ZU R.M. 33 g.Rs.
MEMORANDUM
During the last 1% years, Lithuanian activists, under the name of Woldemaras Supporters, have asked German offices repeatedly for support in the matter of weapons and money through the mediation of Memel confidence agents of the foreign office and the State Police H.Q. in Tilsit. Imminent large scale plots to seize power were always pointed out with these requests without anything ever happening afterwards.
Thorough investigations have shown that the so-called "Woldemaras Supporters" are composed of persons who are dissatisfied with the Government of the Lithuanian President Smetana for the most varied reasons. A certain uniformity exists merely in the rejection of the friendly disposition towards Poland of the intellectual circles, as well as the Christian Democratic Party,
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which at present is decisively represented in the Lithuanian government. It has not yet been possible to identify the presence of a definite policy in the leadership of this group. No connections worth mentioning exist with Woldemaras, who lives in France, writing religious compositions and receiving a small pension from the Lithuanian government on the condition not to return to Lithuania and to remain quiet politically. It must therefore be considered as extremely questionable whether this group of activists, with whom the name "Woldemaras" is hardly more than an advertisement, will attain political influence in the near future. It is not in the interest of Germany to weaken the position of the Army Commander Rastikis, whose influence on the political direction of Lithuania is increasing. On the other hand it is not disadvantageous if the friendly endeavours towards Poland meet with active opposition.
The Woldemaras group has occasionally been supported, for these reasons, with the approval of the Foreign Office [Aussen-amt] by small amounts of money (amounts of a few hundred marks) so that its activities and its developments could be kept under observation. Support through the delivery of arms, aircraft and motor vehicles which had been asked for at different times, has not been given. It will be appropriate to adopt the same practice in future as well. Support on a larger scale will offer prospects for success only at such time as the Woldemaras group has shown that it is in the position to create the basis for an effective intervention in Lithuanian politics by itself.
With regard to the pogrom-plans of the "Woldemaras Supporters" it has to be said that for some time past the Lithuanian government has been working successfully towards the elimination of Jewry from Lithuanian economy. This has resulted in an ever-growing increasing emigration of Jews during the last years. The Jews have always been excluded from Lithuanian public life. The preparation of pogroms could easily lead to a disturbance of this well planned development, which is gratifying to us.
Berlin, 19th July, 1939.
Doertenbach.
RAM. [Added in handwriting]
I support small regular payments, e. g. 2-3,000 marks quarterly.
[Signed] W
656
Report on the Woldemaras Supporters movement in Lithuania, including financial support from Germany, and anti-Jewish developments in Lithuania
Authors
Doertenbach (Foreign Office staff (1939))
Doertenbach
- Additional details not yet available.
Date: 19 July 1939
Literal Title: Memorandum
Defendant: Joachim Ribbentrop, von
Total Pages: 2
Language of Text: English
Source of Text: Nazi conspiracy and aggression (Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.)
Evidence Code: PS-2952
Citation: IMT (page 2344)
HLSL Item No.: 451921
Trial Issue
Document Summary
PS-2952: Draft by a Foreign Office official re active support of Paschist Group in Lithuania. Signature illegible Photostatic copy
PS-2952: Notes by an official in the German foreign office, 19 July 1939, concerning German support of a group of people. in Lithuania hostile to' poles and Jews a.nd known as "woldemaras adherents"