Office of Strategic Services Research and Analysis Branch
S5
ACTION GROUPS IN GERMANY
With the fall of the Hitler regime and the disappearance of Oestapo controls, leftist and conservative groups with divergent alms haveactive roles in defeated Germany The anti-fascist groups formed about left-wing nuclei, some of which appear to have been in existence prior to Allied occupation, have appeared in Industrial communities but lack mutual contact and are local In character. Theyadical Nazi purge and hope tooalition of genuine anti-fascists regardless of former political affiliations and to prepareuture democratic German government. The conservatives more or lessallied themselves with Nazism and were able to maintain contacts and exchange Ideas under the Hitler regime. Since the fall of the Nazis they have retained or received the most Important positions In German society. They do not share the Left's anti-fascist attitudes, oppose any increased power for labor in business and public administration, and hope by exploiting friction between the Western Powers and the USSR to preserve their present dominant position and retain what lsvaluable in the shambles left by the Hitler regime.
The activities and programs of the antl-fasclsl groups are presently more concerned with the basic needs of dally life than with political issues. Defeat, destruction, and total occupation have temporarilynormal political questions to denazification and the problems of minimum economic reconstruction. Despite these preoccupations, however, in several cases these anti-fascist groups have engaged In activities at variance with Military Government's prohibitions onactivity and some have attempted to act and be recognized as the provisional local government.
The conservative groups have similarly but more subtly sought to influence the selection of officials for public as well as businessand in certain cases have offered themselves as transitional regimes. Generally, however, they appear unwilling to accept public office but prefer to operate as pressure groups attempting to Influence the decisions of municipal authorities and Military Government. Their main strength lies in the fact that many of them hold key managerial positions In Important Industrial enterprises.
Anti-Fascist Organizations
In widely separated localities,ariety of names, and with no apparent Interconnection, "united front" anti-Nazi movements appeared shortly after the collapse of Nazi rule. In some cases, notably In Leipzig and Bremen, these groups are reported toembership of several thousand, though many of these members for the time being may be
CONFTBENTTAX
merely passive sympathisers or supporters. The organization In Leipzig has assumed the name of "National Committee Freen Bremen it is called the "Fighting Society Againstther such anti-fascist societies or committees hare been reported in Erfurt. Duesseldorf. Riederwalduburb of Frankfurt arommendorfuburb ofarburg, the Ruhr, and Munich.
Available evidence suggests that the groups in Leipzig, the Ruhr, Munich, Duesseldorf and Rlcderwald existed prior to Allied occupation. Activities under the Nazi regime In most cases were limited to individual acts of sabotage and slow-down, dissemination of anti-Nazi propaganda, and preparation for the post-surrender period.
Despite their lack of mutual contact, these groups display asimilarity in composition and program. Their leadership nuclei are composed of members ofabor parties. The groups do not regard themselves as political parties but as emergency coalitions of anti-Nazi forces formed to deal with the problems which Germany has inherited fromears of fascism and war. These groups share and seek to realize the following goals in post-surrenderadical purge of all Nazis and Nazi sympathizers from public and business life; the seizure of Nazis, Nazi funds, and Nazi records; the preclusionazithe amelioration of food problems; the organizationoalition of genuine anti-fascists regardless of former political affiliations; and preparationuture democratic government, administration, and education. While apparently agreeing on these broad alms and short-range goals, these organizations as groups have nottand on such problems as the precise form of the future German state or the degree of public ownership of public resources. Moreover, someexists between political groupings within these organizations as to the definitionazi and the extent toadical purge should be prosecuted. The Communists, for example, appear toore exhaustive purge than the Social Democrats,
The dominant political elements In each group appear to vary from community to community according to special local circumstances, but the Communists seem to form the most active and often tho strongest element. In Leipzig and Rlcderwald, Communists clearly are the driving force; in Marburg and Duesseldorf the outstanding figures are Social Democrats; inommunist Is the leader though both Social Democrat and Socialist Labor representative* hold key pool lions In the local anti-fascist society. The extent of middle-class participation likewise varies. Among theembers of the Committee In Leipzig not morere active bourgeois participants. In some of the other groups middle-class Intellectuals and clergy are more prominently
These left-wing anti-fascist movement* have so far appeared only in industrial communities and seem to flourish only where representatives of the former working-class parties have succeeded in sinking their dlfferences and unitingingle short-range program. Moreover,
there appears to be some connection between the degree of disruption from bombing and evacuation and the emergence of organized political
activity
Each of the anti-fascist groups which has emerged appears to have been formed exclusively on the initiative and under the leadership of purely local forcea. Despite the conformity of their structure andto the prinlciples of Free Germany, the Influence of the Moscow Free Germany Committee appears to have been very alight. The Leipzig group, as its name suggests, considersart of tho Free Germany movement, but Its decision to "affiliate" was reached only alter the various Leipzig activists had come together and decided toommittee. German leltlsts generally appear to regard theropaganda Instrument, and distrust the military figures among its leaders.
umber of these groups have engaged In open political activity beyond the immediate aim ol eliminating Nazism. In several cases these anti-fascist groups undertook independent Nazi purges and demanded to act and be recognized as the provisional local government. In conformity with Allied occupation policy all these anti-fascist groups, therefore, have been officially dissolved by All'ed authorities andof membership has been forbidden. In spite of this prohibition these coalition groups apparently continue to exist
Conservative Activities
The pattern of activity among German conservatives is much less well defined than among left-wingers. This is partly because the elementsservants, businessmen, and militaryoccupy positions of actual or potential influence and hence feel less need for organization Under these circumstances, activity takes diverse forms and ls not always readily apparent
The most spectacular example of conservative anti-Nazi initiative was provided by the Bavarian Freedomovement comprised of several loosely connected groups of divergent tendencies. Several ol these groups are middle-class and right-wing liberal In character. All of them operated under the cover of General von Epp, the Governor of Bavaria. Von Epp, who was instrumental In Hitler's rise to power and delivered Bavaria to Hitlerogethermall number of Wehrmacht officers and Foreign Officeew months prior to the German surrender reportedlyavarian "opposition" group. Actingraditional nationalist andavarian federalist. Von Epp entered into negotiations with Von Rundstedt and later with Kesselringurrender to the Western Powers which would leave his movement in control of Bavaria. One of the constituent groups of Bavarian Freedom Action actually tried tooup in Munich, though not at theof Von Epp, who held back when Kesselring refused to take part.
In the Rhmeland, Industrial firms formed skeleton forces under "reliable" plant managers to look after the Interests of their companies
in the early stages of the occupation. In Herzogenrath, near Aachen, businessmen assembled to elect their own mayor and chief of police, who they hoped would be recognized by the Allied authorities, but who were rejected after investigation. In Krefeld, old chambers of commerce, which had been reformed and integrated into the Nazi economicsystem, were quickly revived after Allied occupation to look out for the interests of businessmen. In Kassel, leading industrial andfigures, though they declined to accept public office, formed themselves into an Informal advisory council In order to Impress their viewpoints on the municipal authorities and Military Government.
The keynotes of conservative activity, whether it takes the form of Bavarian separatism or of local economic bodies, are the preservation of continuity in German social and economic life and the avoidance of change. With tbe Nazis gone, these right-wing elements occupy the most important positions In German society and wish to keep them. They clearly Intend to utilize and exploit any antagonisms and frictionthe Western Powers and tbe USSR to safeguard their position and their properties. They will also oppose any efforts by labor toreater voice or power in business or public administration. Concurrent with their efforts to exploit the "Bolshevisthe conservatives are attempting to prove that the workers were responsible for the Nazi rise to power.
Original document.
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