Amerikanische Militärpölizei in Marburg, Frankfurter Straße, im Frühjahr 1947 (Foto: Sammlung Krusch

Bericht des Staatspolitischen Ausschusses über seine Einsetzung und Tätigkeit seit Mai 1945 an den amerik. Militärkommandanten Lt. Col. Thomas A. Brown vom 16. 8. 1945

The State-political Board of the Town of Marburg

Origin, character, development, relation to the

American Military Government and the 

 Oberbürgermeister as well as lines of work. [40]

I

Ort March 28th 1945 the entering of this town by American troops finished National-Socialism as a factor of power in town and State.

At first, the municipal administration was paralyzed and unable to work. The first step to re-establish a new order in the Municipal Administration was the appointment of Mr. Siebecke as Oberbürgermeister.

The first attempt of the anti-fascistic group to assist and help the Oberbürgermeister by the foundation of a State-political Board did not succeed because this Board was directed in a conservative political way by a "deutsch-national" nazi-adversary, Studienassessor Sangmeister, whose leadership was not fit for the problems of this time. Therefore the Oberbürgermeister dissolved this first Board.

Afterwards, ten representatives of the democratic anti-fascistic population of this town and also former social-democratic and communistic representatives of the iabourers asked teacher Mütze to offer the assistance and collaboration of these anti-fascistic groups to the Oberbürgermeister for the purpose of re-establishment. The Oberbürgermeister agreed to this offer and appointed Mr. Mütze his State-political Referent whose task was to found a State-political Board with several members of the political groups he represented and who chiefly had to work with the well planned reorganization of the different lines of admini- stration of communities and State and the re-establishment of trade and industry in this town, especially to remove all national-socialists.

A Board of twenty persons was founded, but it was not able to work and too nurnerous to be agreed to by Military Government. The chief work of this Board was a democratic, free and secret election of five representatives amongst its members who were acknowledged as State-political Board of this town after having been checked by CIC of Military Government.

The following persons were reported as members of the State-political Board to Military

Government on May 24th 1945:

1) Theodor Abel, gardener, 12 Kirchhainer Weg

2) Hermann Bauer, owner of print, 19 Deutschhausstr.

3) Ludwig Mütze, teacher, 19 Orleansstr.

4) Ludwig Peter, electro-fitter, 18 Marktgasse

5) Roppel, book-seller, Rotenberg

6) Robert Treut, Studiendirektor off duty, 7 Im Gefälle.

There were appointed as their representatives:

la) Robert Peil, electro-master, 64 Ockershäuser Allee

2a) Gottlieb Pfeil, whole-sale-merchant, 30 Deutschhausstr.

3a) Bruno Tilgner, Schulrat, off duty, 5 Werderstr.

4a) Peter Mengel, levelling inspector, 7 Lothringer Str.

5a) Otto Dula, merchant, 19 Wettergasse.

II

According to the party-groups of the German Commonwealth of 1932, there belonged

5) and 5a) to the liberal-citizen direction (Dr. Stresemann)

2), 2a), 3), 4a) and 6) to the German-democratic Party, DDP (Dr. Friedrich Naumann)

4) and 3a) to the social-democratic Party of Germany SPD (Ebert, Scheidemann)

1) and la) to the communistic Party of Germany KPD (Thaelmann).

The different party-politic origin of these persons did not prevent any collaboration up to now, not was it disturbed by this fact. - But the six members of the Board became a unitary and harmonic working community in the course of their collaboration.

The common effort and the unitary aim of the Board is to eliminate nazism, milltarism and reactionary nationalism from the further development of further polltical life.

By this fact the Marburg State-political Board differs from similar Boards of the different representatives of the Parties in the time of the German Commonwealth.

III

During the time of the Board's three months' activity changes in the membership were only due to necessities arising from private business or professional facts.

Thus, Mr. Hermann Bauer withdraw and was replaced by Mr. Gottlieb Pfeil. Mr. Bauer is now the representative of Mr. Pfeil. [41] The same change was made between Mr. Roppel and Mr. Dula. Mr. Tilgner retired es a representative as he was appointed Schulrat at Biedenkopf.

Mr. Robert Treut replaces now Mr. Ludwig Mütze[42] who was made Schulrat for the country-district administration of schools by Military Government. Mr. Robert Treut was proposed unanimously by the Board to the Oberbürgermeister who appointed him representative State-political Referent on June 15th 1945.

IV

Military Government did not hinder the Board in fulfilling his tasks. In the contrary, there

is an ever growing confidential relation between the Board and the Military Government. In order to guarantee its ordinary work and a satisfying collaboration with the Military Government the Board needs the complete confidence of Military Government, which confidence grants also a certain protection to its members against those people to whom the Board makes political objections and who do not apply to the Board but directly to Military Government to obtain confidence, to stay in their positions and to get a job.

The State-political Board is at the disposal of Military Government for judging of applicants for positions and officials and employees of administration, trade and industry in this town, and it fulfills its task with all his forces and as well as possible as it has the same aim: to strike out finally nazism and militarism from German life.

But the Board tries, too, to save experts of valuable character for the reestablishment if they only formally and nominally belonged to the NSDAP. The Board supports only persons who are known as real anti-fascists or who can bring undoubtful evidence for their political point of view.

For this part of its task - the checking function - that shall avoid unjust hardnesses, the Board asks the Military Government to grant it kindly more understanding and more concessions.

Otherwise the State-political Board runs the risk to lose the esteem of the public opinion, a fact that would be very disfavourable for the tone in this town.

V

The relation between the State-political Board and the Oberbürgermeister is founded on a firm mutual confidence. At first the Oberbürgermeister seemed to think the Board's criticism of his selection of personnel as a destructive opposition, and he needed a certain time to be convinced of the Board's good will and his uninterrupted aiming for positive and democratic collaboration. Blut after a certain time, he agreed to the Boards right of taking part in the administration of our town. But now, the Board and the Oberbürgermeister collaborate closely and confidentially. - Mostly the Oberbürgermeister takes part personally in the meetings of the Board.

VI

During the last weeks the work of the Board became so comprehensive that time and force of its members was nearly not sufficient and that the overgiving of part of its tasks to a special Board of this town that was elected by the Board was necessary.

The questions of feeding, housing, transporting and traffic, the want of coal and timbern, the lacking of work-men and specialists, the growing scarcity of money of many widows and people living from their pensions, the problems of school, education and press, the needs of existence of many soldiers returning from prisoner of war-camps and of many men who were wounded in the war are dealt with by the Board in long meetings and are thought of by its members in the sleepless nights.[43]

More and more, the population of this town thinks the state-political Board to be a representative of their interests and a help in their need. The number of applicants is increasing daily. And if the Board has only to give a good advice or any explanation instead of helping directly, if it asks people to be patient and confident, it strengthens the hope in future and the willing to life of many a desperate or resigned man. With this quiet psychological and valuable work the Board is also assisting in rebuilding positively a new and democratic Germany where the idea of Weimar will give the right direction to the German people for all time.

Anmerkungen:

[40]  Bericht des Staatspolitischen Ausschusses an Leutnant Thomas A. Brown vom 16. 8. 1945. SPA-Akten, Magistratsarchiv Marburg. Vgl. GIMBEL, Marburg nach dem Zusammenbruch, S. 9.

[41]  Enttäuschung darüber war auch ein Grund für Bauers Rückzug aus dem SPA. Er meinte, seine bisherige Arbeit sei meist vergeblich und gab an, er wolle sich ganz dem Aufbau einer demokratischen Presse widmen. BAUER an Mütze, undatiert (Aug. 1945), Bauerpapiere.

[42]  Auch Mütze stand der politischen Arbeit mittlerweile skeptisch gegenüber. Nach seinem Ausscheiden schrieb er an den Oberbürgermeister, er wünsche ihm "starke Nerven und Zukunftsglauben im Kampfe gegen die Giftmischer, die leider ungehindert im Dunkeln ihre teuflische Arbeit zu verrichten vermögen." MÜTZE an Siebecke, 19. 10. 1945, SPA-Akten, Magistratsarchiv Marburg.

[43] Diese Passage wurde auch als Artikel in Bauers "Marburger Presse" veröffentlicht. Vgl. Marburger Presse Nr. 4, 25. 9.1945, S. 3.