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Berlin, April 4,
1933
The President
of the Reich
To
The Reich
Chancellor
Adolf Hilter
Berlin
Dear Mr.
Chancellor!
Recently, a
whole series of cases has been reported to me in which judges,
lawyers, and officials of the Judiciary who are disabled war
veterans and whose record in office is flawless, have been
forcibly sent on leave, and are later to be dismissed for the
sole reason that they are of Jewish descent.
It is quite
intolerable for me personally...that Jewish officials who were
disabled in the war should suffer such treatment, [especially]
as, with the express approval of the government, I addressed a
Proclamation to the German people on the day of the national
uprising, March 21, in which I bowed in reverence before the
dead of the war and remembered in gratitude the bereaved
families of the war dead, the disabled, and my old comrades at
the front. I am certain, Mr. Chancellor, that you share this
human feeling, and request you, most cordially and urgently,
to look into this matter yourself, and to see to it that there
is some uniform arrangement for all branches of the public
service in Germany. As far as my own feelings are concerned,
officials, judges, teachers and lawyers who are war invalids,
fought at the front, are sons of war dead, or themselves lost
sons in the war should remain in their positions unless an
individual case gives reason for different treatment. If they
were worthy of fighting for Germany and bleeding for Germany,
then they must also be considered worthy of continuing to
serve the Fatherland in their professions....
April 5, 1933
The Chancellor
Dear Mr.
President!
In a most
generous and humane manner you, Mr. Field Marshal, plead the
cause of those members of the Jewish people who were once
compelled, by the requirements of universal military service,
to serve in the war. I entirely understand these lofty
sentiments, Mr. Field Marshal. But, with the greatest respect,
may I point out that members and supporters of my movement,
who are Germans, for years were driven from all Government
positions, without consideration for their wives and children
or their war service.... Those responsible for this cruelty
were the same Jewish [political] parties which today complain
when their supporters are denied the right to official
positions, with a thousand times more justification, because
they are of little use in these positions but can do limitless
harm... Nevertheless, Mr. Field Marshal, in consideration of
your noble motives, I had already discussed the preparation of
a law with Minister of the Interior Frick which would remove
the solution of these questions from arbitrary individual
action and provide a uniform law. And I pointed out to the
Reich Minister of Interior the cases for which you, Mr. Field
Marshal, wished to see exceptions made. The law in question
received preliminary discussion at several meetings last week
and will provide consideration for those Jews who either
served in the war themselves, were disabled in the war, have
other merits, or never gave occasion for complaint in the
course of a long period of service. In general, the primary
aim of this cleansing process is only to restore a certain
sound and natural balance, and, secondly, to remove from
official positions of national significance those elements to
which one cannot entrust [the choice between] Germany's
survival or destruction. For it will not be possible to avoid,
in the next few years, [the need] to make sure that certain
processes which must not be communicated to the rest of the
world for reasons of the highest national interest, will
indeed remain secret. This can only be guaranteed by the inner
homogeneity of the administrative bodies concerned.
I beg you, Mr.
President, to believe that I will try to do justice to your
noble feelings as far as is possible. I understand your inner
motivations and myself, by the way, frequently suffer under
the harshness of a fate which forces us to make decisions
which, from a human point of view, one would a thousand times
rather avoid.
Work on the law
in question will proceed as quickly as possible, and I am
convinced that this matter, too, will then find the best
possible solution.
I am, in
sincere and profound respect,
Your ever
devoted,
Signed Adolf
Hitler
Yad Vashem
Archives, JM/2462. |
