Berlin W 35
Margaretenstr. 17
Office Rosenberg No of entry 196. 20 Jan 40
submitted to RL Rosbg 1/20 Copies AR and Urban
Dear Party Member Rosenberg:
A few days ago you expressed to the Fuehrer at the Reich Chancellory that Reich Bishop Mueller had written an excellent book for the German soldier. I am of different opinion. This book familiarizes a new soldier who has already given up Christianity with partly camouflaged trains of thought.
As I have written to you already, I consider it the most essential demand of the hour that NS publications worth reading for the German soldier should be written immediately by your Office and other qualified National Socialists. This opinion has been confirmed by many regional Party leaders. Thus we set against the sale of Christian pamphlets the highly increased sale of national socialist publications which are popular.
Heil Hitler:
Yours
Signed: BORMANN
(M. Bormann)
TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 101-PS
National Socialist German Workers' Party
Munich 33, the Brown House
At Present, Berlin W 8,
17 Jan. 1940
Wilhelmstrasse 64 III—Dr. Kl/Gf
Rosenberg Chancellory
Entry No. 187—[? ?] 18 Jan. 40
Reich Director Rosenberg
—Shown 189
—Copy [? ?]
The Deputy of the Fuehrer Staff Director
To Reich Director Party Member Rosenberg
Berlin W 35 Margaretenstr. 17
Nearly all the districts report to me regularly, that the Churches of both confessions are administering spiritually to members of the Armed Forces. This administering finds its expression especially in the fact that soldiers are being sent religious publications by the spiritual leaders of the home congregations. These publications are in part very cleverly composed. I have repeated reports that these publications are being read by the troops and thereby exercise a certain influence on the morale.
I have in the past sought by sounding out the General Field Marshall, the High Command of the Armed Forces and Party Member Reich Director Amann, to restrict considerably the production and shipment of publications of this type. The result of these efforts remain unsatisfactory. As Reich Director [Reichsleiter] Amann has repeatedly informed me, the restriction of these pamphlets by means of the printing paper rationing has not been achieved because the paper used for the production of these writings is being purchased on the open market. Publications can only be confiscated by special police measures because they are designed to weaken the morale of the troops. Such police measures are really unsatisfactory and in their final execution very much disputed.
Likewise, the prior censorship of all writings by the High Command of the Armed Forces which takes place at the distribution points of the Armed Forces service bureau, is not sufficient in my opinion, to guarantee that the soldiers are not given an undesired influence by the Churches. A publication, the contents of which are clearly tied to the Christian dogma and which do not contain attacks against Party, State or the Armed Forces, can not in general be refused permission by this examining commission.