862.4016/1664: Telegram
The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:30 a.m.]
90. Department’s 39, April 26, 7 p.m., Embassy’s despatch 3419 of April 16, section 7.5 According to supplementary details now [Page 321] available the recent suppression of the B’nai B’rith by the secret police involved the closing of 80 central lodges throughout Germany and the sequestration of 1,500,000 marks in cash and investments and another 2,000,000 in real property. The society had a total membership of about 85,000. Funds are said to include a gift of $20,000 donated for pensions by the American branch in 1920 as well as an additional $40,000 donated for general charity work. Within the last 3 years 86,000 marks have been received from the United States and more recently this has been coming in at the rate of 12,000 marks monthly. The some 190 inmates of the B’nai B’rith Old Age Home are being permitted to stay but their maintenance costs are thrown upon the Jewish community.
The suppression of the B’nai B’rith appears to have been activated by the desire to retaliate against foreign anti-Nazi agitation to deliver another blow at the freedom of association of Jews and finally to carry out a profitable raid upon independent Jewish funds. Generally speaking the charity work of the Jewish communities or Gemeinden has not been interfered with. However, their already heavy burden which results from the exclusion of impoverished Jews from the Nazi Government Winter Help Fund will be increased by the necessity of providing for those persons hitherto cared for by the B’nai B’rith. With respect to Jewish cultural activities these have already been concentrated for a long time in the Jewish “culture league” which has been put under the supervision of the Propaganda Ministry with a view to segregating them as completely as possible from “German culture”.
According to a high Jewish source 40 leading members of the “Reichsvertretung” or the central organization of German Jewish communities were summoned last Monday, April 26, to the Berlin secret police headquarters and were told they were being given a last chance to stop anti-Nazi propaganda abroad, particularly in the United States. One of the group remonstrated that it was inconceivable that the Jews in Germany should be party to steps which could only worsen their position. The meeting concluded with another warning and the passports of those present were taken up.
It is generally accepted here that the recent incidents in New York have been a contributory cause of the renewed repressive measures against the Jews. Reference is made to the statement of the Propaganda Ministry mentioned in section 7 of the Embassy’s despatch under reference, page 3, which was sent as a news report by the United Press and has remained uncontested. The Hirsch case6 has also probably played a role and it is possible that if his attempt had [Page 322] succeeded or his plans had been directed against Hitler’s person the consequences might have been far worse. With the termination of the so-called Olympic games truce of last year the radical Nazis now seem anxious to apply Hitler’s threat delivered at the Party Congress of 1935 that he would in effect hold the Jews in Germany as hostages for the good behavior of fellow members of their race abroad. The extremists are said to be agitating for a plan which would call for complete dissolution of all Jewish organizations as well as the infliction of a number of petty annoyances such as the segregation at the various post offices of all mail addressed to Jews. Apart from the malevolent motives of the radical Nazis it would seem that they are really inspired by a naive belief that Germany is threatened by “world Jewry” and that retaliation constitutes their best means of defense.
In our opinion the present action is not so much a new departure as a logical evolution of a policy of anti-Semitism which we consider permanent. A new aspect brought out by present developments is possibly that the tempo of this evolution is likely to be influenced by outside circumstances.
It is understood that a representative of certain Jewish organizations in America is now in Berlin and is seeking an interview with Heydrick, Deputy Chief of the Secret Police, in order to clarify the situation and place American-Jewish relationships in their proper perspective.