The Thousand Conspiracy - Secret Germany Behind the Mask
Paul Winkler
Charles Scribner�s Sons�1943
New York
381 pps. � First Edition � Out-of-print
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"I know no way of judging the future but by the past."
PATRICK HENRY
[Speech at the Virginia Assembly, May 1765]
--[4a]--
CHAPTER IV
THE FEHME MURDERS
THE DEFEAT OF 1918 wrought considerable changes in the political organization
of Germany. The monarchic system having borne the entire blame for the
debacle, the German people now carried through their democratic revolt. The
Hohenzollerns were banished and the Republic was set up.
The Prusso-Teutonic caste, composed of Junkers, officers and officials, had
been well served by the Hohenzollerns. First they brought about the
secularization of the Order's State and later, on the initiative of Bismarck,
achieved complete Prusso-Teutonic seizure of the whole of Germany. The
HohenzolIerns retained the confidence of this caste until 1918. But when the
World War ended in defeat for Germany, the Hohenzollern family became a most
convenient scapegoat. A few individual members of the Prusso-Teutonic caste
continued sentimental relations with Wilhelm II. For the group as a whole,
however, the Emperor no longer existed, since to disciples of the cruel
Teutonic philosophy any defeat is tantamount to suicide.
Germany seemed to be passing through the same transformation which both
America and France had experienced almost a century and a half before. The
Rightist parties, whose popularity had greatly declined in the course of
these events, could not muster enough strength to oppose this political
development. But the Prusso-Teutonic forces, accustomed to working in
obscurity and to preparing their positions long in advance, did not feel
vanquished by all this. To them the defeat represented a temporary setback to
the execution of their plans.
Sacrifice of the Hohenzollerns seemed to appease the wrath of the world; so
that the Prusso-Teutonic clique was able to reorganize its forces quietly and
prepare to resume control of the affairs of Germany. It was concerned, first
of all, with terrorizing those unfortunates who had had, after the defeat of
1918, the unhappy idea of introducing a democratic regime and spirit into
Germany. It was also necessary to eliminate the leaders of the democratic
parties.
To gain time it would be necessary to hold friendly relations with England
for a while and in the meantime to prepare for other conquests. But for many
years the Prusso-Teutonic forces could pay no attention to foreign politics
because internal political problems in Germany more urgently demanded
solutions, and these had to be worked out methodically.
Could the Rightist parties, many of whose members were faithful servants of
the Prusso-Teutonic forces, no longer be useful in the Reichstag, as in
Bismarck's time? Granted-but what difference would this make? The
Prusso-Teutonics did not intend to bother with the Reichstag�they would use
methods completely opposite to those of parliament. Moreover, methods of this
type would be closer to the traditions of the Prusso-Teutonic group than
would any parliamentary procedure. Bismarck himself had accepted the
parliamentary system only after much hesitation and with a certain amount of
resignation. He had found it a difficult task to get this system accepted by
his Junket friends. These new methods, which at the same time were very old,
called for terror through assassination.
Familiar Memories
The Prusso-Teutonic forces, never acting openly, had the ingenious idea of
reviving and making use of a Germanic institution of the Middle Ages, the
Fehme. The Felime was a sort of secret society which set itself up as a
tribunal in all matters. Its members were at the same time judges and
executors of decisions.
In the three and a half years following the Armistice, from 1919 to June 24,
1922, the date of Rathenau's murder, some 354 political assassinations were
perpetrated in Germany by the various "national revival" organizations. For
only two of these crimes, the assassinations of Rathenau and Eisner, was any
punishment meted out, and this was extremely light. Despite the fact that the
various State police forces were officially republican organizations, usually
they allowed the assassins to escape. In those cases, however, where the
killers were actually arrested by overzealous officials, they were acquitted,
or at best fined or condemned to imprisonment for a ridiculously small period
on some silly ground, for example, the carrying of guns without a permit.
Count Arco, who had assassinated Eisner, leader of the Bavarian Left, was
sentenced to death in January, 1920, but his sentence was commuted to
imprisonment for life. This actually consisted in his doing some vague farm
work near the prison. Finally on April 13, 1924, his sentence was suspended
and he was set free. Shortly thereafter he was appointed director of the
"Sueddeutsche Lufthansa," a major aviation concern controlled by the Reich.
These assassinations occurred with a regularity that baffled the general
public, and yet they seemed to be part of an organized plan. Soon people
began to speak of the "Fehme" in connection with these crimes, comparing the
assassinations with the "executions" of the notorious secret German tribunal
of past centuries-which the recent crimes resembled in many respects. In
1920,1922,1924 and in 1931, the German writer, E. J. Gumbel, published works
which attempted to expose the organizations responsible for these outrages,
and to draw the attention of the German public to the criminal complicity of
the judicial machinery of the Reich and the other authorities with the Fehme
murderers. In his four books, Gumbel assem-bled considerable documentation
concerning these postwar "executions." But his appeals and warnings were in
vain, and the Fehme was able to continue its activities unhindered.
Despite public belief to the contrary, Gumbel did not relate these crimes to
the blood tribunal of the Middle Ages. He considered the word "Fehme" simply
an expression well chosen by the murderers to point up the actual resemblance
between the two institutions. We shall probably never know exactly what
information was contained in the heavy file the Bavarian deputy, Karl
Gareis,* had planned to present to the Bavarian Landtag concerning the
political crimes of that time. A few days after he announced his intention of
discussing the material he had assembled, he was shot to death in the street.
The two men who participated in his assassination escaped and were never
apprehended. In any case, we know this much: that Gareis had spoken of a
"conspiracy going back a thousand years" which he intended to reveal. He must
have been referring to one of the only two German organizations which stemmed
from the Middle Ages: the Fehme and the Teutonic Order. [*See page 3.]
The history of the Fehme tribunals was independent of that of the Teutonic
Knights. The Order had always claimed that it did not have to submit to the
jurisdiction of the terrible Fehme. But actually the frightful practices of
the Fehme had widely penetrated among the Order's circles. Kotzebue related,
in speaking of the Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode, that at his time many
Comthurs (regional commanders) of the Order were members of the Fehme, and
the Grand Master himself was suspected of being one of its leaders. "One
morning, two Knights who were beyond reproach were found hanging from an oak
tree outside Marienburg�marked by the Fehme," says Kotzebue. "The Grand
Master was asked to prosecute the murderers. He did nothing. The others,
enraged, again requested action from him, and now he declared in dead
earnest: 'One should abstain from passing judgment on such things."'
After the seventeenth century, the Felime was rarely heard from. Finally,
people believed that the organization must have been dissolved, despite the
fact that no laws or decrees suspending or condemning its practices had ever
been promulgated. But whether or not the Fehme, as a regularly constituted
organization, actually survived until 1918 is of but relative importance. In
any event, its Middle Age practices were well remembered in the spoken
traditions of many German families. When, following the Armistice of 1918,
the Prussian Junker organizations decided to revive these bloody practices,
they were well aware of the traditional streams that might be tapped in the
interests of their cause. They used methods which evoked familiar memories
throughout Germany.
A Thousand-Year-Old Conspiracy
What were these notorious traditions of the Fehme? They were founded on the
old German law giving all "manorial lords" the right to judge freely over
their serfs. This practice was maintained particularly in Westphalia. In a
later, undetermined period * it gave rise to the secret tribunal of the "Holy
Fehme"�a tribunal which meted out but a single kind of punishment, the death
sentence. [* German historians have placed the origin of the Fchme at various
times between the reign of Charlemagne and the fifteenth century.]
The Felime originated from a pre-Christian, pagan moral conception, despite
the fact that it claimed to be Christian. This institution served no more of
a religious purpose than did the Teutonic Order, despite the religious facade
which both organizations had found useful at their inception. (At the time of
their foundation all institutions had to be Christian.) The Fehme represented
a revolt of Teutonic law against prevailing Roman law, which latter was the
basic code of the official German tribunals. The existence of the Fehme was
known, but its operations were secret. It was subject to no authority except
the Emperor's. The latter, at a time not clearly defined in German history,
had delegated this authority to the Archbishop of Cologne who was head of the
Fehme, at least nominally. Indeed the Fehme tribunal had among its principal
official tasks the punishment of crimes against religion; but in practice its
activity was entirely different.
The Fehme soon became simply a means of terror against all individuals who
might be in personal conflict with members of this powerful secret
organization. The Christian appearance it assumed was but a cloak; and,
moreover, in no other Christian country was there a similar organization. The
Fehme was of purely German conception, and the morality underlying its
judgments was a Teutonic morality in direct contradiction to the principles
and customs of Christianity. In common with the Teutonic Order the Fehme
affected Christian aims; yet beneath this disguise-so suitable to the
times-it pursued ends which were purely Teutonic. The survival in Germany of
the traditions of these two institutions based on pre-Christian morality�the
Teutonic Order and the Fehme�provides the only satisfactory explanation for a
series of contradictory phenomena by which Germany, in her recent history,
has so frequently confused the people of western civilization.
Fundamentally, therefore, we witness the clash of two opposing
civilizations-and it was our fond illusion that one of these ceased to exist
in the far distant past. This error comes from the fact that since the period
of the Christianization of Germany, the civilization of the barbaric ages has
been hidden beneath a Christian cloak and has survived there. In this manner
it has succeeded in preserving its institutions for ends clearly opposed to
those of Christianity.
It is in facts such as these that one must seek the explanation of the
"thousand-year-old conspiracy" which Deputy Gareis had dared to mention-thus
sealing his own fate.
The Red Earth
The tribunals of the Middle Age Fehme operated in Westphalia, but they
claimed jurisdictional power over all of Germany. Westphalian "Freigrafs"
presided over the meetings of the Fehme. They said that their families had
received this privilege from Charlemagne, and that they had to hold sessions
exclusively on Westphalian soil. In the characteristically symbolic language
of all Middle Ages secret associations, Westphalian soil was designated as
"Die rote Erde" (the Red Earth)�(an expression associated perhaps with the
blood spilled in the course of Fehme judgments) 'and it was stated that the
tribunal of the Felime was always to hold court on "Red Earth." (It is
interesting to note that one of the most influential Nazi newspapers,
published in Westphalia, is called Die Rote Erde.)
In the course of judgment, the Freigraf was assisted by the Freischoeffen (jur
ors). It was under the name "Freischocffe" that each Felime member was known.
All Fehme members were therefore qualified to participate in judgment. But
the Freischoeffen were not only judges or jurors; they were hangmen as well.
In effect they were charged with executing judgments pronounced by themselves
or by other Freischoeffcn.
At one time it was estimated that there were over 100,000 Freischoeffen in
all of Germany. Actually, while the Felime tribunal functioned only in
Westphalia, the Freischoeffen, who were its police and executionary organs,
were present everywhere, scattered throughout the various German countries.
The Freischoeffcn kept their functions absolutely secret, identifying each
other by secret signs. But even if they were not recognized by the average
citizens, everyone knew that they managed to lay hands on their victims.
Wherever they might be hiding. Its occult aspect contributed largely to
increasing the terror which the Felime inspired over all of Germany.
There were a great number of Felune tribunals in Westphalia. Generally they
held sessions on some elevated spot beneath an old tree-preferably a linden.
The Freigraf and his Freischoeffen sat there before a large table on which
was placed an unsheathed sword and a rope. The plaintiff and the witnesses
had to swear by the sword, while the rope was used for execution of sentence.
If a complaint against someone was made by a Freischoeffe before a Felime
tribunal (Freischoeffen alone were allowed to appear as plaintiffs before the
Fehme) a summons was issued against the accused. The latter rarely responded
to the summons since it was well known with what difficulty acquittal was
obtained; and further that but one type of punishment was decreed by the
Fehme�the death penalty.
If the accused did not make an appearance, the plaintiff had the right to
bring him in by force from any section of Germany, seizing him with the
assistance of his "Eideshelfer" (sworn deputies), who were witnesses in
support of the original complaint and who were, in addition, his deputies.
Originally it seems that only two witnesses for the plaintiff were necessary,
but later the number was raised to six. The defendant might try to clear
himself by having his own Eideshelfer, or "witnesses of defense," sworn in
greater number than the witnesses of accusation sworn in for the plaintiff.
But the latter could neutralize such effect by increasing in turn the number
of his own witnesses. The number of witnesses allowed to the defense and the
prosecution was fixed by law as two, six, thirteen or twenty. If one party
produced two witnesses, the other party had to produce not less than six in
order to have a chance to win his case, since any other number would not be
recognized by the court. In turn the opposing party had to produce thirteen
witnesses, so that he might win at least a temporary advantage from the other
side. His opponent, finally, in order to win his case, would have to produce
twenty. If the plaintiff succeeded in presenting twenty Freischoeffen in
support of his complaint, no defense witnesses in greater number were allowed
and a death sentence was made mandatory.
The witnesses had to swear to the effect that they knew the plaintiff well as
an honest man and his word was good enough for them if he accused the
defendant. On the other hand, witnesses for the defendant would swear that
they knew him to be innocent. The plaintiffs and the defendants always had to
swear in addition to their own witnesses. Consequently the total number of
oaths administered was three and seven (numbers which appear frequently in
the symbolism of the Middle Ages), or fourteen and twenty-one (multiples of
seven). This all made for progressive "outbidding" in the number of
witnesses. It was understood, however, that witnesses for either side had to
be Freischoeffen. For one who was not himself an influential Freischoeffe it
was obviously difficult to find sufficient numbers of other Freischoeffen
prepared to swear on his behalf. Since the plaintiff was of necessity a
Freischoeffe, the defendant, even if he was himself a member of the Felime
and particularly if he was not, was already at a disadvantage when he
presented himself before the tribunal.
Where the defendant was present, the death sentence was carried out at once.
The Freischoeffen, co-judges of the tribunal, seized the condemned man and
hanged him from the nearest tree.
If the accused deemed it prudent to stay away, or if the summons could not be
served on him, the Freigraf, president of the tribunal, would call for a
"heimliche Acht" or "secret session." Indeed it was considered important to
keep the procedures secret, particularly in cases where the accused was
absent. This was to prevent the condemned man from learning of the sentence,
which would enable him to hide out in an effort to avoid execution. If, after
convening in secret session, it was noticed that an outsider, a
non-Freischoeffe, remained in the vicinity (every outsider was supposed to
leave), the Freigraf would stand up, call the man, place the rope around the
neck of the unfortunate fellow and have him hanged from the nearest tree by
the Freischoeffen. Such action was taken even where the outsider did not
realize that he might be trespassing.
After having ascertained that the defendant had not appeared, the Freigraf
had his name called out four times, and then asked if anyone were present to
defend the accused. Next, the plaintiff swore to the truth of his accusation,
and his witnesses in turn took an oath, declaring that they believed the
plaintiff incapable of perjury. The proof was thus considered sufficient, and
sentence was pronounced.
The Knife in the Tree
According to ancient law-books of the Felime, the Freigraf pronounced
sentence in the following formula:
"The defendant by the name of X: I hereby deprive him of peace and of the
rights and liberties granted by Kaiser Charlemagne and approved by Pope Leo;
and further attested, under oath by all princes, nobles, knights and vassals,
freemen and Freischoeffen in Westphalia; and depose him and set him outside
of all peace, all liberty and all rights, by virtue of the King's ban and
malediction, abandoning him to the greatest misery and disgrace; and make him
unworthy, outlawed, deprived of his seal, dishonorable, without peace and not
entitled to share in the common law; and abduct him and 'verfehme' him [put
him under the curse of the Fehmel according to the rules of the 'heimliche
Acht' [secret tribunal]; and vow his neck to the rope and his corpse to the
beasts and the birds of the air-to be eaten by them until nothing remains;
and commit his soul to God in Heaven in His authority; and vacate his life
and property; and his wife shall be widowed and his children orphans."
Here is the procedure which followed, according to the prescriptions
contained in the books of the Fehme:
"The Freigraf shall take the rope which is braided from willow switches and
throw it outside the tribunal, and then all Freischoeffen standing in
presence of the tribunal shall spit, as though the outlaw were to be hanged
within that very hour. Following this, the Freigraf shall command all
Freigrafen and Freischoeffen, reminding them of their oaths and their honor
as members of the 'heimliche Acht,' obliging them, the moment they have
seized the outlaw, to hang him from the nearest tree, according to all their
strength and might."
The Freigraf now handed the plaintiff a document which by his seal confirmed
the sentence, and in which all Fehme members were requested to lend him their
support in the execution of sentence. The bearer of this document departed
immediately in search of his victim, being careful not to mention his mission
to anyone, with the exception of other Freischoeffen, lest the condemned be
warned in time, and flee from punishment. Frequently the condemned lived in a
part of Germany at some distance from Westphalia. This made no difference,
since Freischoeffen were found everywhere, and it was the duty of each, were
he so requested, to assist in the execution. He was first to look over the
official sentence which bore the seal of the Freigraf; or if such document
were lacking, it would suffice for three other Freischoeffen to swear before
him that the individual being pursued had actually been outlawed by the
Fehme. Having thus received the requested proof, he could not neglect his
duty, even if the condemned were his best friend or his own brother.
The execution was usually carried out by three or four Freischoeffen. They
would seize the condemned, who in most cases was not, until that moment,
aware of his having been sentenced by the Holy Fehme. Without further ado he
was then hanged from the nearest tree. In order to make clear that this was
no ordinary crime but an act of the Fehme, a knife was stuck into the tree.
Where the condemned resisted, the Freischoeffen had the right to kill him in
any manner possible. In such cases they would hang his cadaver-and, as usual,
stick the knife into the tree.
It happened from time to time that a Freischoeffe, having learned of the
condemnation of one of his friends, would try to warn him discreetly so that
he might escape, even though he knew that he thus risked his own life. The
harmless words pronounced casually: "It's just as well to eat one's bread
elsewhere than here," became a formula whose significance was understood by
non-initiates. Such was the fear inspired by the Fehme over all Germany that
if these words were addressed to any man�even if he were the most influential
citizen in town�and if he understood their meaning, he would gather whatever
possessions he could and overnight would become a vagabond, travelling under
an assumed name, living the rest of his days far from his wife and children.
If it became known that someone had been outlawed by the Fehme, no other
individual would dare to help him, for by being seen in the company of
someone sought by the Fehme he would be risking his life. The condemned man,
abandoned by all, would hide where he could until he was finally discovered
by the Fehme.
The range of crimes coming under the jurisdiction of the Fehme was extremely
wide. In line with contemporary thought, crimes against religion and the Ten
Commandments are mentioned first, despite the fact that no evidence is found
that the Fehme ever functioned as a religious tribunal. Following this are
enumerated "all crimes against honor and law�treason, murder, robbery,
perjury, defamation, rape, and abuse of power." The intentions of those who
had originally assigned to the Fehme jurisdiction over these crimes were no
doubt excellent, but in practice anyone coming in personal conflict with a
member of the Fehme risked condemnation by the blood tribunal; for it was
always simple to discover a "crime against honor" as a basis for accusation,
and an influential Freischoeffe had no difficulty in finding others to
present as witnesses, supporting his accusations.
The Noose Around The Neck
The slightest betrayal of Felime secrets by a Freischocffe was punished by
death, and in such cases execution took place without a trial. On this
subject we read the following in the Felime law-books:
"If a Freischoeffe brings into the open the secrets and password of the
'secret tribunal' [ heimliche Acht] or tells outsiders anything of this,
whether small or large portions, then he shall be seized without trial by the
Freigraf and Freischoeffen who will tie his hands together before him, place
a cloth over his eyes, throw him on his belly and rip his tongue from out of
his throat; a three-strand rope is to be slipped around his neck and he shall
be hanged seven feet higher than a condemned 'Verfehmt', outlawed criminal."
Non-initiates who tried to discover the secrets of the Fehme, or who simply
dared to glance at a Fehme document, were led before the tribunal and
executed on the spot. Those books and archives of the Fehme which have
survived until today carry a strict warning that anyone opening them who is
not a Freischoeffe is subject to jurisdiction of the secret tribunal. The
fear which such methods inspired was so great that even in the nineteenth
century one could still find unopened Fehme documents in the German archives,
their Fehme seals unbroken. They bear the inscription: "No one is allowed to
read, or to have read to him this letter, unless he be a true Freischoeffe of
the secret tribunal [der heimlichen beschlossenen Acht] of the Holy Roman
Empire."
The Freischoeffen were granted such broad powers that they could execute any
man, even without trial before the tribunal, if three Freischoeffen saw the
accused in the very act of committing a crime punishable by the Felime.
Further, the confession of a crime was considered equivalent to its actually
having been witnessed. Thus if someone boasted in the presence of several
persons that he had committed any of the crimes under the jurisdiction of the
Fehme, without realizing that at least three of such individuals were
Freischoeffen, the latter were required�at the first opportunity they might
find to do so without being discovered-to seize the man and hang him from the
nearest tree. We can well imagine the number of abuses to which such methods
gave rise.
The terror spread by the Fehme proved at the same time to be its best
recruiting agent. To be a member of the Fehme was considered insurance, at
least to a certain extent, against being unjustly condemned by the secret
tribunal. In effect, it was always easier for a Freischoeffe to defend
himself than it was for an outsider. In the early days, when a Freischoeffe
was accused he could clear his name by swearing his innocence. Later this
advantage was withdrawn, and all defendants, regardless of their affiliation,
had to present a sufficient number of witnesses in their defense. Yet
obviously an influential Freischoeffe would much more easily find a great
number of witnesses among his fellow Freischoeffen than would a nonmember of
the Fehme.
While in the early days, the Freigrafen had seen to it that only men of
unimpeachable virtue were to be admitted to Fehme membership, at a later time
men of doubtful moral character invaded the ranks of the Freischoeffen. The
opportunity to do as one pleased was so appealing that all sorts of
adventurers did everything in their power to become members of the Fehme. One
can visualize the reign of terror which followed as a consequence, and the
blackmail, abuse, and mean vengeance which it was possible to practice under
the cloak of the Fehme. A man innocent of any crime would awaken to find a
summons stuck to his door by some unknown person, calling for his appearance
on a specific day before this or that tribunal of the Fehme. Such men knew
that certain death awaited them there, and that they had better flee, or hide
themselves as best they could. Another who had never been served by summons
would one day unexpectedly be seized by three Freischoeffen, not aware that
he had been condemned by the Fehme until he felt the noose around his neck.
The Junkers and the Fehme
This barbaric institution had terrorized Germany for centuries. One can
imagine what services it could render to an unscrupulous group pursuing its
own purposes and it was inevitable that such an institution should become the
instrument for all sorts of private interests. When the Fehme returned to
Germany following the 1918 Armistice, its reappearance was due to the
initiative of two groups of interests, the Junkers and the leaders of heavy
industry in Westphalia. In any event, every clue to the crimes of the revived
Fehme uncovered by German tribunals or contemporary newspapers in their
exposures led directly either to the Junkers or to heavy industry. Financing
of the organizations responsible for the Fehmic crimes came from one or the
other of these groups. A number of such crimes were committed on the very
estates of the Junkers where numerous Fehme units were in hiding, available
for Fehme activities. Moreover, the Prusso-Teutonic Junkers and officers seem
to have been very directly involved in these crimes-to have been the
immediate instigators. The role of the leaders of heavy industry was probably
to finance such projects.
This cooperation consolidated the strange alliance which had been established
between two such different economic groups�Westphalian heavy industry and the
Junkers�the existence of one based on the most modern industrial methods, of
the other on the most backward exploitation.
In a description of the Prusso-Teutonic group of today, one really must
include the heads of these industries, together with the Junkers, officers
and officials previously cited. At the time of the Teutonic Order, nothing
comparable to heavy industry existed. Today this industry is a force with
which the descendants of the Order must reckon. There may have been some
economic friction between the two groups during the period after World War I,
when there was rivalry in connection with tariffs on agricultural products
and manufactured goods. This, however, disappeared completely when Germany in
193 1 established a system of absolute protectionism based on exchange
control, which benefits equally both groups�big industrialists and
landowners�at the expense of mercantile interests, small farmers and
consumers. The warlike atmosphere dear to the Prusso-Teutonics is equally
desirable to heavy industry, the logical supplier of munitions. (We shall
draw no conclusions from the curious coincidence that the leaders of heavy
industry in Germany are descendants of old Westphalian families. There is
good reason to believe that in the Middle Ages their ancestors were members,
perhaps even chiefs, of the Fehme movement, of Westphalian origin. In any
case it is curious to note this fact concerning the alliance between the
Junkers and heads of Westphalian heavy industry: these two groups are
present-day descendants of men who participated in the two German
institutions whose traditions most directly oppose Western civilization, the
Teutonic Order and the Fehme.)
The renewal of the Fehme seemed to rest with the Junkers whose secret
"self-defense" societies stemmed in a direct line from the ancient Society of
Lizards and indirectly from the Teutonic Order. These societies were in a
position to make an immediate decision to revive the Fehme terror�which was
indispensable to their aims-and then to organize it at once. Such a reign of
terror would never have spread spontaneously, nor could it have resulted from
the decision of a few members of the same caste on the spur of the moment.
The principal aim was to execute, one by one, the leaders of the young German
Republic. Almost overnight the numerous sub-organizations, functioning under
various names, became executors of the restored Fehme. Through their good
offices hundreds of democratic leaders were put to death in post-war Germany.
In the democratic nations outside of Germany, no attention was paid to these
murders because they were considered a German "internal affair."
All Fehme assassinations after 1918 can be traced back to the same
organizations. The two groups which were the executors par excellence of
Fehmic crimes were the "C" Organization (Consul) and the Rossbach
Organization. All clues led to them. But the men active in both these
organizations often figured as well in the activities of other societies or
associations, all of which seemed to be pursuing the same ends and carrying
out the same instructions. E. J. Gumbel, recognized specialist in the history
of German political crimes after 1918, whom we have mentioned earlier,
explains as follows the entanglement of interests existing among these
various groups:
"The official program as well as the name [of these organizations] changes in
accordance with what seems politically the most appealing at the moment. The
real tendency, however, remains the same. Therefore it would be wrong to
assume that all these societies existed individually side by side. In many
cases one rose from another, and societies with entirely different names
might be identical. For the same individuals made it a practice to hold
simultaneous membership in a whole list of associations.
"The constant change of names often serves the purpose of veiling the
complete structure of the organizations so as to make practically ineffective
any dissolution by order of the government or under pressure of public
opinion. The purpose of the founding of new societies under new names and
with new members was often to exclude those individuals who were no longer
considered completely trustworthy, without provoking the enmity of such
individuals by specifically expelling them."
The number of persons engaged in these activities cannot properly be
estimated by adding up the members of the various existing associations,
since there are numerous duplications in their lists. We can figure that at
the most 200,000 individuals were active members of such organizations.
Here are the names of some of the societies of this character which abounded
at this epoch. They often assumed professional or athletic guises, but always
pursued the same secret ends. (Certain associations mentioned in this list
preferred to keep their very existence secret):
Academic Werdandi Guild, General German Peoples Turriverein, Old Comrades
(secret), Andreas-Hofer Bund, Arminius Bund, Arian Wandervogel, Bartelsbund,
Bismarck Youth of the National German People's Party, German Veterans' Bund,
Friends of Edda Bund, Bund of the Faithful, German Sailors Bund, New
Pathfinders' Bund, German Wrestling Bund, German National Training Bund,
German National Lawyers' Bund, Franconian Bund, Bund for German Rebirth, Bund
for German Public Teachers, Christian German Revival, German Academic Guild
of Nibelungen, German Oak, German Bund for Local Defense, German Women's
Society of Ostmark, German Herold, German High School Circle, German Sailors,
German Order, East German Bund, German Ostmark Society, German Employees'
Bund, German Writing Bund, German Day, German Society for Rural Relief and
Local Care, German Arms Bund, Society of German Faith, German Order's State,
German Social Employment Society, German Social Party, German Pathfinders'
Bund, German National Academic Society, Siegfried Youth of the German
Peoples, German National Youth Bund, German National Writers' Bund, German
National Students' Bund, German Economics Bund, German Wandervogel, Eros
(secret), Brotherhood of Travellers, United Field Artillery, Pine Tree
Society, Irminsul Boys' Society, Frontbund (secret), Germania, Germania Ring,
Germanic Faith Society, Germanic Conscience Society, Germanic Youth Bund,
Society of Friends of Conscience, Society of National Germanic Morality,
Geusen, Grail Bund, Seekers of the Homeland, Germans' Bund, Germans' Order
(secret), Hubertus, Youth Group of German Kyffhxuser Bund, Jungborn Bund,
Young German Pathfinders' Bund, Young Teachers' Bund of Baldur, Young
National Bund, Innklub, Small Arms Society (secret), Knappenschaft, Kronacher
Bund, Kultur Council, Mitgart Bund, National Society of German Officers, New
Gobineau Society, Non-Jewish Bund, Aid Society (secret), Patriotic Veterans'
Relief Society, Black-White-Red Reichhund, Reichsbund of Former Cadets,
Reichs Gegenzins Bund, Reichs Hammer Bund, Reichs Officers' Bund, Order of
German Legion of Honor, Schlageter Memorial Bund, Silver Shield (secret),
Signal Bell, Tejabund, Bund of German Artists of Bavaria, Bund for a Better
Life, Theodor Koerner Turnverein, The Bold (secret), Prince Bismarck Youth
Bund of the Fatherland, Society of Friends of German Art, German Students'
Society, National Women's Group, National Wandervogel Bund.
Through these societies the conspiracy secured useful associates in all
circles of the population, but to these were revealed only small portions of
the true aims. The real "acting agents" seemed to come from the Consul and
Rossbach organizations, at least insofar as the actual assassinations were
concerned.
Army and Navy Assassins
The assassins were all former officers, and in exceptional cases
non-commissioned officers. When this curious fact was revealed in the course
of the various trials and investigations concerning Fehme crimes in Germany,
the public accepted without a murmur the too easy explanation that the war
had lowered the moral standards of the combatants. In reality this state of
affairs was due to nothing so simple, but to deeper causes: the Prussian
officers, faithful members of the Prusso-Teutonic Caste were themselves
obliged to take charge of these delicate tasks of the Fehme assassinations,
since they were the only "men of arms" within the caste. In the traditional
way of doing things, the other Junkers' role was to finance the various
secret organizations with the aid of heavy industry and to provide them with
hideouts on their estates; the officials who were devoted to the common cause
were actively represented among the various police organizations, where they
could help the assassins to escape, or if that proved impossible, to arrange,
as prosecutors or judges, either their acquittal or their sentencing to an
easy term. By 1918 Prusso-Teutonic affiliates could be found here and there
among the officials of all German countries, even in places quite distant
from Prussia. Since 1870 the Prussian spirit had had time to spread to a
certain extent all over Germany.
The "bloody task," the actual killing, was considered the privilege of the
officers-the descendants of the ancient Knights of the Order. The C
Organization consisted primarily of former naval officers, the Rossbach
Organization of army officers. Had a regular air force existed at the time of
the first World War, it is probable that a third organization would have been
formed, to be staffed by officers formerly active in that branch of service.
In 1920, the anti-Republic factions in Germany attempted a vague coup d'Etat,
known as the "Kapp Putsch." Corvette Captain Ehrhardt participated in this
together with his naval brigade. Ehrhardt had succeeded in keeping this
brigade in existence after 1918. He kept it functioning as an illegal
organization. Its financing came through unknown interests whose identity can
easily be guessed. A writ of arrest was issued against him in 1920 by
authorities of the Republic but it was never executed. While the writ was
still in effect Ehrhardt moved freely about the corridors of the Reichswehr
Ministry. The official purpose of his discussions in the Ministry was "to
find employment for his men." His real purpose was to elaborate quietly a
scheme for collaboration between the Reichswehr and the future organization
he had decided to found by using the men of his brigade as a nucleus. Since
direct action in the "Kapp Putsch" had not had satisfactory results, he
planned from that time on to devote his efforts to under-cover action. The
newly created "C Organization," or "Consul Organization," was named for
Ehrhardt who was its leader: in the secret code of the association each
member had a special name and Ehrhardt was called "Consul."
Outstanding Germans often tried to fight the Consul Organization and the
other secret associations, but in vain. On September 22, 1921, Dr. Trunk,
President of the State of Baden, made the following revelations in the Diet
of Baden concerning the by-laws and aims of the C Organization:
"The by-laws call for:
"(a) Spiritual aims: development and dissemination of national * thought;
struggle against all anti-nationals and internationalists; struggle against
Judaism, Social-Democracy and the radical left parties; struggle against the
anti-nationally conceived Weimar Constitution by word, writing and action;
enlightenment of the widest possible circles of the population as to the real
nature of this Constitution; support of the only possible constitution for
Germany, one based on Federalism.**
[* The word, "national," is used here as the antonym of "international." The
German nationalistic circles considered the men behind the Weimar
Constitution as 'internationalists" and they looked upon themselves as the
only ones who thought in "national" terms.] [** So long -as the central power
in Germany, following the events of 1918 rested in the hands of republican
groups, the reactionary groups called themselves "Federalists." When,
following the rise of Hitler, power fell into their hands, they were to
become supporters of centralization to a much greater extent than even the
republicans.]
" (b) Material aims: Organization of men among the armed forces determined to
prevent the complete revolutionizing of Germany; the prevention, through
constitution of a national government, of the recurrence of present-day
conditions; and, as far as possible, the preservation of armed forces as well
as armaments for the nation.
"The organization is a secret one, the members of which are bound for mutual
defense and protection through a pact by which every member of the
organization is assured of the utmost assistance from all other members. The
members pledge themselves to become a force to be reckoned with, so that when
necessity, the honor of the Fatherland, and the realization of their aims
demand it, they shall stand in the united strength of their closed ranks.
Every member pledges absolute obedience to the organization's leaders. Jews
and in general men of foreign races are excluded from membership in the
organization. Membership expires: (a) through death; (b) because of
dishonorable activity; (c) because of disobedience to the leaders; (d) through
voluntary withdrawal. All members involved under (b) and (c) and all
traitors are to be disposed of by the Febme. The pledge of allegiance reads:
'I declare on my word of honor that I am of German descent. I pledge on my
word of honor, and through a handclasp, that I will subject myself to the
by-laws and will act in accordance with them. I vow absolute obedience to the
highest Leader of the organization, and to observe utmost secrecy concerning
all its affairs.' "
During the trial in 1924, following the assassination of Rathenau, a zealous
Reich prosecutor, Ebermayer, spoke as follows about the activities of the C
Organization:
"I believe it my duty to point out that during the time of the investigation
of the case and even immediately before the trial, a certain number of facts
were produced which permit us to suppose and almost to conclude that certain
organizations and societies are hiding behind the accused�and I go further,
that they have perhaps inspired their crimes. I must emphasize above all that
in all political outrages of the last few years, in the assassination of
Erzberger, in the outrages against Scheidemann and in the assassination of
Rathenau, which concerns us here, the same circles�I might almost say the
same individuals�have always been involved. In the assassination of
Erzberger�Schulz and Tillessen play a role; in the attempt against the life
of Scheidemann, the brother of Tillessen was active. Tillessen, Plaass,
Fischer, Kern, Schulz, Techow�all these men are the same group. All have
widespread personal contacts-either because they have known each other for a
long time or because they are all members of the different organizations.
Thus, whether or not it is to our liking, we gain the impression of running
up against the links of a common chain-of a single association to which all
these men are affiliated."
During the trial, the C Organization was seldom mentioned by name. The fear
which checked the witnesses, the prosecution and the judges in speaking of it
was clearly evident. The presiding judge mentioned, however, that during the
closed hearings which had been ordered, the relationship between the C
Organization and the Reich Government was discussed.
Everyone understood that in reality the matter of discussion was the
relationship between the C Organization and the Reichswehr�this in reference
to secret rearmament. The trial was conducted in such a way as to establish
that the C Organization had rendered important "patriotic" services in the
cause of secret rearmament and that under these conditions it would be
preferable not to insist on denouncing the assassinations, which were not
crimes but Fehmic executions. Finally all the accused were set free.
It is illuminating that in the following year, during another trial, the same
prosecutor, Ebermayer, referred to the C Organization in an entirely
different manner. To his mind, now, the Organization was not carrying on
"secret activity." It is true that it was struggling against the Weimar
Constitution,, but it was doing so through "legal means." The intimidation of
the Fehme had had its effect on the good prosecutor Ebermayer during the time
between these two trials.
It has been established that there was a close connection between the Consul
Organization and a whole series of associations serving as its "front" from
time to time: Brueder vom. Stein, Hauptverband der Schlesier, Bund der
Aufrechten, Jungdeutscher Orden, Verband nationalgesinnter Soldaten,
Nationalbund deutscher Offiziere, Bayrische Holzverwertungsgesellschaft,
Norddeutscher Bund, a number of student societies and finally the Wikingbund (
Viking Bund), an association which had some importance.
In 1923, the Press Bureau of the Thuringian government characterized this
Wikingbund as follows:
"It appears that the National Association of German Soldiers, which was
suppressed by law, has given rise to a substitute organization, the so-called
Wikingbund, which at the same time functions as a branch of the Ehrhardt
Brigade [Consul Organization]. Characteristic of the way in which ordinary
members are deceived is the fact that, according to a declaration by a leader
of the organization, no information
is allowed to be given out to unimportant members as to the connection
between the Wikingbund and the C Organization. The Wikingbund as the 'latest
edition' of the Consul Organization operating in Thuringia, inclusive of
Prussian provinces, has been divided into eleven district sections which are
directed from the regional office in the city of Erfurt. According to
statements of individuals involved it has come out that there also exists a
Fehme within the organization. The duty of the Fehme is to preserve through
the most rigorous methods the secret character of the organization and of its
activities. Members who are suspected of being traitors or 'stool pigeons'
are shot, according to various statements of people who have participated in
such actions. In the well-known manner of such bunds the members have to
swear 'life and death' obedience to their leaders. It has been further
established, according to confessions of individuals who have been arrested,
that one of the purposes of these organizations is also to put out of the way
any leader or statesman Of the Republic who upsets their plans."
The by-laws of the Wikingbund, drawn up in 1923, contain conclusive proof as
to the connections of this Bund (and indirectly of the C Organization) with
the National-Socialist Party. Among these by-laws is written:
"The Bund is an association of industrious German men; it strives on a
national basis, for a moral, cultural, economic and political rebirth of the
German people. The leader of the Bund is its founder, who shall have absolute
authority. Membership is open to anyone who is above reproach and who is of
Aryan German descent. On entering the Bund, each new member must take the
oath of allegiance to the leader and his aims, pledging himself irrevocably
to obedience. Sentences must be executed by those chosen for this purpose by
the leader. The political program is that of the National Socialist German
Workers' Party.* The Bund is a militant patriotic organization." This is
signed: "B. Reiter, Leader and Founder of the Wikingbund."[ * The italics are
mine. P.W.]
--[cont]--
Aloha, He'Ping,
Om, Shalom, Salaam.
Em Hotep, Peace Be,
All My Relations.
Omnia Bona Bonis,
Adieu, Adios, Aloha.
Amen.
Roads End
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