s defense, have subsequently been heard to express disapproval of these disorderly proceedings.
An understanding of the need for restoring order was displayed by the authorities on the following day when an instruction was issued by the Berlin Police office, charging the S. A. and members of the Political Organization with this task. A special command, moreover, was addressed to the S. A. which—based on the theory that “publicly hostile and Jewish elements are attempting, as in Munster, to bring the S. A. into disrepute”—ordered all members to refrain from all demonstrations. With the aim evidently, of putting the S. A. on public good behavior, and therewith “depriving enemies of National Socialism of the opportunity of defaming our legions”, all S. A. members were also ordered to appear in uniform until further notice.
Respectfully yours,