Page 180 - Was Hitler a Riddle?

The American Diplomats 167

bassy learned “on what is believed to be good authority” that in Prussia
alone five hundred pastors had been taken into custody or put under house
arrest for several days because they planned to read a manifesto stating their
religious convictions in their churches. Niemöller, now the leader of the
opposition, was sent to prison even though he had made no effort to read
the manifesto. in fact, he had gone into hiding but was apprehended by
the secret police. to tighten its control over the confessional churches, the
government in the spring of 1935 issued a decree prohibiting all teachers at
seminaries from participating in the unfolding controversies over doctrine
and appointments. 54
When all these repressive measures failed to silence the confessionals
or the Catholic critics of the New Order—the latter were especially dis-
traught over the Nazi program of sterilizing mentally disabled people, a
practice introduced in July 1933—the government decided to step up the
campaign against the clerical opposition. On July 18, 1935, Göring issued
an edict calling on local officials and the state secret police to “proceed with
greatest energy against clerical adversaries of the Nazi regime.” at the same
time, Hitler appointed Hanns Kerrl as minister of church affairs. it was an
appointment that brought a chill to everyone with reservations about the
regime’s policies. Kerrl was known to be close to reich Bishop Müller and,
in addition, had a reputation for resorting to violence in his dealings with
political opponents. as president of the Prussian diet, “he was wont to
quell opposition by heaving ink pots and other light missiles” at those who
disagreed with him, and many confessionals expected him to use similar
methods against them even though there was speculation that he would
first concentrate on disciplining Catholic Church activists. 55
Kerrl took his time in imposing his will on the religious opposition, but
within a few months he had made substantial headway in weakening it.
He was no doubt encouraged by a speech Hitler delivered on august 11,
1935, in rosenheim. J. C. White, counselor of embassy, cleverly noted in
a dispatch he wrote “For the ambassador [dodd]” that the Führer, who
had generally stayed in the background during the controversies with the
religious opposition, now provided his supporters with a powerful argu-
ment in favor of silencing those who resisted his will. in a carefully crafted
speech, he claimed that as the leader of Germany he was doing the lord’s
work. “We have never feared a battle in the past, nor do we today. if . . .
[our opponents] want a battle they can have it. We will throw them down
so hard that for the next 15 years they will have no desire to continue the