Statements made to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, by outstanding representatives of leading parties in Germany, just prior to the German elections, indicate a firm stand against any attempt on the part of the National Socialists to limit the rights of the Jews should this be within their power.
When certain political groups are spreading hatred against the Jews, instigating attacks upon them and threatening them with attacks in the future, we must declare that this is in crass contradiction to our views, Canon Dr. Ludwig Kaas, the President of the Catholic Centre Party, of which Dr. Bruening is the Parliamentary leader and which is generally expected to return to the new Reichstag much stronger than before, has declared in an official statement given to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency here.
In accordance with our Christian beliefs, he said, we absolutely condemn this agitation against the German Jews, against the libelling of their religion, and against the movement to deprive them of their citizenship rights. We recognize that the German Jews, especially the religious Jews, have contributed a great deal to German science, and art, and economic and public life.
The Social Democratic Party, which in the last Reichstag was the largest single Party, with 143 Deputies against the Hitlerist 107, and which now has 133, making also the largest Party in the new Reichstag, made an official statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, in which it says:
The attitude of the Social Democratic Party on the race question, and especially on the question of the equality of the Jews as citizens, should be known to the whole world and to public opinion everywhere. Of course, we do not in the least subscribe to the views of the Nazis on this question.
As to what the Party will do should there be a Nazi Government in the Reich which will proceed to carry its program against the Jews into effect is something that cannot be answered now. It is not possible to say beforehand what we would do in such a case.
The German People’s Party, which was the late Dr. Stresemann’s Party (Dr. Bruening’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Curtius is one of the present leaders of the Party) stated to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:
“The German People’s Party pursues no anti-Semitic aims, and repudiates therefore the idea of placing the German Jews under exceptional conditions (Ausnahmsrecht). It is impossible to say what the Party would do in specified hypothetical cases, but there can be no
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