U.S. Commissioner’s Statement on Relaxation of Anti-semitism in Germany is Diserted

Taking issue with the statement made this week by John J. McCloy, American High Commissioner in Germany, that there is no problem of “rising anti-Semitism in Germany,” the Manchester Guardian reports today from Berlin that outbreaks of anti-Semitism have definitely become more frequent in Germany in the past year although they are still too isolated to constitute an organized campaign.

“The anti-Semitic incidents,” the Berlin correspondent of the British newspaper reports, “have, in the main, taken the form of desecrating Jewish cometaries and synagogues. In addition, prominent Jews have been receiving insulting leaflets and threatening letters. Some Jewish houses have been marked with swastikes and, on more than one occasion, Jews have been beaten up by assailants whose motives evidently were not robbery. All evidence goes to show that anti-Semitism, if still not widespread, is at the moment on the increase,” the correspondent says.

“The publication of McCloy’s letter,” the article continues, “comes at a time when German governmental officials are becoming increasingly worried by the number of Nazis securing key posts in federal ministries of the Born Government. A recent list of appointments to the Ministry of Economics shows that nearly 50 percent of the new officials who joined the Ministry since last December are men who have records as active members of the Nazi party.”

Pointing out that the same proportion of Nazis prevails in appointments to the new German foreign service, the Berlin correspondent emphasizes that these examples do not include “passive” members of the Nazi party who joined the Nazi ranks for “convenience” and took no part in political work during the Hitler regime.