Nazi Conspiracy & Aggression (d) The Nazi conspirators supported their "legal" activities
by terrorism.
1. The Nazi conspirators created and utilized as a
Party formation the Sturmabteilungen (SA) a semi-military voluntary organization of young men trained for and com-
[Page 203]
mitted to the use of violence, whose mission was to
make the Party the master of the streets. The SA was
organized in 1921. As indicated by its name, it was a
voluntary organization of young men trained for and
committed to the use of violence. To quote from a
pamphlet compiled on order of the Supreme SA Headquarters:
"The SA was not founded as one forms just any sort of
club. It was born in midst of strife and received from
the Fuehrer himself the name "Storm Troops" after that
memorable hall battle in Hofbrauhaus at Munich on
4 November 1921. *******Blood and sacrifice were the most
faithful companions of the young SA on its hard path to
power. The Storm Troops were and still are today the fist and propaganda arm of
the movement". (2168-PS)
It was organized along semi-military lines from the
beginning. To quote again from the same official pamphlet:
"It is one of the greatest historical services of the
SA that at the time when the German People's Army had
to undergo a dissolution, it held high those virtues
which marked the German soldier: personal courage,
idealism, willingness to sacrifice, consciousness of
responsibility, power to decide, and leadership. Thus,
the SA became among the people the messenger and bearer
of German armed strength and German armed spirit.
"The 4th of November 1921 was not only the
birth hour of the SA by itself, but was the day from
which the young fighting troop of the Movement took its
stand at the focal point of political events. With the
clear recognition that now the unity (Geschlossenheit)
of a troop led to victory, the SA was systematically
reorganized and so-called "Centuries" (undertschaften)
were established *******" (2168-PS)
In March 1923, Goering took command of the entire SA. In
November 1923, SA units were used in the Munich Putsch. When
the Party was reorganized in 1925, the SA continued to be
the fighting organization of the Party. Again to quote the
official pamphlet on the SA:
"And now a fight for Germany began of such a sort as
was never before fought. What are names, what are words
or figures which are not indeed able to. express the
magnitude of belief and of idealism on one side and the
magnitude of hate on the other side.
[Page 204]
1925: the Party lives again, and its iron spearhead is
the SA. With it the power and meaning of the National
Socialist movement grows. Around the central events of
the whole Movement, the Reich Party Days, dates,
decisions, fights and victory roll themselves into a
long list of German men of undenying willingness to
sacrifice."
Mastery of the streets was at all times the mission of the
SA. While discussing his ideas as to the part which this
organization should play in the political activity of his
Party, Hitler stated:
"What we needed and still need were and are not a
hundred or two hundred reckless conspirators, but a
hundred thousand and a second hundred thousand fighters
for our philosophy of life. We should not work in
secret conventicles, but in mighty mass demonstrations,
and it is not by dagger and poison or pistol that the
road can be cleared for the movement but by the
conquest of the streets. We must teach the Marxists
that the future master of the streets is National
Socialism, just as it will some day be the master of
the State." (404-PS)
To quote again from the official SA pamphlet:
"Possession of the streets is the key to power in the
state -- for this reason the SA marched and fought. The
public would have never received knowledge from the
agitative speeches of the little Reichstag faction and
its propaganda or from the desires and aims of the
Party, if the martial tread and battle song of the SA
companies had not beat the measure for the truth of a
relentless criticism of the state of affairs in the
governmental system. *******
"The SA conquered for itself a place in public opinion
and the leadership of the National Socialist Movement
dictated to its opponents the law for quarrels. The SA
was already a state within a state; a part of the
future in a sad present." (2168-PS; for further
material concerning the SA, see Section 4 of Chapter XV.)
2. The Nazi conspirators constantly used physical violence
and terror to break up meetings of political opponents, and
to suppress opposition in their own meetings. The following
facts are indicative of the methods constantly used by the
Nazi conspirators during this period: On numerous occasions meetings of the Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft
[Page 205]
(Peace Society) were broken up and terrorized by shock
troops and SA units. Groups of National Socialists invaded
meetings of the society, interrupted the speaker, attempted
to attack him, and endeavored to make sufficient disturbance
so that the meetings would have to be cancelled. (L-83)
To quote once again from the official SA pamphlet:
"*******As an example of a seemingly impossible deed,
the 11th of February 1927 should be firmly preserved.
It is the day on which the SA broke the Red Terror,
with heavy sacrifice, in the hall battle at the
Pharaoh's Hall (Pharussaelen) in Berlin, the stronghold
of the Communists, and thereby established itself
decisively in the capitol city of the Reich. In
considering the badly wounded SA men, Dr. Goebbels
coined the phrase "unknown SA Man", who silently fights
and bleeds, obeying only his duty." (2168-PS)
In Berlin, under the leadership of Goebbels, so-called
Rollkommandos were organized for the purpose of disrupting
political meetings of all non-Nazi groups. These Roll
kommandos were charged with interrupting, making noise, and
unnerving the speaker. Finally the Nazis broke up
meetings by Rollkommando raids. In many cases, fights
resulted, during which furniture was destroyed and a number
of persons hurt. The Nazis armed themselves with blackjacks,
brass knuckles, rubber truncheons, walking sticks, and beer
bottles. After the Reichstag election of 1930, Nazi
terrorism became more overt, and from then on scarcely a day
went by when the Chief of the Security Police in Berlin did
not receive a minimum of five to ten reports, and often
more, of riots instigated by Nazis. (2955-PS)
During the campaign for the Reichstag election of 14 September
1930, Nazi conspirators made it a practice to send speakers
accompanied by many Storm Troopers to meetings of other
political parties, often physically taking over the
meetings. On one such occasion a large detachment of
Storm Troopers, some of whom were armed with pistols and
clubs, attended a meeting called by the Social Democratic
Party, succeeded in forcibly excluding everybody not in
sympathy with their views, and concluded the meeting as
their own. Such violent tactics, repeated many
times, were an integral part of the political creed of the
Nazi. (L-83)
[Page 206]
Ultimately, in Berlin, just before the Nazis seized power,
it was necessary to devote the entire Police Force to the
job of fighting the Nazis, thus leaving little time for
other Police duties. (2955-PS)
The Nazi conspirators constantly threatened their opponents
with organized reprisals and terror. During the course of
the trial of three officers of the Reichswehr for high
treason in Leipzig in September 1931, Hitler said:
"But I may assure you that if the Nazi movement's
struggle is successful, then there will be a Nazi Court
of Law too, the November 1918 revolution will be
atoned, and there'll be some heads chopped off." (2512-PS)
Frick wrote in the National Socialist Yearbook for 1930:
"No wonder that as the situation of the entire German
people, as well as that of
the individual racial comrade, grows rapidly worse,
increased numbers are realizing the incompetence of the
parliamentarian system, and no wonder that even some
who are responsible for the present system desperately
cry for a dictatorship. This however, will not save
them from their fate of one day being called to account
before a German State Tribunal." (274-PS)
On 7 October 1929, the National Socialist District leader
Terboven said in a meeting in Essen:
"This weakness is especially known to Severing, who
symbolizes the present State, and he intends to render
a service to the State, which is breathing its last;
but this too will no longer save the present corrupt
parliamentarian system. *******But I give such a
dictatorship only four weeks. Then the people will
awaken, then the National Socialists will come to
power, and then there will not be enough lamp posts in
Germany.
"The National Socialists will march into the new
Reichstag with thirty members; then there will be black
eyes every day in this Reichstag; thus this corrupt
parliamentarian system will be further discredited;
disorder and chaos will set in, and then the National
Socialists will judge the moment to have arrived in
which they are to seize the political power." (2513-PS)
On 18 October 1929, Frick, while discussing the Young Plan
in a meeting in Pyritz said:
[Page 207]
"This fateful struggle will first be taken up with the
ballot, but this cannot continue indefinitely, for
history has taught us that in a battle, blood must be
shed, and iron broken. The ballot is the beginning of
this fateful struggle. We are determined to promulgate
by force that which we preach. Just as Mussolini
exterminated the Marxists in Italy, so must we also
succeed in accomplishing the same through dictatorship
and terror." (2513-PS)
In December 1932, Frick, at that time Chairman of the
Foreign Affairs Committee of the Reichstag, stated to a
fellow member of that committee:
"Don't worry, when we are in power we shall put all of
you guys into concentration camps." (L-83)
4. The Nazi conspirators openly approved acts of terrorism
committed by their subordinates. On 22 August 1932, five
National Socialists were condemned to death for a murder in
the town of Potempa. Hitler wired to the condemned men:
"My Comrades! Faced with this terrible blood sentence,
I feel myself bound to you in unlimited faithfulness.
Your liberty is from this moment a question of our
honor. To fight against a Government under which such a
thing could happen is our duty." (2532-PS; 2511-PS)
Goering, two days later sent the following telegram to the
condemned men:
"In nameless embitterment and rage against the terror
sentence which has struck you, I promise you, My
Comrades, that our whole fight from now on will be for
your freedom. You are no murderers. You have defended
the life and the honor of your Comrades. I send to your
families today 1,000 Marks which I have received from your
friends. Be courageous. More than 14,000,000 of the best Germans
have made your interest their own." (2634-PS)
On 2 September 1932, the death sentences were commuted to
imprisonment for life. In 1933, after the Nazis came into
power, the five were set free (2532-PS)
Soon after coming to power the Nazi conspirators took steps
to grant a general amnesty for all unlawful acts, including
acts of violence, committed by their adherents in the course
of their struggle for power. On 21 March 1933 a decree was
promulgated, signed by von Hindenburg,
[Page 208]
Hitler, Frick, and von Papen granting amnesty "For penal
acts committed in the national revolution of the German
People, in its preparation or in the fight for the German
soil". (059-PS)
The original plaintext version of
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Volume
I Chapter VII
Means Used by the Nazi Conspiractors in Gaining Control of the German State
(Part 9 of 55)