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Nazis in Eastern Germany Force Jews to Emigrate Illegally

October 5, 1937
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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SO EAGER ARE NAZI LEADERS TO RID GERMANY OF ITS REMAINING 350,000 JEWS, IT WAS RELIABLY LEARNED TODAY, THAT IN SOME SECTIONS OF THE REICH, NOTABLY THE EASTERN PROVINCES, THEY ARE RESORTING TO TERRORISTIC METHODS TO FORCE THEIR EMIGRATION EVEN WITHOUT PASSPORTS OR VISAS.

IT CANNOT BE STATED THAT THIS IS AN OFFICIAL POLICY, BUT THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT, WHICH HAS TURNED FINAL LIQUIDATION OF THE JEWISH QUESTION OVER TO THE NAZI PARTY, IS AWARE OF THESE MEASURES AND HAS DONE NOTHING TO CHECK THEM. LOCAL OFFICIALS AND POLICE OF THE PROVINCES IN QUESTION ARE ENERGETICALLY ENGAGED IN TRYING TO FORCE JEWS ACROSS THE GERMAN FRONTIER WITHOUT THE NECESSARY LEGAL DOCUMENTS.

HUNDREDS OF JEWS, MANY OF THEM OF ADVANCED AGE, ARE SUMMONED TO PARTY HEADQUARTERS AND TO POLICE STATIONS AND ASKED POINT BLANK WHEN THEY ARE EMIGRATING. IF THEY REPLY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE PASSPORTS OR VISAS, THEY ARE ADVISED TO EMIGRATE ILLEGALLY, BUT AT THE SOONEST POSSIBLE MOMENT. PROTESTS THAT THEY ARE TOO OLD OR DO NOT HAVE MEANS OF SUPPORT ABROAD ARE MET WITH WARNINGS THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THEM TO EMIGRATE THAN TO REMAIN.

WHILE SUCH METHODS ARE BEING EMPLOYED ON THE ONE HAND, THE PARTY LEADERSHIP IS SEEN BY INFORMED OBSERVERS TO BE EMBARKED UPON ANOTHER PROGRAM WITH REGARD TO THE JEWS THAT HAS STRONGLY PARADOXICAL ELEMENTS. WHILE THE NAZIS ARE UNQUESTIONABLY ANXIOUS TO HAVE GERMANY’S REMAINING JEW EMIGRATE AS SPEEDILY AS POSSIBLE, NEVERTHELESS IN PRESSING THIS PROGRAM THEY ARE, PERHAPS UNWITTINGLY, DOING THEIR UTMOST TO MAKE SUCH EMIGRATION IMPOSSIBLE.

ALTHOUGH USING EVERY METHOD TO FORCE THE JEWS TO GET OUT, THEY AT THE SAME TIME WARN THE WORLD THAT JEWS ARE MALEFACTORS, COMMUNISTS AND GENERALLY DANGEROUS ELEMENTS, ALL OF WHICH IS MAKING THEIR EMIGRATION MORE DIFFICULT BY INCULCATING IN FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS APPREHENSION ABOUT ADMITTING JEWS. HOW THIS WORKS IS STRIKINGLY EXEMPLIFIED BY THE ATTITUDE ON IMMIGRATION OF SOME SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRIES, WHICH HAVE BEEN LARGELY INFLUENCED BY SUCH PROPAGANDA.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE RELENTLESS DRIVE AGAINST JEWS IN THE ECONOMIC FIELD IS RAPIDLY UNDERMINING THE JEWISH ECONOMIC POSITION IN GERMANY, MAKING IT INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT, IF NOT VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE, TO SUPPORT EMIGRATION ACTIVITIES.

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