Stuetzpunkleiters make their inquiries, are not motivated by personal reasons; even political leaders are not excepted from this. The confidential nature of this Order is again emphasized. The order is to be minutely memorized and thereafter destroyed immediately. (Every Stuetzpunkleiter is personally responsible to me for the complete destruction of this Order!). The Aussenstellenleiter (Head of the Branch Office) [signed] HELFER. SS. Oberscharfuehrer. [(4a) (2)] Elections on 10. 4. 1938. Increased attention is to be devoted to participation in and the results of the plebiscite on 10. 4. 1938, particularly in small towns and villages. It must, above all, be ascertained, whether the opponents are to be sought in Marxist ideological or opposition circles. A. Marxism: One must count on the possibility of Marxist circles organizing excursions in groups to smaller localities on the day of the plebiscite and voting there with voting forms. It is thereby intended to exercise a check as to whether the No-votes deposited in these places actually appear on the plebiscite result. If any observations of this nature are made, they should be reported immediately. B. Catholicism: The attitude of the clergy deserves special attention. 1. What effects did the declaration of the German-Austrian bishops have on the clergy and the believers? 2. Was any attitude expressed during church services and similar meetings? 3. Have any official ecclesiastical declarations with regard to plebiscite or to the Austrian "Anschluss" and the declaration of the German-Austrian bishops become known? (Exact text is to be submitted). 4. Has any attitude been expressed towards the papal counterdeclaration which was broadcast by the Vatican radio and which rejected both the declaration of the Austrian bishops and the attitude of the "Schwarzen Korps"? C. Protestantism. Special attitude of the clergy is to be observed. 1. What official ecclesiastical declarations became known with regard to the Austrian Anschluss? 2. Was any attitude expressed about the Anschluss or the plebiscite during services? 3. What comment did the Church press make? 4. Has the "Bildblatt" der deutschen evangelischen Kirche zur Volksabstimmung am 10. 4. 1938 ("Feuilleton" of the German Protestant Church for the Plebiscite on 10. 4. 1938) (16 pages long) been distributed? 5. Were the bells of all religious communities rung on the evening of 9. 4. 1938, following the Fuehrer's speech in Vienna? 6. Were any confirmations celebrated on 10. 4. 1938?. D. Freemasons. 1. What was the opinion about the Austrian Anschluss in the various Freemason circles? 2. Have any contacts of German Freemasons with Austria or journeys to Austria become known? E. Jewry. What is the attitude of Jewish circles towards the completed Austrian Anschluss and the impending plebiscite? Special reports are to be submitted as soon as possible about points A-E. It is suggested that the election officials are contacted in a suitable manner where necessary. The exertion of any kind of pressure must, however, be desisted from. Furthermore, all observations which are made in various fields on the occasion of the plebiscite on 10. 4. 38 are to be reported in the form of special messages. [(4a) (3)] Security Service of the Reichsfuehrer SS. Sub Sector Thuringia/Erfurt. Branch Office Weissensee To the Branch Office, Erfurt. Gispersleben, 25. 4. 1938 Subject: "No"-voters in Weissensee. Election on 10. 4. 1938. Previous correspondence: See preceding report. Enclosed are the data forms relating to the 7 "No"-voters. The following procedure was employed for finding them out: Prior to the election, Party Member Paul Fritsche of Jakobstrasse, Weissensee, Thuringia completed a register of all persons suspected of voting "No". On the election day every person included on this list received from a specially selected official a voting paper which was marked with a number imprinted by means of a colorless typewriter. The number of this voting paper was entered by the official in the above-mentioned register after the voter's name. After the conclusion of the election the voting papers were sorted and all slips with an imprinted number taken out. With the help of the register, the action of the watched persons could be examined accurately. The names of the "No" voters have been reported to the local collaborator by the above-mentioned Party member Fritsche. [signed] R. WEINGART. [(4a) (4)] Gispersleben, 4. 5. 1938. Security Service of the Reichsfuehrer SS. Sub Sector Thuringia/Erfurt. Branch Office Weissensee. To the Branch Office Erfurt. Subject: Plebiscite on 10. 4. 1938 No previous correspondence. The following incident occurred at Soemmerda on election day: The tax-consultant Otto Zobel of No. 6 Raemenstrasse, Soemmerda entered the voting center. He received a voting paper and envelope there and contrary to the behavior of the other voters -took them into the voting booth. As Zobel is known as a fanatic Center Party adherent and as a man who is unfavorably inclined towards National Socialism, the election official, Albert Schumann of Dreyseplatz, Soemmerda, did not throw the envelope into the voting box immediately but tried to push it under the paper end which is situated on the voting box to cover the slit so as to be able to open the envelope later at an opportune moment. Zobel observed this procedure and drew the official's attention to the fact that the envelope had not been placed in the voting box at all. To avoid raising any suspicion the official Schumann then apologized saying that the envelope had got under the paper cover by mistake, and he then placed it unopened into the voting box. Zobel's behavior indicates that he did not wish the nature of his vote to become known. This fact, together with the abovementioned political attitude gives rise to the well-founded suspicion that Zobel voted "No." The above-named man has a tax-consulting office in Soemmerda. His personal data are as follows: Relation to the Party: Not a member of the N.S.D.A.P. Moved to Soemmerda the last time on 1st November 1933 from Fulda. [signed] R. WEINGART. [(4a) (5)] Erfurt, the 9th April 1938 Security Service of the Reichsfuehrer SS. Sub Sector Thuringia/Erfurt. Branch Office Erfurt. To all Ortsgruppenleiters of the N.S.D.A.P. of the Kreis of ErfurtWeissensee. On their appearance in your Ortsgruppen area for the purpose of carrying out their voting duty, the under-mentioned persons are to be specially watched and the Kreisleitung of Erfurt (Election Office SD.) is to be notified immediately: Kaufman, Karl Kaufman, Hedwig Paessler, Wilhelm Paessler, Margarete Stange, Otto Stange, Else Langhammer, Emil Fulle, Hildegard Pfotenhauer, Paul Wettwer, Elisabeth Hense, Karl Sonren, Josefine von Natusius, Walter Chrestensen, Karl Mueller, Heinrich Mueller, Else Schmidt-Henrici, Gerhard Kletschke, Gustav Ziegler, Karl Ziegler, Kaethe Grunewald, Berta Hense, Charlotte Grohmann, Paul von Nathusius, Erika By order of the Kreisleiter, this matter is to be treated as strictly confidential. The Aussenstellenleiter [Head of the Branch Office] [Signed]: HELFER SS. Oberscharfuehrer. [(4a) (6)] Gispersleben, 13. 4. 1938. Security Service of the Reichsfuehrer SS. Sub Sector Thuringia, Erfurt. Branch Office Weissensee. To the Branch Office Erfurt. Subject: Jehovah's Witness-Rob. Siering, Guenstedt. No previous correspondence. This is to notify you that the Jehovah's witnesses Robert Siering and his wife appeared in the voting center in Guenstedt on Sunday morning and deposited their vote, after both had been advised of their duty to vote by the police in Griefstedt and had been threatened with the removal of their child in case of nonparticipation. It has been ascertained beyond doubt, however, that they only handed in the empty envelope; it must be added though, that their names had already been struck off the voter's list, as they had left on Friday. [Signed] R. WEINGART. 1. TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT D-90 | Ortsgruppe Darmstadt-Schlossgarten 20 February 1939 Point 9, Ecclesiastical questions As the caretaker of the communal building of the St. Martin's community, Blockleiter and party member Keil informs me that meetings of the Confessional Front are again taking place at the St. Martin's institute, Mellerstrasse (Ortsgruppe Gutenberg), the public being excluded. Only the possessors of a red pass are admitted. Even the sexton who has to check these admission tickets can no longer attend these meetings since he left the Confessional Front. That these evenings do not serve ecclesiastical or rather "Christian edification" can already be seen from the fact that only a very limited circle are admitted. If the Confessional Front holds meetings behind tightly locked doors, then the contents of the "Bible classes"-or whatever other name is used as a pretenseare pretty obvious. Otherwise they need not be afraid of the light of publicity or hold secret sessions. Certainly the Gestapo is entitled to supervise the meetings, but they also can only gain admission there by showing their official passes, and the evening |