by The Destruction of the European Jews, Vol. 1-3 (Third Edition) Yale University Press (2003) (pdf)
who openly claims membership in the Jewish community, belongs to
the community and therefore has placed himself in the ranks of the
Jews.”“
While the judiciary closed the loopholes of the Losener definition
by making it more precise, it became necessary in an increasing number
of
cases
to make
exceptions
on
behalf
of
individuals whose
categorization into a particular group was considered unjust. In creating the Mischlinge, Losener had constructed a so-called third race, that is, a group of people who for administrative purposes were neither
Jews nor Germans. Mischlinge of the first degree, in particular, were to
suffer from a series of increasingly burdensome discriminations, including dismissals from the civil service, the requirement of special consent for marriages with Germans, exclusion from active service in
the
armed
forces,
nonadmission
to
secondary
schools
and
colleges,
and (by the fall of 1944) forced labor to build fortifications.
Because
of
these
discriminations,
pressure
for
exceptional
treatment was applied by colleagues, superiors, friends, and relatives. Consequently, in 1935 a procedure was instituted for the reclassification of a Mischling into a higher category, i.e., Mischlingof the first degree to
Mischling of the second degree, or Mischling of the second degree to
German, or Mischling of the first degree to German. This procedure
was
known
as
Befreiung
(liberation).
There
were
two
kinds:
“pseudoliberations”
and
“genuine
liberations”
(unechte
Befreiungen
and
echte
Befreiungen).
The
pseudoliberation
was
a
reclassification
based on a clarification of the facts or of the law. It was achieved by
showing, for example, that an allegedly Jewish grandfather was not
really Jewish or that a presumed adherence to the Jewish religion had
not existed. The “real liberation,” however, was granted on showing
the applicant’s “merit.”“ Applications for real liberations were routed
through the Interior Ministry and the Reich Chancellery to Hitler if the 32 33
32. Decision by Ihe Reichsfinanzhof. February II, 1943. Reichssieuerblall, 1943,
p. 251, and Die Judenfragt (Venrauliche Beilage), April 15, 1943, pp. 30-31. This case,
as well as the one cited above, concerned individuals who had accepted the Jewish
religion upon marriage to a Jewish woman.
See also the story of Baron Emst von Manstein, a relative of the German held
marshal, who lived out his life as a converted Jew. Herbert Schultheis, Juden in Main-
franken. 1933-1945 (Bad Neustadt an der Saale, 1980). pp. 507-509, and Adler, Der
verwaltete Mensch, pp. 293,606.753. Conversely, a German in Romania, once converted
to Judaism but subsequently baptized again, was not barred in principle from returning to
Germany as an Aryan. Correspondence in T175, roll 69.
33. Stuckart and Schiedermair, Rassen- und Erbpflege, pp. 18-19.
78
DEFINITION BY DECREE
petitioner was a civilian, and through the Army High Command and
the Führer Chancellery if the petitioner was a soldier.*
The recipients of this favor sometimes were high officials. Ministerialrat Killy of the Reich Chancellery, a man who performed significant functions in the destruction of the Jews, was a Mischling of the second degree. His wife was a Mischling of the first degree. He had
joined the party and had entered the Reich Chancellery without telling
anyone about his origin. When the decree of April 7, 1933 (Arierparagraph), was issued, Killy informed Lammers about the state of affairs and offered to resign. Lammers thought the situation quite grave because of Killy’s wife but advised Killy not to resign. Thereupon Lammers spoke to Hitler, who agreed to Killy’s continuing service. Then, on Christmas Eve in 1936, while the Killy family was sitting around the
tree and opening gifts, a courier brought a special present: a Befreiung
for Killy and his children."
The "liberations” increased in volume to such an extent that on
July 20, 1942, Lammers informed the Highest Reich Authorities of
Hitler’s desire to cut down on their number. The applications had been
handled
too
“softly"
(weichherzig).
Hitler
did
not
think
that
the
blameless conduct of a Mischling was sufficient ground for his "liberation." The Mischling had to show "positive merit," which might be proved if, for example, without awareness of his ancestry, he had
fought for the party uninterruptedly and for many years prior to 1933."
Lest we leave the impression that the tendency to equate Mischlinge with Germans was unopposed, we should point out that there was another tendency to eliminate the “third race” by reclassifying
Mischlinge of the second degree as Germans and transforming all Mischlinge of the first degree into Jews. This pressure, which came from party circles and the police, reached its zenith in 1942. However, it
never succeeded.
Thus we find that the Losener definition remained the basis of
categorization throughout the destruction process. Even though different defintions were later adopted in some occupied countries and Axis states, the basic concept of these early decrees remained unchanged.
In summary, here is a recapitulation of the terms and their meanings: 34 * 36
34, Affidavit by Blome, January 17, 1946, NO-1719.
33. For Killy's adventures, see his testimony inCase No. 11. transcript pp. 23,235-
23,267.
36. Lammers to Highest Reich Authorities, July 20, 1942, NG-4819. The Lammers
letter was based on remarks by Hitler at the dinner table. See Henry Picker, ed., Hiller's
Tischgespräche tm Führerhauptquariier 1940-1942 (Berlin, 1951), entries for May 10 and
July 1, 1942, pp. 303, 313.
79
DEFINITION BY DECREE
Mischlinge of the second degree:
Persons
descended
from
one
Jewish
grandparent
Mischlinge
of
the
first
degree:
Persons
descended
from
two
Jewish grandparents but not belonging to the Jewish religion
and not married to a Jewish per
Non-Aryans 4,
son on September 15, 1935
Jews:
Persons
descended
from
two
Jewish
grandparents
belonging
to the Jewish religion or married to a Jewish person on September
15,
1935,
and persons
descended
from
three
or
four
Jewis
h grandparents
80
c
H
A
P
T
E
R
F
I
> w
EXPROPRIATION
The first step in the destruction process consisted only of a set of
definitions. However, that step was very important. It amounted
to creating a target that could be bombarded at will. The Jews were
trapped at this range. Initially they could still emigrate, but later they
could only brace themselves for what was to come.
In the course of the next few years, the machinery of destruction
was turned on Jewish “wealth.” In increasing numbers, one Jewish
family after another discovered that it was impoverished. More and
more was taken from the Jews; less and less was given in return. The
Jews
were
deprived
of
their
professions,
their
enterprises,
their
financial reserves, their wages, their claims upon food and shelter, and,
finally, their last personal belongings, down to underwear, gold teeth,
and women’s hair. We shall refer to this process as “expropriation.”
The expropriation machinery cut across all four major hierarchical
groups. The organizations in the forefront of the expropriatory operations were in the civil service and in the business sector. Some of these agencies are described in Tables 5-1 to 5-5.
D I S M I S S A L S
The first expropriation measures were designed to break that “satanical
power” that, in Hitler’s words, had “grasped in its hands all key positions of scientific and intellectual as well as political and economic life, and that kept watch over the entire nation from the vantage of these
key positions.”1 In short, the initial economic measures were directed
against Jews who held positions of any kind in the four governing
hierarchies of Nazi Germany.
The
non-Aryan
population
(Jews
and
Mischlinge) in
1933
was
about 600,000, or 1 percent of Germany’s total population. The number
of non-Aryans in government service was in the neighborhood of
I.
Speech by Hitler, German press, November 10-11, 1940.
83
T A B L E 5 - 1
OFFICE OF THE FOUR-YEAR PLAN
Goring
Personal adviser..................................................... Ministerialdirektor Gritzbach
Staatssekretär.................................................................................................... Körner Deputy of the Staatssekretär....................................... Ministerialdirigent Marotzke
...................................................... Ministerialdirektor Wohlthat
....................................................... Ministerialdirektor Gramsch
............................................................Gerichtsassessor Dr. Hahn
Generaldirektor in charge of
Hermann Göring Works...................................................... Staatssekretär Pleiger
note: Organization chart of the Reich government, 1945, certified by Frick. PS-
2905, and information gathered from documents to be cited in the text.
T A B L E 5 - 2
FINANCE MINISTRY
Minister.................................................................................. Schwerin von Krosigk
Staatssekretär......................................................................................Fritz Reinhardt
Customs Inspector............................ Hossfeld (transferred to SS and Police)
General Finance Bureau................................... Ministerialdirigent Bayrhoffer
Administration of Securities................................................................... Patzer
Liaison to Main Trusteeship Office East.......................................... Dr. Casdorf
I.
Reich Budget....................................... Ministerialdirektor von Manteuffel
Armed-SS Budget.............................................. Ministerialrat Rademacher
II. Customs and Sales Täxes................................ Ministerialdirektor Dr. Wucher
III. Property and Income Taxes........................... Ministerialdirektor Dr. Hedding
Anti-Jewish Fine............................................................................. Dr. Uhlich
IV. Salaries and Pensions of Civil Servants...................Ministerialdirektor Wever
V.
International Finance.................................... Ministerialdirektor Dr. Berger
Economic Warfare.................................
. Dr. Schwandt
Enemy Property.....................................
................................Baenfer
VI.
Administration.......................................
. Ministerialdirektor Maass
Organization..........................................
. Ministerialdirektor Groth
Enemy Property Administration ..
. Ministerialrat Dr. Maedel
Reich Main Treasury ..
Thx Court................................................................................... Regierungsrat Mirre
note: Ludwig Münz, Führer durch Behörden und Organisationen (Berlin, 1939),
p. 112; organization chart of Finance Ministry, July 10, 1943, NG-4397; organization
chart of Reich government, 1945, certified by Frick, PS-2905.
84
T A B L E 5 - 3
ECONOMY MINISTRY
Minister...............................................................................................(Schacht] Funk Staatssekretär.............................................. [Bang, Brinkmann, Landfried] Hayler
Staatssekretär for Special Purposes..................................................................... Posse
I. Personnel and Administration..................................................................... Illgner
II. Economic Organization and Industry .... [Hannecken, Kehrt] Ohlendorf
III. Foreign Rade....................................................................... [Jagwitz] Kirchfeld
IV. Credits and Banks.........................................................................[Klucki] Riehle
V.
Mines........................................................................................................ Gabel
T A B L E 5 - 4
LABOR MINISTRY
Minister............................................................................................................... Setdte Staatssekretär........................................................................................................ Syrup Staatssekretär...................................................................................................... Engel I. General....................................................................................................... Börger II. Labor Insurance.................................................................................. Zschimmer
III, Wages......................................................................................................... vacant IV. City Planning and Construction Police........................................................ Durst
V.
Unemployment Assistance................................................................. Beisiegel
VI.
European Office for Labor Alloca
tion.....................................................Timm
note: See note to Table 5-3.
T A B L E 5 - 5
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE MINISTRY
Minister....................................................
[Hugenberg, Darre] Backe (acting)
Staatssekretär...........................................
........................................... Wiilikens
Staatssekretär...........................................
General....................................................
..................................... Schulenburg
Markets and Agricultural Production
................................................Moritz
Farm Labor and Credit............................
................................................ Lorenz
Thule Policy.............................................
................................................. Walter
Peasantry..................................................
......................................... Manteuffel
State Agricultural Property......................
............................................. Kummer
Settlement of New Areas.........................
................................................ Hiege
The Village..............................................
.........................................Rheinthaler
note: See note to Table 5-3.
85
EXPROPRIATION
5,000,
or 0.5 percent of the total government personnel.1 These non-
Aryans were deprived of their positions in consequence of the Law for
the Reestablishment of the Professional Civil Service. The law was
dated April 7,1933’ and was signed by Hitler, Frick (Interior Ministry),
and von Krosigk (Finance Ministry). The sequence of signatures tells
us that the decree was drafted by the appropriate experts in the Interior
Ministry and that the competent experts in the Finance Ministry were
consulted before publication.
The complete history of the law reveals the involvement of a somewhat
larger
number
of
actors,
including
ministries
of
provincial
(Länder) governments. Thus in early March there was a good deal of
party agitation against Jewish judges, particularly those who were presiding in criminal trials. By the middle of the month, several provincial justice ministries were shifting such jurists to civil cases or were “persuading” them to apply for indefinite leaves.* On March 20 the Prussian State