CITIZENSHIP LOST

Evening Star, Issue 22559, 29 January 1937, Page 2

CITIZENSHIP LOST

WELL-KNOWN GERMANS NOBEL PRIZE WINNER Thomas Mann, winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1929. and generally regarded as. the greatest living German author, was deprived of his German citizenship on December 3, Wilhelm Frick, Minister of the Interior, acting in conjunction with Baron Constantin von Neurath, Foreign Minister. Such property as he may possess in Germany is to be confiscated by the State, reports the ‘ New York Times.’ Thirty-eight citizens—writers, former Opposition Party leaders. Labour leaders, or journalists—lost their citizenship at the same time, and their property ’ was declared confiscated by the State. Forty-one members of their families simultaneously were deprived of their citizenship. Mr Mann, 61. years of , age, is now living in Switzerland. He has not been in Germany since Adolf Hitler, came to power. The following charges were made against him by Dr Frick:— “ He has repeatedly co-operated in demonstrations of international, generally Jewish-influenced, societies whose attitude of enmity to Germany is well known. He has recently included in his declarations open attacks against the Reich, In a discussion in a wellknown Zurich paper over the value- of emigre literature he *placed himself openly on the side of those emigres who are State enemies, and libelled the Reich in a fashion which also brought protests in the foreign Press. His brother Heinrich, his son Klaus, and his daughter Erika were deprived of citizenship long ago because of their unworthy attitude.” As a totalitarian State the National Socialist Government adopted the principle that all attacks on the Hitler regime necessarily would be treated as attacks on the Reich and the German nation. WORKS WELL KNOWN. Mr Mann was born at Luebeck of a patrician family. His father was a senator of the old Hansa city. Among his best-known works are ‘ Buddenbrooks.’ ‘ The Magic Mountain,’ and ‘ The Tales of Jacob,’ one of his recent books. His essays are valued as examples of most distinguished contemporary writing. The novelist left Germany voluntarily when Adolf Hitler came to power. He refused at first to join the active opposition, pleading that his first interest in life was his art. But later he complained openly about the passing of Liberalism in Western Europe and the encroachment of Fascism and Nazism. When he visited New York in 1935 he was more outspoken in his criticism of the German dictatorship, but until recently his books were not banned and were widely read in his native country. He maintained that he could not live in Germany because he refused to be co-ordinated like other German'authors. He ardently defended the position and cause of liis fellowGerman authors who lived abfoad and attacked the Nazi regime, especially its anti-Jewish attitude. SAAR LEADER AND EX-MINISTER. Among the others losing their Reich citizenship are a number of Jews ivho were, of course, no longer citizens except iu the formal sense. Some of those losing their citizenship took part in the struggle to keep the Saar from voting to rejoin the Reich and accordingly they were labelled, as double traitors. ■ The most widely known is Max Braum, Marxist leader in the Saar. Max Braum, until the' plebiscite in the Saar, was closely connected with the anti-Nazi movement in Saarbruecken. He became known as the Saar Socialist leader and an outstanding enemy of the Nazis. • The plebiscite over, he tried to show that tne registration of voters in the Saar territory had been falsified. He gave up the editorship of the * Volksstimme,’ his anti-Nazi organ in the Saar, and his organisation, the United Front Opposition to the Nazis, was dissolved. He went to France, where he continued his fierce attacks on the Third Reich; The greatest political figure losing his citizenship at this time is Wilhelm Sollman,.Minister of tl<e Interior in the Stresemann Cabinet and one of the leaders of the Social Democratic Party at the time. He is now living in Paris, and he has written many articles attacking the present German regime. Names of three former Reichstag Deputies are included in the list. '

HITLER’S BIOGRAPHERS, TOO. A notable number of welt-knowni, journalists are included. Perhaps tbo best known is Rudolf Olden, former; assistant editor of the ‘Berliner Tage-t blatt.’ Two members of Otto Stras-* ser’s group of the National Socialist! Party, now exiled, also are punished! for opposition to the Fuhrer. Rodolf Olden is the anther of a bio* graphy of Hitler. In it .he declared 1 that Germany to-day is in a state ofi barbarism and that the Third Reich is| ruled by “ might without liberty ort law.” He escaped from Germany ,■ where in pre-Hitler, days he was anl editor of the * Berliner. Tagleblatt,’ and took up residence in London. From there, in his publications and contribu* tions to English and French news* papers, he continued his attacks against the Hitler regime. He was active ia the investigations of the Reichstag fire and the blood purge of June which were conducted by an inter* national body of jurists. Among the political writers listed the most widely known abroad is Konrad Heiden, whose books Hitler and the history of National Socialism have been - translated into a number of languages. Only one professor is included at this* time. Dietreich von formerly professor of philosophy at tha University of Munich, is now living ia Austria,'where he is editing a> Catholic paper. . ■ 1