Description:

A very interesting group of letters related to one Professor Alexei Saslawez, a Russian or Polish scientist sympathetic to the Third Reich, and the efforts of Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories Alfred Rosenberg's staff to vet his proposal to foment anti-war sentiment in neutral and Allied nations, thus weakening their war efforts. The group includes an unsigned typed letter, 2pp. 4to., Breslau, Sep. 14, 1944, a German translation of Saslawez' original letter to Rosenberg in Russian, proposing his scheme. In part: "Herr Minister! The nearly thirty years that have passed since we graduated from university have certainly wiped out the memory of the first-semester student, Alexei Saslawez, especially since the events of that time did not allow him to stay longer. But the importance of the matter forces me to contact you directly. For some time now, the feeling of war fatigue has been felt abroad, not only in those fighting on the side of Germany, but also in the neutral states. This sentiment has spread widely abroad, but has not yet developed into a general movement. I want to capture these moods and give them the appearance of an organized and widespread general movement whose dissemination in England and America is to be carried out by the press. The resulting strikes, increasing the number of deserters from the armies of these states, paralyzing the willing to continue the war - would be seen as positive phenomena. To this end, I would like to establish a legal union, democratic, anti-militarist - a league of friends of peace - in one neutral state, and later, if possible, in several neutral states, perhaps even in England itself..." He goes on to list some talking points that this movement could disseminate and emphasize, including the brutal human cost of the conflict, the impermanence of peace, and the historical view of those who wage war. He states that he has contacted a Colonel Gustav Grauer in Breslau in order to transmit his plans to Rosenberg, but states that he is to change his location shortly out of fear of "...the Bolshevist threat..." He closes: "...I ask you to accept my most sincere wishes for the victory over the enemy, the tormentor of my homeland, as well as the assurance of my greatest respect..." This translation is accompanied by a T.L.S., 1p. 4to., Berlin, Sep. 22, 1944, from Rosenberg's adjutant, SA-Standartenfuhrer WERNER KOEPPEN (1910-1994), transmitting the translation to OTTO BRAUTIGAM (1895-1992), a German diplomat in the Foreign Office who also worked in the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories under Rosenberg. In part: "On behalf of Reichsleiter Rosenberg, I enclose with you a letter from Prof. Saszlawez... The assumption that Saszlawez was a study colleague of the Reichsleiter does not correspond to the facts. Reichsleiter Rosenberg asks you to check whether a mission of Saszlawez is in your area of ambition." Koeppen signs at the conclusion in pencil, while Brautigam indicates his receipt of the letter with his initial "B" in pencil at the upper left margin. In turn, Brautigam replies to Koeppen with his own T.L.S., 1p. 4to., Berlin, Oct. 10, 1944, in full: "The possibility of using the Saslawez within my field of work is not given, as his proposals go beyond the scope of my work. Therefore, I will approach the Reich Security Main Office in this regard and ask you to contact the author of the letter." He signs at the conclusion in black ink, adding several ink emendations to the text. Both of the above letters bear notes indicating that copies have been forwarded to an "H. Haynberg", a "Sachbearbeiter [clerk]" within the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories. Haynberg, in turn, dispatches a T.L.S., 1p. 4to., Berlin, Oct. 18, 1944, to an "SS-Obersturmfuhrer Nimz" of the "Reichssicherheitshauptamt SD-Schule [Reich Security Main Office SD School]", in full: "Enclosed I send you the letter of Prof. Saslawez to the Reich Minister. Since the proposals of Saslawez go beyond the scope of the Ministry of the East, I ask you to check whether you are interested in establishing a connection with the superior." Haynberg signs at the conclusion in pencil, adding an illegible ink postscript, and signs again in black ink. Brautigam also adds his initial "B" in pencil, and the letter is marked "Geheim [Secret]" at the top. This third letter shows extensive chips to the right edge, while all four pieces show some even toning and file holes to the left edge, else very good. Although we unfortunately cannot uncover any further information about Prof. Saslawez' ambitious plot, this nevertheless remains a fascinating grouping of communications between high-level Reich officials under Rosenberg.

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November 19, 2019 10:00 AM EST
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