862.20210/5–846: Telegram
The Ambassador in Chile (Bowers) to the Secretary of State
u.s. urgent
[Received 8:28 p.m.]
455. Office of Legal Attaché has prepared following summary report on status German schools propaganda media and other institutions as requested Dept’s circular telegram April 30, 1946, 8 a.m.75
“In general there has been relatively little effective liquidation on part Chilean Govt of German political and cultural organizations. Majority those organizations which have ceased operation have done so voluntarily, have died natural deaths due to nonsupport of their adherents or were dissolved as natural result Germany’s defeat. Examples these are: Nazi Party (National Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei) the German Club (Deutscher Verein), German Sporting Club (Deutscher Sportverein), German War Veterans (Deutscher Militaerverein) et cetera. No German school has been liquidated since last school census in 1941 which reflected that there were 45 German schools with enrollment 5300 pupils. These are still in operation today although financial aid on German Embassy was cut off after repatriation of German diplomatic mission Sept 1943. There exists no legislation prohibiting teaching of courses in foreign language. Of propaganda agencies liquidated only three have been closed due to direct Govt intervention namely: Transocean News Agency closed by executive decree Nr. 548 dated Jan 26, 1943, German language newspaper Deutsche Zeitung fuer Chile and Spanish language supplement this newspaper called El Aleman as well as Axis controlled radio station ‘Radio Maipo’ (also known as Radio Hupke) closed by virtue general security law Nr. 7401 dated Dec 31, 1942. Of many political and cultural institutions that Germans organized in Chile only one is known to be existence, German-Chilean Bund (Liga Chilena-Alemana) which publishes magazine called El Condor. Operating as adjunct of this organization is the German-Chilean Cultural Institute (Instituto Cultural Germano-Chileno) which publishes monthly cultural review known as Academia Spiritus. That these institutions exist indicates there is no adequate or effective legislation or decrees banning German schools propaganda media and cultural or political institutions.”
President Rios at one time told me that teaching in German language had been forbidden in Chilean schools. Prior to war teaching in German schools was conducted exclusively in German whereas now I understand instruction is in Spanish and German is taught as language. However this question will be investigated further.
While no specific legislation exists restricting German political penetration the provisions of general security law referred to above could be employed to suppress such activity.
- Not printed.↩