Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 25. (1972) - Festschrift für Hanns Leo Mikoletzky
HOLLAENDER, Albert E. J.: Offiziere und Prälaten. Zur Fuldaer Bischofskonferenz, August 1945
206 Albert E. J. Hollaender equals, necessitating the second mobilization, the second war of horrors, atrocities, etc. You will understand that now Germany is NOT a liberated country but a thoroughly defeated and conquered country. 2. We understand the German people and mind better than the Germans themselves. Ever since 1870 they have been military-minded and wanted an empire. The German people love to be handled with an iron hand and told what to do. This was clearly demonstrated in the failure of the Weimar Republic to be able to hold the people together and build up Germany. It took Hitler with the strong arm of the German General Staff to revive Germany with its strong armed methods. We are here to see that this does not happen again. 3. You state that the German people were terrorized by the NS. May be so and a certain small percentage were prosecuted') but on the whole the German people fared well. They had good homes, good furniture, plenty of good clothes, amusements, and food. In contrast examine what happened to Poland, Czechoslovakia, part of Russia, Belgium and Holland. They became slave nations, everything was taken from them and all their labor imported into Germany to work as slave laborers in factories and on farms and forced to live in prison camps with horrible treatments. All Germany is responsible for this as well as all of the horrible atrocities perpetuated by the people and the Army. 4. You state that household furniture, food and so forth were wantonly demolished. That is true in any war during the combat stage. The Germans did the same and worse when they retreated during our attacks. It is not being done now. 5. As to furniture being moved to unknown places, that is true. We must keep a large occupation army in Germany for years, therefore it is our prime motive to make our troops as comfortable as it is possible at the expense of the Germans. What the Germans think or feel we are not interested in. When Germans are evicted from their houses it means they have no right to reenter the premises at any time. 6. In closing let me state again that Germany is a thoroughly defeated and conquered nation. In doing this, the United States lost many splendid men in killed and crippled. We are not here to shake you by the hand and pat you on the back, or to give you a helping friendly hand. We are here to occupy your country and to see that it is thoroughly purged of Nazism and militarism and to make sure that never again will the Germans rise to power to the extent where they can fight a war. This entails many hardships on the German people which they deserve and entails an extensive reeducation. Therefore until the German people can prove to us that they can be accepted as a brother nation, which to our way of thinking and planning will be several years, these conditions will prevail. The sooner you and the German people realize we are here as an occupation force, the better. 7. Furthermore you will cease all activities in attempting to open up schools until further orders from Military Government and you will so notify your underlings. Failure to comply with this will result in arrest of the offender or offenders. Sgd. Charles F. Russe, Major Infantry Commanding. ') Sic LW. Richtiger persecuted.
