Message to gau (district) leaders on the confiscation of property from various Austrian churches (for hoarding, anti-state activities, and firearms offenses), and the transfer of the properties to the districts

National Socialist German Worker's Party The Deputy of the Fuehrer
Chief of Staff Muenchen, 20 March, 1941
es Brown House
Personal! Secret Circular Letter No. 5g
To all Gauleiters
Subject matter: Sequestration [Beschlagnahme] of church properties (properties of monasteries, etc.)
Valuable church properties had to be sequestered to a large extent lately, especially in Austria ; according to reports of the Gauleiter to the Fuehrer these sequestrations were frequently caused by offenses against ordinances relating to war economy (e.g. hoarding of food stuffs of various kinds, textiles, leather goods etc.) In other cases they were caused by offenses against the law relating to malicious attacks against the state [Heim-tueckegesetz] and in some cases because of prohibited possession of firearms. Obviously no compensation is to be paid to the churches for sequestrations made because of the above mentioned reasons. -With regard to further sequestrations, several Austrian Gauleiters have attempted to clarify the question who should acquire such sequestered properties at the occasion of the Fuehrer's last visit to Vienna. Please take note of the Fuehrer's decision, as contained in the letter written by Reich Minister Dr. Lammers to the Reich Minister for the Interior, dated 14, March 1941. I enclose copy of extracts of same. '
1 Enclosure
Certified: [signature illegible]
(signed) M. Bormann
Copy
The Reich Minister and Chief of the Reich Chancellery
Berlin, 14, March 1941. At present Fuehrer-Headquarters
Rk. 3884 B
To the Reich Minister for the Interior.
Subject: Draft of an ordinance supplementing the provisions on confiscation of property of persons inimical to people and state. Re. letter of this office dated 27 January 1941.
Rk. 19291 B II—
The Reich governors and Gauleiter von Schirach, Dr. Jury, and
250
Eigruber complained recently to. the Fuehrer that the Reich Minister of Finance still maintains the point of view that confiscation of property of persons inimical to the people and state should be made in favor of the Reich and not in favor of the Reich Gaue. As a consequence the Fuehrer has informed me that he desires the confiscation of such properties to be effected in favor of the respective Reich Gau, in which area the confiscated property is situated, and not in favor of the Reich. Should the property be situated in several Reich Gaue, a reasonable division of the property should be attained between the Reich Gaue concerned, insofar as possible.
(signed) Dr. Lammers
Copy certified: [signed] Hall