9. PROPAGANDA, CENSORSHIP AND SUPERVISIONOF CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

“It is precisely our German people, that today broken down, lies defenseless against the kicks of the rest of the world who need that suggestive force that lies in self-confidence. But thisself-confidence has to be instilledinto the young fellow-citizen from childhood on. His entire education and development has to be directed at giving himthe convictionof being absolutely superior to others. With this physical force and skill he has again to win the belief in the invincibility of his entire nationality. For what once led the German army to victory was the sum of the confidence which the individual and all in common had in their leaders. The confidence inthe possibility of regaining its freedomis what will restore the German people. But this conviction must be the final product of the same feeling of millions of individuals.” (404-PS; see also2901-PS)

Again inMein KampfHitler said:

“The racial State will have to see to it that there will be a generation which by a suitable education will be ready for the final and ultimate decision on this globe. The nation which enters first on this course will be the victorious one.” (404-PS)

The law of the Hitler Youth provides in part as follows:

“The future of the German nation depends on its youth, and the German youth shall have to be prepared for its future duties. * * *“The German youth besides being reared within the family and school, shall be educated physically, intellectually and morally in the spirit of National Socialism to serve the people and community, through the Hitler Youth.” (1392-PS)

“The future of the German nation depends on its youth, and the German youth shall have to be prepared for its future duties. * * *

“The German youth besides being reared within the family and school, shall be educated physically, intellectually and morally in the spirit of National Socialism to serve the people and community, through the Hitler Youth.” (1392-PS)

On May 1, 1938 Hitler said in a speech to the youth:

“Since the victory of the Movement, under whose banner you stand, there has been completed within our people the unification of heart (innere Einigung) of the Germans. And as wages for this work of ours Providence has given us Greater Germany (Grossdeutschland).This unification is no gift of chance, it is the result of a systematic education of our people by the National Socialist Movement.. . . . And this education begins with the individual at an age when he is not already burdened with preconceived ideas. The youth is the stone which is to go to the building of our new Reich! You are Greater Germany! In you is being formed the community of the German people. Before the single leader there stands a Reich, before the single Reich stands a people, and before the single people stands German youth! When I see you my faith in the future of Germany has no bounds, nothing can shake it. For I know that you will fulfill all that we hope of you. So I greet you today on this 1st of May in our new great Germany: for you are our spring. In you will and shall be completed that for which generations and centuries have striven, Germany!” (2454-PS)

(2)The Nazi conspirators destroyed or took over all other youth organizations.The first Nazi youth League (Nationalsocialistischen Jugendbund) was organized in 1922. In 1925 the Hitler Youth was officially recognized by the Nazi Party and became a Junior Branch of the SA. In 1931 Baldur von Schirach was appointed Reichs Youth Leader of the NSDAP with the rank of SAGruppenfuehrer. (1458-PS)

When the Nazi conspirators came to power the Hitler Jugend was a minor organization among many youth associations in Germany. At the end of 1932 it had only 107,956 members—less than 5 percent of the total youth population of Germany (2435-PS). Schirach was appointed “Jugendfuehrer des Deutschen Reichs” (Youth Leader of the German Reich), in June 1933. In this position he was directly responsible to Hitler for the education and training of the German youth outside of the home and school in accordance with the ideology of the Nazi Party. (1458-PS)

In June of 1933 on orders of Schirach, an armed band of Hitler youths occupied by force the headquarters of the Reich Committee of The German Youth Associations and took over all files and personnel records of the youth leagues represented by the Committee. By the same method the offices and property (including all youth hostels in Germany) of the Reich Association for German Youth Hostels was seized, and a Nazi representative of Schirach put in charge (1458-PS). By decree dated 22 June 1933 Schirach dissolved the Grossdeutsches Bund and all of its affiliated organizations and took over their property; he dissolved The Reich Committee of The German Youth Associations, and required all other youth organizations to make a complete report of all organizational information, including names of all officers and members and inventory of all funds and property (2229-PS). The Youth Associations of all political parties and of all labor organizations were dissolved by decree of Schirach. By virtue of these decrees all youth organizations except those sponsored by the Catholic and Protestant Churches were abolished or incorporated in the Hitler Jugend (1458-PS;2260-PS). The Nazi-appointed Reichsbishop Mueller entered into an agreement with Schirach which transferred all members of the Evangelical Youth to the Hitler Jugend and provided that the Hitler Jugend alone would provide the state political and physical education of the Protestant youth. By the end of 1933 only the Catholic Youth organization remained untouched. (1458-PS)

The Concordat entered into with the Holy See on July 20, 1933 provided for the continuance of the Catholic Youth Association(2655-PS). Contrary to the provisions of the Concordat, the Nazi conspirators immediately set out to smash the Catholic Youth organization and to force all young people into the Hitler Youth. Ten days after the signing of the Concordat, Schirach issued an order forbidding simultaneous membership in the Hitler Jugend and the Catholic Youth League (2456-PS). In 1934 Schirach wrote, “The denominational youth league (Catholic Youth Association) has no right to exist in our time.” (1458-PS). A year later Catholic youth associations were forbidden to wear uniforms, to assemble publicly, to wear insignia, or to engage in outdoor sport activity (1482-PS). Additional pressure was exerted on the Catholic Youth by the requirement of membership in the Hitler Youth as a prerequisite of public employment (2451-PS;2900-PS). Finally, in 1937, Schirach announced:

“The struggle for the unification of the German Youth is finished.I considered it as my duty to conduct it in a hard and uncompromising manner. Many might not have realized why we went through so much trouble for the sake of the youth. And yet the National Socialist German Workers Party, whose trustee I felt I always was and always will be, this party consideredthe struggle for the youth as the decisive elementfor the future of the German nation.” (2306-PS)

(3)The Nazi conspirators made membership in the Hitler Jugend compulsory.The Hitler Youth Law of 1936 provided that “All of the German Youth in the Reich is organized within the Hitler Youth.” (1392-PS). Executive decrees later implemented this law by the establishment of severe penalties against anyone who deterred a youth from service in the Hitler Jugend, and confirmed the policy of excluding Jews from membership.

The Hitler Jugend had been from its inception a formation of the Nazi Party. By virtue of the 1936 Youth Law it became an agency of the Reich Government while still retaining its position as a formation of the Nazi Party. (1392-PS).

The membership statistics of the Hitler Jugend to 1940 were:

And BDM (League of German Girls)—440,789. (2435-PS)

(4)Through the Hitler Jugend the Nazi conspirators imbued the youth with Nazi ideology and prepared them for membership in the Party and its formations.Schirach said:

“I am responsible to the Reich that the entire youth of Germany will be educated physically, morally and spiritually in the spirit of the National Socialist Idea of the State.” (2306-PS)

Mein Kampfwas regarded as the “Bible” of the Hitler Jugend (1458-PS). On entering theJungvolkat the age of 10, children took the following oath:

“In the presence of this blood-banner which represents our Fuehrer I swear to devote all my energies, and my strength to the Savior of our Country, Adolf Hitler. I am willing and ready to give up my life for him, so help me God. One People, one Reich, one Fuehrer.” (2441-PS)

The Hitler Jugend organization operated solely on the Leadership Principle. The leader was always appointed from above and the leader’s will was absolute. (1458-PS;2306-PS;2436-PS;2438-PS)

The Master Race doctrine and anti-semitism, including physical attacks on the Jews, was taught systematically in the Hitler Jugend training program. (2436-PS;L-360-H;2441-PS)

The Hitler Jugend indoctrinated the youth with the idea that war is a noble activity. (1458-PS;2436-PS)

The Hitler Jugend, in accordance with the policy of the Nazi Party, emphasized the importance and demanded the return of the colonies which had been taken from Germany by the “Versailles Shame Dictate.” (1458-PS;2436-PS;2440-PS;2441-PS)

The Hitler Jugend taught that the guiding principle of German policy was the utilization of the space to the East (1458-PS;2439-PS). All activities carried on in support of the demands for modification of the Versailles Treaty, the restoration of colonies, and the acquisition of additional living space were closely coordinated with the (VDA)Verein fuer das Deutschtum in Ausland(Office of Germans in foreign countries). (L-360-H)

In order to carry out the program of indoctrination of the youth, more than 765,000 were actively engaged as Hitler Youth leaders by May 1939. Youth leaders were thoroughly trained, many of them in special “Youth Leaders” schools (2435-PS). More than 200,000 political indoctrination meetings (Heimabend) were held weekly. Each community was required by law to provide a suitable meeting house for the Hitler Jugend. Training and propaganda films were produced on an elaborate scale.In the winter of 1937-38 more than three million youths attended showings of these films. The Hitler Jugend press and propaganda office published at least thirteen magazines and large numbers of other publications and yearbooks appealing to all age groups and to the various interest groups of the youth. (2435-PS)

One of the most important functions of the Hitler Jugend was to prepare the youth for membership in the Party and its formations. Hitler said at the Reichsparteitag, 1935:

“He alone, who owns the youth, gains the Future! Practical consequences of this doctrine: The boy will enter theJungvolk(boy 10-14) and thePimpf(members of theJungvolk) will come to the Hitler Youth, and the boy of the Hitler Youth will join the SA, the SS and the other formations, and the SA man and the SS man will one day join the Labor Service, and from there he will go to the Armed Forces, and the soldiers of the people will return again to the organization of Movement, the Party, the SA, the SS, and never again will our people be so depraved as they were at one time.” (2656-PS;2401-PS)

TheStreifendienst, a special formation of the Hitler Jugend, was organized by virtue of an agreement between Himmler and Schirach for the purpose of securing and training recruits for the SS, with special emphasis on securing recruits for the Deaths Head Troops of the SS (concentration camp guards). (2396-PS)

The farm service section of the Hitler Jugend also became a cadet corps of the SS by reason of the agreement entered into between Himmler and Schirach in 1938. This formation was to train for SS membership youths especially suited to becomeWehrbauer(militant peasants), who were to be settled in places where the Nazis needed especially trained farmers. (2567-PS)

In 1937 the Adolf Hitler Schools were established in order to indoctrinate boys selected by the Party to be the future leaders of the Nazi state. The schools were operated by the Hitler Jugend for the Party. Boys entered at the age of 12 and remained in the school until 18 years of age. (2653-PS)

(5)The Nazi conspirators used the Hitler Jugend for extensive pre-military training of youth.In 1933 the Hitler Youth, in cooperation with the SA and the Wehrmacht, entered into a secret program of extensive pre-military training of the youth (1850-PS). Extensive pre-military training was carried on in all age groups of the Hitler Youth in close cooperation with the Wehrmacht. (2438-PS;2441-PS;1992-PS)

In addition to general military training, specialized training was given in special formations. These included:

Hitler Jugend Flying UnitsHitler Jugend Naval UnitsHitler Jugend Motorized UnitsHitler Jugend Signal UnitsHitler Jugend Medical UnitsHitler Jugend Musical Units. (2654-PS).

Hitler Jugend Flying Units

Hitler Jugend Naval Units

Hitler Jugend Motorized Units

Hitler Jugend Signal Units

Hitler Jugend Medical Units

Hitler Jugend Musical Units. (2654-PS).

The extent of the military training in 1937 was set out by Hitler in a speech at Berlin.

“The Naval Hitler Youth comprises 45,000 boys, the Motor Hitler Youth 60,000 boys. As part of the campaign for the encouragement of aviation 55,000 members of the Jungvolk were trained in gliding for group activities; 74,000 boys of the Hitler Youth are organized in its flying units; 15,000 boys passed their gliding test in the year 1937 alone.“Today 1,200,000 boys of the Hitler Youth receive regular instructions in small-bore rifle shooting from 7,000 instructors.” (2454-PS; see also2441-PS.)

“Today 1,200,000 boys of the Hitler Youth receive regular instructions in small-bore rifle shooting from 7,000 instructors.” (2454-PS; see also2441-PS.)

A formal agreement between the Wehrmacht and the Hitler Jugend was published 11 August 1939. It recites that whereas 30,000 Hitler Jugend leaders had been trained annually in shooting and field exercises, the number would be doubled; that 60,000,000 shots had been fired in Hitler Youth training courses in 1938 and that a considerable increase in the figure was expected. The agreement recognized the close cooperation that existed between the Hitler Jugend and the Wehrmacht in the military training of youth and provided for a far more extensive program. (2398-PS)

A.The party organization.

(1)The Reichspropagandaleitung(Party Propaganda Department) (RPL). This office was founded in 1932, as the central propaganda control office headed by Goebbels. Its functions were:

(a) To direct, supervise and synchronize propaganda within the Nazi movement.

“Propaganda of the NSDAP, its formations and affiliated associations is the responsibility of theReichspropagandaleiter.“He determines all manifestations of the Movement, including its formations and affiliated associations, with regard to propaganda.“He issues the directives for the Party, including its formations and affiliated associations, for the realization of the cultural wishes of the Fuehrer.” (2319-PS)

“Propaganda of the NSDAP, its formations and affiliated associations is the responsibility of theReichspropagandaleiter.

“He determines all manifestations of the Movement, including its formations and affiliated associations, with regard to propaganda.

“He issues the directives for the Party, including its formations and affiliated associations, for the realization of the cultural wishes of the Fuehrer.” (2319-PS)

These functions were organized vertically through a close network ofGauleiters,Kreisleiters, andOrtsgruppenleiterswhich reached even the smallest communities. In addition, synchronization of propaganda within the Movement was guaranteed through theReichsring fuer National-Sozialistische Propaganda und Volksaufklaerung, (National Socialist Organization for Propaganda and People’s Enlightenment), an office within theReichspropagandaleitung. TheReichsringconstituted the center of control responsible for the complete coordination of Party and Movement in the field of propaganda.

“TheReichsring* * * had the task to ensure the uniform direction of propaganda of all formations and affiliated associations through the Party.” (2319-PS)

(b) To imbue the Nazi Movement and the people with Nazi ideology.

“(TheReichspropagandaleiter) upon his initiative, is concerned with the permeation of German people with the National Socialist ideology.“He enlightens the people about the achievements of Party and State.“He controls the entire German wireless system with regard to its internal organizational, cultural and economic possibilities;“Press, radio and film are in the service of propaganda.” (2319-PS)

“(TheReichspropagandaleiter) upon his initiative, is concerned with the permeation of German people with the National Socialist ideology.

“He enlightens the people about the achievements of Party and State.

“He controls the entire German wireless system with regard to its internal organizational, cultural and economic possibilities;

“Press, radio and film are in the service of propaganda.” (2319-PS)

“The liaison officer has the task of centralizing all contacts with the Reich Ministries, public authorities, and corporations and to establish all such contacts with same * * *”. (2319-PS)

(d) To investigate the effectiveness of Nazi propaganda. This function was assigned to the lower grades of the Party leadership, and to regional and local officials, who assembled and analyzed information on public reaction to the current content of propaganda.

(e) Other activities of theReichspropagandaleitungwere discharged by numerous functional departments which included,inter alia, “Hauptstellen” (Main Bureaus) or offices for the following:

1.Press—preparation of all propaganda material issued byReichspropagandaleitungfor dissemination to newspapers.2.Exhibits and fairs—supervision of propaganda aspects of exhibits and fairs in which the Party participated.3.Mass or “Aktive” propaganda—organization of propaganda campaigns within the movement; training and supplying speakers with propaganda materials.4.Films—Popularization of Nazi-inspired films; photographing official rallies.5.Radio—radio propaganda.6.Culture—making all forms of art conform to Nazi standards.

Other Bureaus included Architecture, Style and Design, Works of Art, Formulation of Programs, and Training of Speakers. (2319-PS)

TheReichspropagandaleitungwas regionally organized intoGau-,Kreis-, andOrtsgruppenpropagandaaemter(Gau, district, and local propaganda offices). TheGaupropagandaleiter(leader of theGaupropaganda office) was at the same time theGaurepresentative of the Chamber of Culture (Landeskulturwalter) and in most cases also represented the regional office of the Propaganda Ministry, so that on the lower levels, Party and State propaganda were completely unified. (2315-PS)

(2)The office of Reichspressechef(Reich Press Chief).

The office of Reich Press Chief of the NSDAP was created in1934 by decree of the Fuehrer (2319-PS). The functions of this office were exclusive:

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