English Translation

34 Appendix 4 Dr. Rö/Yes. Note. When in 1937 and 1938 numerous trials were carried out in West Germany against religious and clerics for their moral misconduct, it became clear that many monasteries, convicts, etc. were now empty. The result was that the episcopal ordinations wanted to sell the buildings and properties as best they could, so that they could at least save money. For example, the monastery in Waldreitbach was sold to the district association in Düsseldorf around a few hundred.Oo0 RM with the success that this significant sum again benefited the Catholic action. We were therefore looking for a way to return the assets to the people as a whole where there were misconducts. In most cases, the confiscation of the assets in favour of the empire was not possible. After the cultural struggle, the Catholic Church saw itself forced to clothe its assets in the forms of Western right. The Catholic Church established various societies for the camouflage of its assets, which seemed to be outside of it as assets. Among the social forms, preference was given: the foundation, the association and the Ges.m.b.H., only the society of the Jesuits uses the form of a public limited company to disguise their assets. In January lg39 I undertook together with the State Councillor Johlen, the secret state police station Frankfurt a.M./ sS Ober- führer Dr. Rasch/ and the Herrn Regierungspräsident in Wiesbaden / SS Obergruppenführer von Pfeffer/ to realize the following thought. From state police background the previous foundation board or association chairman was dismissed. The vacancy was in - 2 -