The Times
September 06, 2002
Hitler-style applicant welcomed by parties
By Roger Boyes
MANAGERS of Germany’s political parties are having difficulty explaining their
enthusiastic reaction to a man who applied for membership with letters cribbed
largely from Mein Kampf, Hitler’s personal manifesto. The incident illustrates
how indiscriminate parties have become in taking on new members during an
election campaign, even when their sentiments bear a suspicious resemblance to
those of the Führer.
“Edmund Stoiber is a thousand times more suited to leading Germany than the
present Chancellor,” said one letter sent to the Christian Social Union
headquarters in Ingolstadt. “Chancellor Schröder is doing nothing to stop the
flood of foreigners who are spreading around our Fatherland,” said the letter,
signed by a certain Rudolph Lewald.
The CSU immediately spotted a potential member. “Many thanks for your nice
thoughts,” replied the local party manager, who enclosed an application for
membership.
The letter used chunks of Hitler’s book, which is still banned in Germany.
History students have to apply for access to the book in university libraries.
“The strongest, the brave and the hardworking will receive the birthright of
existence, only those who are born weaklings could regard this as offensive,”
the letter-writer said. “So-called humanity is melting like snow in the March
sun.” Such phrases were lifted from Mein Kampf, which was written while Hitler
was in jail after the failed Munich putsch of 1923.
Similar letters, also using the Nazi leader’s words, were sent to the other
political parties and drew sympathetic responses. “I read your letter with
great interest and pleasure,” the manager of the Christian Democratic Union in
Cologne, said.
“Great that you want to join us!” enthused the Green Party headquarters. The
Free Democrats invited the aspiring party member to a fundraising charity ball
at which Hans- Dietrich Genscher, the former Foreign Minister, would be the
star guest. The Social Democrats sent a list of rallies to be attended by
Gerhard Schröder, the Chancellor.
“I wanted to test how serious parties are about combating right-wing
extremism,” said the letter-writer, who was in fact the Cologne novelist
Rainer Popp. “I had no idea that they would be so enthusiastic.
“For the first few days I expected two men in leather coats from the Special
Branch to knock on my door. Instead only the postman called — with packets of
election material from zealous political headquarters,” Herr Popp said.
“I was stunned that political parties could react in this way — I reckon I
would have had the same response if I had signed the letter ‘Adolf Hitler’.”
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