Copy of Most Urgent telegram from Munich, of November
10, 1938, 1:20 A.M.
To
All Headquarters and Stations of the State Police
All districts and Sub-districts of the SD
Urgent! For immediate attention of Chief or his deputy!
Following the attempt on the life of Secretary of
the Legation vom Rath in Paris, demonstrations against the Jews are
to be expected in all parts of the Reich in the course of the coming
night, November 9/10, 1938. The instructions below are to be applied
in dealing with these events:
1. The Chiefs of the State Police, or their deputies,
must immediately upon receipt of this telegram contact, by telephone,
the political leaders in their areas – Gauleiter or Kreisleiter
– who have jurisdiction in their districts and arrange a joint
meeting with the inspector or commander of the Order Police to discuss
the arrangements for the demonstrations. At these discussions the political
leaders will be informed that the German Police has received instructions,
detailed below, from the Reichsfuehrer SS and the Chief of the German
Police, with which the political leadership is requested to coordinate
its own measures:
a) Only such measures are to be taken as do not
endanger German lives or property (i.e., synagogues are to be burned
down only where there is no danger of fire in neighboring buildings).
b) Places of business and apartments belonging to Jews may be destroyed
but not looted. The police is instructed to supervise the observance
of this order and to arrest looters.
c) In commercial streets particular care is to be taken that non-Jewish
businesses are completely protected against damage.
d) Foreign citizens – even if they are Jews – are not to
be molested.
2. On the assumption that the guidelines detailed
under para. 1 are observed, the demonstrations are not to be prevented
by the Police, which is only to supervise the observance of the guidelines.
3. On receipt of this telegram Police will seize all
archives to be found in all synagogues and offices of the Jewish communities
so as to prevent their destruction during the demonstrations. This refers
only to material of historical value, not to contemporary tax records,
etc. The archives are to be handed over to the locally responsible officers
of the SD.
4. The control of the measures of the Security Police
concerning the demonstrations against the Jews is vested in the organs
of the State Police, unless inspectors of the Security Police have given
their own instructions. Officials of the Criminal Police, members of
the SD, of the Reserves and the SS in general may be used to carry out
the measures taken by the Security Police.
5. As soon as the course of events during the night
permits the release of the officials required, as many Jews in all districts
– especially the rich – as can be accommodated in existing
prisons are to be arrested. For the time being only healthy male Jews,
who are not too old, are to be detained. After the detentions have been
carried out the appropriate concentration camps are to be contacted
immediately for the prompt accommodation of the Jews in the camps. Special
care is to be taken that the Jews arrested in accordance with these
instructions are not i'll-treated....
signed Heydrich,
SS Gruppenfuehrer
* "Night of the Broken Glass."