NAZI PARTY MEMBER

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4820, 7 August 1939, Page 6

NAZI PARTY MEMBER

TEACHER OF GERMAN. POLITICIAN’S INTEREST. Widespread comment has been caused by a disclosure that a Sydney University lecturer is an active member of the Nazi Party. Asked in the Legislative Assembly if a member of the German teaching staff at the University was a Nazi Party membe and whether the Nazi Party in Germany had influenced his appointment, the Minister of Education (Mr. Drummond) said he was not aware of the methods by which a teacher of German had been appointed. “I am not advised whether he is a member of any party, or whether the German Government had any influence in his appointment. I will refer the question to the Vice-Chan-cellor of the University,” he said. Dr. G. Neumann, lecturer in German at the University, said in a subsequent interview that he was a Nazi. “I think that you will find that every German who comes to Australia, except a refugee, is a Nazi,” said Dr. Neumann. “I am not ashamed of the fact that I am a Nazi. I cannot see how that fact can be related to the fact that I lecture in German at the University. I was appointed to the University by a committee of English and German professors. The answer to the question asked in the House about whether Nazi influence was brought to bear on my appointment is ‘No.’ ”

The Vice-Chancellor of the University (Dr. R. S. Wallace) said:— “Apparently Dr. Neumann, like most young Germans, believes in Hitler. One might almost expect that. As far as I know, there was no Nazi influence brought to bear on his appointment.

There was a sequel to the Parliamentary question on the next day. Mr. C. E. Martin, a Labour member who asked it, said that he had received an anonymous warning to “mind his own business.” There was a telephone call to his chambers. He was away and his secretary answered. A male voice said. “Is that Martin, the Labour member for Waverley ” Told that Mr. Martin was out, the voice said: “Tell him to mind his own business about Dr. Neumann- or he might get into trouble.” Mr. Martin said he had definite information that there had been correspondence about Dr. Neumann between the authorities of the Sydney University and the Nazi University in Berlin, and he would press for the production to Parliament of all the papers on the appointment of Dr. Neumann.