tagonist who, in this connection, was far more efficient than Pastor Kempf of Eschellbruecken, who is after all responsible for Hahn. 2. Instructions to all Kreis and Ortsgruppen organisationsleiters regarding installing and keeping card indexes of households. Since my instruction of the 1st May 1938, Circular No. O. 51/38 is in some respects out of date, I hereby withdraw it, and it thus loses its validity. So that the keeping of card indices of households should be uniform in all Ortsgruppen, including those newly formed in 1938, the following directives should be strictly adhered to: 1. The sense and purpose of card indexing households. The card index of households serves to contain a card index all Germans united in the same household. It must give a clear picture of every individual living in the household. The precise personal data, entries regarding joining the Party, its organizations, affiliated bodies, etc., serve as a basis for statistical inquiries and, combined with the entries on the back of the card index of households, for the political judgment of the members of a household. An all-embracing judgment going into all details, such as family circumstances, financial position, former and present, political and ideological views, as well as attitude on the occasion of the "Eintopf"* and other collections of the NSV, must enable the Ortsgruppenleiter to give at any moment a judgment of the household member concerned which is sufficient in all respects. If correctly kept, the household card index provides the most important data for the Ortsgruppenleiter and Organisationsleiter. *** *[Translator's note: "Eintopf"-a one dish meal which had to be laid down for every household at intervals, the difference in the cost of this and a full meal being contributed by the household to the National Socialist Welfare Organization-the NSV.] 3. Confidential treatment of the household card index The household card index must be kept in the Ortsgruppe office in a cupboard or chest which can be locked. 4. Entries in the Index Only the Ortsgruppen-Organisationsleiter, or his representative, makes entries on the index cards. It is forbidden to get other persons to make entries. 5. Lists for the Blockleiters. The Blockleiters must be in possession of lists which contain the same printed text as the household card index and which are to be provided with the necessary entries by the Blockleiters (family status, Party membership, membership of an organization, affiliated body, etc.) Nothing is to be mentioned in these lists about a political judgment. *** 6. Reports on alterations of the organizations and affiliated bodies. 7. Reich order for reporting According to the Reich order for reporting, see the Gaumitteilungsblatt of August 1938, page 5, reports of any changes in residence, marriages, births and deaths are "sent to the Ortsgruppen by the bureaux for the registration of inhabitants or the Registry Offices as they come in; immediately on receipt of this information it must be used to amend the household card indexes * * * " 8. Change of residence within the Gau of Cologne-Aachen In the case of people who have moved from the zone of the Ortsgruppe, the cards of the index are to be sent immediately fully entered up to the Kreisorganisationsleiter dealing with the old place of residence * * * 9. Change of residence to another Gau area In the case of persons who have moved to another Gau area, the household cards are to be delivered to the former Ortsgrupper in alphabetical order marked "moved" 10. Filling in the index cards Index cards must be filled in uniformly either in typewriting or neatly in ink. Data concerning political judgment is to be entered in pencil, so that any necessary alterations (such as church connections; conduct at the "Eintopf" and other collections, etc.) can be carried out. In case of membership of the Party, an organization, an affiliated body etc., the exact date of joining, according to the membership card, is to be entered. A brief remark "Yes" is not permitted. Furthermore, the membership number and rank are to be entered under all circumstances, as well as the appropriate Sturm and Standart number in the case of members of the SA, SS, etc. The entry "Children" is to be used only for children up to the 18th year (completed 17th year). The most precise information is to be obtained on military position and corresponding entries are to be made. It is here very important to state on the household index card whether the head of the household possesses a military identity card and when he performed his training in the new Wehrmacht. All other entries are to be made with similar care. It is thus to be recorded since when the "Voelkischer Beobachter" was subscribed to, whether the family already possessed a swastika flag before the 1935 flag law, and what wireless apparatus is available in the household, i. e. "Mende 3 valve, one resonance circuit". It is easy to obtain this data from conversation by Blockleiters with the German concerned. 12. Political judgment In the lower part of the back of the card, detailed entries are to be made about the social and economic circumstances of every household member or sub-tenant, about their reputation, their former and present political reliability, etc. *** The political judgment of every German is to be carried out by the Ortsgruppen Organisationsleiter in cooperation with the competent Block and Zellenleiter as well as in agreement with the Ortsgruppenleiter * * * TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT D-902 Erfurt, 7 April 1938 To the Erfurt Branch Office of the Security Service (SD) of the Reichsfuehrer SS. Confidential After thorough and most careful examination in the area of the Ortsgruppe of Melchendorf and in the closest cooperation with the Ortsgruppenleiter, we have come to the following conclusion: The following persons will with 100 percent probability vote "No" at the forthcoming plebiscite on the 10th April 1938: 1. Wilhelm Messing, plumber, Trift 49 h, Melchendorf, and his wife. 2. Walter Messing, carpenter, Trift 49 h, Melchendorf, and his wife. 3. Fritz Kranhold, lorry driver, No. 75 k, Melchendorf, and his wife. Explanation: (1) Wilhelm Messing (taken into protective custody in 1933 because of illegal activity for the Communist Party and printing illegal inciting pamphlets, and later given a long term of penal servitude.) (2) Walter Messing (also taken into protective custody in 1933 for slandering the SA). The wives of both Messings are greatly influenced by their husbands. (3) Fritz Kranhold (taken into protective custody in 1933 and given a long term of penal servitude for distributing illegal propaganda pamphlets). The wife has been greatly influenced by K. The farmer and house owner Hermann Leidel, living at No. 95 Hohenwindenstr, has already twice been fined several thousand Reichsmarks for insulting the late Reich President Hindenburg and for slighting the government of the Third Reich. Imprisonment could not be awarded as L. suffers from diabetes. He only rarely replies to the Heil Hitler salute, and then only if forced to do so. According to his remarks, he is not at all satisfied with the institutions of the Third Reich. For these reasons it may be assumed almost with certainty that Leidel will either vote "No" or hand in a blank paper. Supervision therefore seems to be called for. Erfurt, 5.4.38. Note: His wife has the same attitude. Report Guenther Hartung, 113 Johanesstrasse, Wallstrasse entrance, must be reported as being an enemy of the State and opposed to the plebiscite. Hartung must be described as a morally totally degenerate man and it is necessary to lock the same up in spite of his age (70 years). Among other things, he referred to the German troops on their entry into Austria as loafers. Sufficient witnesses as to Hartung are available. Erfurt, 8.4.38. Subject: Secret Order 2 Hospitalplatz, Erfurt, born 16.12.1912 38a Kraempferstr., Erfurt, born 23.11.1872 I Hospitalplatz, Erfurt, born 17.10.1862 I Hospitalplatz, Erfurt, born 16. 8.1899 Kurt Roediger 46 233 Erfurt, 11.4.1938 Report in Connection with the Plebiscite of the 10 April 1938 The supervision of the voting that took place after previous discussion was technically impossible to carry out. The returning officer acting in election district No. 40 is so intimately known in this district that the voters put their envelopes with their voting slips into his hand without further ado. Any kind of secret marking of the voting envelopes was therefore hardly possible. A general passing on of the information regarding the measures that had been taken to the entire polling council could by no means take place. Nevertheless, it was possible to keep an eye on some of our fellow Germans who are not well disposed towards us. However, regarding this also, an exact statement cannot be made for reasons of justice. For example, the voting envelopes of the family of the former Master Freemason, senior post office employee Hertel, 40 Steigerstr. were marked. As, however, only one of the voters in question recorded a "No" vote, it cannot be stated whether this vote was recorded by Hertel himself or by his wife. According to the experience I have gained during my 5 years of political activity in the Steiger quarter, the "No" vote recorded can only be that of Hertel himself. As several voting slips were handed in with neither "No" nor "Yes", I consider it to be urgently necessary to have the following fellow Germans visited by an unknown agent, calling with National Socialist pamphlets and also cleverly going into the present political situation. In any case, it is remarkable that the originals of the voting |