VOELKISCHER BEOBACHTER, South German Edition, Munich, Monday 1st February 1937.
MEMORIAL MEETING OF THE REICH CABINET All the Members of the Cabinet Bearers of the Gold Party Insignia.
Early lifting of the ban on membership in the party.
Berlin, January 31.—The Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor had called the members of the Reich government to a ministerial discussion at the Cabinet Room of the Reich Chancellery on Saturday afternoon, which turned out to be a most impressive festivity, being the fourth anniversary of the appointment of the Hitler Cabinet by the Reich President von Hindenburg.
In warm, emotional words the Fuehrer recalled the political developments of the past years, which had taken on such historical importance as could never have been foreseen four years ago. Thé Fuehrer expressed his sincere thanks for the efforts of the members of his cabinet and for their loyal collaboration, by specially pointing out the great success of the individual ministers in their respective fields of activity.
In view of the anticipated lifting of the ban for party membership, the Fuehrer, as the first step in this regard, personally carried out the enlistment into the party of the members of the Cabinet who so far had not belonged to it, and he handed them
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simultaneously the Gold Party Badge, the supreme badge of honor of the party.
In addition the Fuehrer awarded the Gold Party Badge to ' Generaloberst Freiherr von Fritsch, the General-Admiral Dr. h.c. Raeder, the Prussian Minister of Finance Professor Popitz and the Secretary of State and Chief of the Presidential Chancellory, Dr. Meissner. The Fuehrer also honored with the gold party badge the party members State Secretary Dr. Lammers, State Secretary Funk, State Secretary Koerner and State Secretary General of the Airforce Milch.
On behalf of the entire Reich Cabinet thereupon the ministerial president Generaloberst Goering expressed in highly emotional words to the Fuehrer the thanks of the members of the cabinet for all the grand and beautiful things which they could experience and help to create in those past four years under the leadership of the Fuehrer. The Fuehrer may rest assured that he had in the Reich cabinet his most loyal collaborators, and that everyone of them would gladly and enthusiastically do his utmost to assist the Fuehrer with all his power in carrying out his grand and unique plans. Generaloberst Goering concluded his address expressing his best wishes for the Fuehrer's personal well-being, for his life and for his task.
Reieh Minister for War General Fieldmarshal v. Blomberg expressed thanks to the Fuehrer in the name of the Armed Forces for the incomparable experience of every German soldier in the past four years. The Reich Foreign Minister Freiherr v. Neurath thanked in the name of those members of the cabinet, who so far did not belong to,the Party.
Article on a meeting of the Reich Cabinet, including Hitler's award of the gold party badge to several ministers and other officials, and the cabinet's loyalty to Hitler
Authors
Date: 31 January 1937
Literal Title: Voelkischer Beobachter . . . Memorial Meeting of the Reich Cabinet
Defendants: Walther Funk, Hermann Wilhelm Goering, Constantin Neurath, von, Erich Raeder
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-2964
Citation: IMT (page 1714)
HLSL Item No.: 451311
Notes:The meeting was held on 31 January and the article was published on 1 February 1937.
Document Summary
PS-2964: Report, 31 January 1937, on the bestowal of the golden party medal on the members of the cabinet
PS-2964: SCHWERIN-KROSIGK is awarded the Golden Party Badge by Hitler, 31 January 1937.
Account of the Cabinet session of the January 30, 1937, front-page news write-up, officially published in the Voelkischer Beobachter, official organ of the NSDAP, South German edition of February 1, 1937.