Order Commissioner of the Reich for the Prussian Ministry of the Interior (Hermann Göring)

Shooting Decree

Förderung der nationalen Bewegung. Runderlaß des Ministers des Innern (Kommissar des Reichs)

Promotion of the National Movement: Circular Order of the Minister of the Interior (Commissioner of the Reich)

Göring’s circular to every police authority in Prussia, released to the press on 20 February. It told the police to avoid any appearance of hostility towards the SA, SS, Stahlhelm and the ‘national’ parties, to support their propaganda and to restrict it only in the most urgent cases, but to meet ‘organisations hostile to the state’ with the harshest means and, against Communist attacks, to use firearms ruthlessly if necessary. Officers who fired were promised Göring’s cover whatever the consequences; those who held back faced disciplinary proceedings. It became known as the ‘shooting decree’ (Schießerlass).

Dated: Friday 17 February 1933
Published in: Ministerial-Blatt für die Preußische innere Verwaltung, Teil I, no. 9, Wednesday 22 February 1933, p. 169
Citation: MBliV. 1933 I S. 169

On the day pages

Signed Day 19, Friday 17 February 1933
Published Day 22, Monday 20 February 1933

The text

Förderung der nationalen Bewegung.

Promotion of the National Movement.

RdErl. d. MdJ. (KdR.) v. 17. 2. 1933 — I 1272/17. 2. 33.

Circular Order of the Minister of the Interior (Commissioner of the Reich) of 17 February 1933 — I 1272/17. 2. 33.

(1) Ich glaube, mir einen besonderen Hinweis darauf ersparen zu können, daß die Polizei auch nur den Anschein einer feindseligen Haltung oder gar den Eindruck einer Verfolgung gegenüber nationalen Verbänden (SA., SS. und Stahlhelm) und nationalen Parteien unter allen Umständen zu vermeiden hat. Ich erwarte vielmehr von sämtlichen Polizeibehörden, daß sie zu den genannten Organisationen, in deren Kreisen die wichtigsten staatsaufbauenden Kräfte enthalten sind, das beste Einvernehmen herstellen und unterhalten. Darüber hinaus ist jede Betätigung für nationale Zwecke und die nationale Propaganda mit allen Kräften zu unterstützen. Von polizeilichen Beschränkungen und Auflagen darf insoweit nur in dringendsten Fällen Gebrauch gemacht werden. (Begründung an das MdJ. notwendig.) Dafür ist dem Treiben staatsfeindlicher Organisationen mit den schärfsten Mitteln entgegenzutreten. Gegen kommunistische Terrorakte und Überfälle ist mit aller Strenge vorzugehen und, wenn nötig, rücksichtslos von der Waffe Gebrauch zu machen. Polizeibeamte, die in Ausübung dieser Pflichten von der Schußwaffe Gebrauch machen, werden ohne Rücksicht auf die Folgen des Schußwaffengebrauchs von mir gedeckt; wer hingegen in falscher Rücksichtnahme versagt, hat dienststrafrechtliche Folgen zu gewärtigen.

(1) I believe I can spare myself any particular reminder that the police must in all circumstances avoid even the appearance of a hostile attitude, let alone the impression of persecution, towards national associations (SA, SS and Stahlhelm) and national parties. I expect, rather, of all police authorities that they establish and maintain the best of relations with the organisations named, in whose ranks the most important forces for building up the state are to be found. Beyond this, every activity for national purposes and national propaganda is to be supported with all available means. Police restrictions and conditions may be imposed on them only in the most urgent cases. (A statement of reasons to the Minister of the Interior is required.) On the other hand, the activities of organisations hostile to the state are to be opposed with the harshest means. Communist acts of terror and attacks are to be dealt with with all severity and, if necessary, firearms are to be used ruthlessly. Police officers who make use of firearms in the performance of these duties will be covered by me, regardless of the consequences of the use of firearms; whoever, on the other hand, fails out of misplaced consideration must expect disciplinary consequences.

(2) Der Schutz der immer wieder in ihrer Betätigung eingeengten nationalen Bevölkerung erfordert die schärfste Handhabung der gesetzlichen Bestimmungen gegen verbotene Demonstrationen, unerlaubte Versammlungen, Plünderungen, Aufforderung zum Hoch- und Landesverrat, Massenstreik, Aufruhr, Pressedelikte und das sonstige strafbare Treiben der Ordnungsstörer.

(2) The protection of the national population, whose activity has again and again been restricted, requires the strictest application of the legal provisions against prohibited demonstrations, unauthorised meetings, looting, incitement to high treason and treason, mass strikes, riot, press offences and the other punishable activities of disturbers of order.

(3) Jeder Beamte hat sich stets vor Augen zu halten, daß die Unterlassung einer Maßnahme schwerer wiegt als begangene Fehler in der Ausübung.

(3) Every officer must always bear in mind that failure to take a measure weighs more heavily than mistakes made in carrying one out.

(4) Ich erwarte und hoffe, daß alle Beamten sich mit mir eins fühlen in dem Ziele, durch die Stärkung und Zusammenfassung aller nationalen Kräfte unser Vaterland vor dem drohenden Verfall zu retten.

(4) I expect and hope that all officers feel at one with me in the aim of saving our fatherland from threatening decay by strengthening and uniting all national forces.

An alle Pol.-Behörden.

To all police authorities.

d. MdJ. (KdR.)

the Minister of the Interior (Commissioner of the Reich) [as named in the heading; the Ministerialblatt prints no signature]

About this text

The full text is given. No scan is on Wikimedia Commons. Transcribed from the scan of the Ministerial-Blatt für die Preußische innere Verwaltung 1933, Teil I, Nr. 9 (22 February 1933), col. 169, digitised by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on the Internet Archive; compared with the text released by the Amtlicher Preußischer Pressedienst and printed in the Kölnische Zeitung and Karlsruher Zeitung of 21 February 1933, which omit ‘(Begründung an das MdJ. notwendig.)’, and of which the Kölnische Zeitung also reads ‘Kundgebungen’ for ‘Demonstrationen’ and begins a new sentence at ‘Wer hingegen’. The Ministerialblatt prints no signature: the signature block gives the issuing authority as named in the heading.

The English translation was made for this site and is not an official translation. The order’s own vocabulary (‘national associations’, ‘forces for building up the state’, ‘organisations hostile to the state’, ‘the national population’) is translated literally; it states Göring’s view of who belonged to the nation. ‘Gedeckt’ is rendered ‘covered’: an assurance that officers would not be held to account.

German laws and decrees are official works and not protected by copyright (§ 5 UrhG).

Terms

Kommissar des Reichs (KdR.): Since the Reich’s takeover of the Prussian government in July 1932, Prussian ministries were run by Reich Commissioners. Göring held the Prussian Ministry of the Interior, and with it command of the largest police force in Germany, as Commissioner from 30 January 1933.
nationale Verbände: ‘National associations’: the order names the SA and SS of the Nazi Party and the Stahlhelm, the veterans’ league allied with the German National People’s Party.
staatsfeindlich: ‘Hostile to the state’: the order does not define the term; in its protest to Hindenburg of 21 February the trade union federation objected that Göring had not said what he meant by it, while treating only those close to the SA, SS and Stahlhelm as the ‘national population’.
dienststrafrechtliche Folgen: Disciplinary consequences under the civil-service disciplinary code, up to dismissal.
Ministerial-Blatt für die Preußische innere Verwaltung: The official gazette of the Prussian Ministry of the Interior, in which its circular orders to subordinate authorities were published.

Sources

Ministerial-Blatt für die Preußische innere Verwaltung 1933, Teil I, Nr. 9 (22. Februar 1933), Sp. 169: Förderung der nationalen Bewegung (Preußisches Ministerium des Innern; scan by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on the Internet Archive, col. 169)
Runderlaß Görings an die Polizei. Gegen politische Uebergriffe (Kölnische Zeitung, via Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek Zeitungsportal, 21 February 1933, morning edition, p. 1 (telegram dated Berlin, 20 February))
Ein Erlaß Goerings an die preußische Polizei (Karlsruher Zeitung, via Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek Zeitungsportal, 21 February 1933, p. 2 (Amtlicher Preußischer Pressedienst))