Friedrich Kellner Diary

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August Friedrich Kellner (1885 - 1970), born in Vaihingen an der Enz, was a justice inspector in the courthouse in Mainz and a political activist for the Social Democratic Party of Germany between 1918 and 1933. His speeches against Hitler and the National Socialists made him many enemies. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they banned the Social Democratic Party and put many of their leaders in concentration camps. To escape their revenge, Friedrich Kellner moved his family to the small town of Laubach. There, in the position of chief justice inspector, Kellner was the judicial officer in charge of the administration of the courthouse, including police investigative reports, the records of the prosecutor's office, and trial documents. His spoken opposition to the Nazi regime in Laubach almost got him sent to a concentration camp, so he turned his energies to writing a diary to expose the crimes and propaganda of the Third Reich. The diary was also to serve as a warning for future generations to vigorously oppose dictatorships and terrorism.

The diary is divided into ten volumes, with a total of 861 pages. There are 676 individual dated entries. Included among the pages of the diary are more than 500 newspaper clippings.

Although most Germans after the war would insist they knew nothing at all about the state-sponsored atrocities against the Jews, as early as October 28, 1941, Kellner made the following entry in his diary:

“A soldier on vacation here said he witnessed a terrible atrocity in the occupied parts of Poland. He watched as naked Jewish men and women were placed in front of a long deep ditch and upon the order of the SS were shot by Ukrainians in the back of their heads and they fell into the ditch. Then the ditch was filled with dirt even as he could still hear screams coming from people still alive in the ditch. These inhuman atrocities were so terrible that some of the Ukrainians, who were used as tools, suffered nervous breakdowns. All the soldiers who had knowledge of these bestial actions of these Nazi sub-humans were of the opinion that the German people should be shaking in their shoes because of the coming retribution. There is no punishment that would be hard enough to be applied to these Nazi beasts. Of course, when the retribution comes, the innocent will have to suffer along with them. But because ninety percent of the German population is guilty, directly or indirectly, for the present situation, we can only say that those who travel together will hang together.”

The diary seldom deals with the Kellners’ personal lives, their daily tribulations and how they managed to survive during the war. Instead Friedrich Kellner wrote about the political atmosphere of a country run by terrorists, and how the leading politicians in other nations, and the citizens of those nations, remained indifferent to the fact that dictators in Germany and Italy and Japan were plotting to take possession of the entire world, no matter how many innocent people were murdered in the process. Kellner railed at the fact that millions of people had to die because a mere handful of politicians in the democracies failed to stand up against evil. And he railed also against those people like the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, and the car manufacturer Henry Ford, and the world’s intelligentsia, professors and professionals in medicine and law, who so blindly kow-towed to the likes of Adolf Hitler. “The whole world let themselves be fooled by this man,” he wrote on May 3, 1942.

Friedrich Kellner primarily looked to America and England for rescue. On June 25, 1941, he wrote:

“When will this insanity be brought to an end? When will the intoxication of victory turn into a terrible hangover? Now is a unique chance for England and America to take the initiative, bu not only with empty promises and insufficient measures. If America had the will to throw its entire might into the fray, it could tip the balance for a return of peace. Only a tremendous force and the commitment of all war material can bring the German wild steer to reason. Up until now the statesmen–through unbelievable shortsightedness–have neglected or failed their duty. Mankind awake! Attack together with all your might against the destroyers of peace! No reflections, no resolutions, no speeches, no neutrality. Advance against the enemy of mankind!”

Contents 1 Various entries from the diary 2 The purpose of the diary 3 Institutes expressing an interest in the diary 4 External links

[edit] Various entries from the diary

17 October 1940: If it is true that German squadrons continue to bomb London, then it must be said by now that England is able to defend itself, particularly that it has a good defense against air raids. In this case England should follow the old proverb: “Invasion is the best defense." Where is the British fleet?

12 Nov 1940: Chamberlain and the entire subsequent government carries the blame not to have taken equivalent steps when they discovered Germany's preparations for war. A world power must always be prepared to successfully and energetically repulse any attack. Everyone is certain that England was not sufficiently prepared. Also the fleet did not appear capable of taking decisive action. It's possible that it was merely constraining itself, but that strategy is a mistake. It should have been put into action immediately. Neither in Africa nor in the Mediterranean has the English fleet rigorously counter-attacked.

21 Nov 1940: Herr Joseph Hessler gave me two gas masks. He said we are now in the danger zone. When the English run out of ammunition, they'll come after us with gas, and that will be the last straw on which they themselves will be drowned! So said Herr Hessler, retired insurance agent from Frankfurt who now lives in Laubach. A genuine Party man and possessor of several official positions (air defense and supply officer). He is the type of correct sergeant-major for whom politics shapes his horizon and who is enraptured by the propaganda, because it daily offers what he so gladly would hear. My dear Joseph, don’t you know you're in a cardboard house!

To another breed belongs county court councillor Bolander. Before 1933 he was a member of the students association, member of the Old German Union, and member of the National Liberal Party. The son of a high-placed customs officer. Sworn enemy of Jews, First Class. He is convinced of a total German victory although he's not able to say quite how the peace will come about. Victory (Germany's, naturally) is for him a deadly cause. He is a true manifestation of the men of the Third Reich--no concern for the human rights of other people.

5 Dec 1940: No Italian soldier stands any longer on Greek soil. Greece turned the tables and has chased them into Albania. The Italians lose emplacement after emplacement. Where is the celebrated fascist pluck? Nothing is solved with the big mouth alone. The spirit decides. The Greeks defend their fatherland. And the Italians? They wanted to invade and plunder a small country. Finally a light shows itself in the European chaos.

Now is an opportunity for England begins to show itself on the horizon. Do the English realize this? The English have until now shown an unbelievable policy of irresolution. One is tempted to assume that they are incapable of making any clever military moves.

Attack! The English in Africa should attack wherever they can at any cost. Italy finds itself in a bad situation in Albania. We will see whether England finally knows what she has to do.

24 Dec 1940: Just a step--and the second Christmas in the war is here. There is nothing to be felt of "Peace on Earth."

5 July 1941: In Giessen, Forester Ritter was arrested because he said the war would last another three years. Two years ago R. was assassinated because he maintained that the war would last two years.

The truth may not be said.

7 July 1941: Today my father would have celebrated his 80th birthday. What would he have said, this friend of peace, to these awful slaughterers of mankind? How often I think about the time he prophesied the downfall of Germany in the war of 1914-1918. Good-hearted and reasonable people in Germany have only the rank of speakers in the desert.

The scorners of mankind, the daredevils and uncompromising aggressors, those are the heroes of the present day Germany. A turning point is not yet in sight

29 July 1941: The wounded soldiers in the field hospital in Geissen tell the story that Russian prisoners-of-war were also being murdered. Gruesome bandits. Are the German people a people of culture? No! A cultural people must be able to think as individuals and behave themselves properly. But the German people have repeatedly allowed themselves to be dictated to by their "infallible" Fuhrer without participating in the slightest degree in their own destiny. The Fuhrer is always right, the Fuhrer never errs. The German people have been taken in by this devil.

21 Jan 1942: Whoever looks in the past and thinks about the time of 1919 to 1932 will be overpowered by great pain in the face of the mistakes that have been made. When Hitler published his book "Mein Kampf," it was time to begin the most stringent battle against the theories proposed in that book. Hitler proposed to do away with all present parties and institutions, even those which had been brought about after centuries of sacrifices and great exertions. What would a man do if a thief announced a proposed break-in? Anybody would make security arrangements. And what did the government and the representatives of the people do? As much as nothing. A tired, weak and sick population, as well as a weak government, let a charlatan of the worst sort promise them healing. For every problem this quack had the only right medicine. He alone possessed the magic wand that would uproot human weakness and produce angels.

12 Feb 1942: I would really like to know what the general staff in the opposing countries were doing during peacetime. Did they play bridge? Did those people never get the idea to ask themselves what will we do if this or that country attacks? Plans have to be at the ready. Then you only have to push a button.

20 Mar 1942: We were informed of the prospect of a shortening in food rations. 300 grams of meat or sausage per week. Once the Fuhrer asserted he had the right to require sacrifices because he himself was ready to accept any personal sacrifice. If now the idea came into his head to starve to death, then I would not want to take away his right to ask all his fellow fighters to do the same.

14 April 1943: Ten years in the penitentiary for a "radio crime." According to the newspaper that was too little for the chief justice. He sent back the verdict to the original court and demanded the death penalty. Just think: the death sentence for listening to a foreign broadcast on the radio. It cannot be imagined in the rest of the world that there would be given such a punishment for listening to a German broadcast on their radios. This horror regime has given itself a gruesome monument unto the distant time. Will there be retribution for this some day, Mr. Chief Justice?

7 March 1945: The way that leads to the abyss for the German people has now come. The party patriots continue ever to believe and hope. There are also still those who do not want to see, and expect a miracle from the Führer. Those are the kind of people who do not give up hope even at the edge of the grave. In all other respects the number of peace seekers grows from hour to hour. The coming generations and the foreign countries will want to understand why the German people themselves did not stop the Nazi Party leaders by force and turn against the party tyranny, so that this horrible war was terminated. For this, something should be said to clear up the question.

To begin with, the number of the party members is extremely large. Millions of people believed in the National Socialist philosophy, were influenced by the broadcasts of the Führer, and the detailed party propaganda. Individual thinking was switched off and only the guidelines published by their leaders determined everything for them, and was thereby spread further among the people. Through this way more fanatics were created who were ready to use brutal and other means of terror to eliminate any internal resistance.

There is no important place in the government or private sector not occupied by proven party comrades. Adolf Hitler clearly announced before the seizure of power that the party would be running things. Thus anywhere where there might be a reaction, a Hitler guard stands.

Although today our opponents are at the Rhine and at the Oder, I do not believe yet that there will be a coup brought about by the German people. Without assistance from outside it is not even to be considered. Only the armed forces would be able to make a conclusive coup. But the prominent officers know, as well as the party officials, that a lost war will sweep them away from power. Therefore the war continues until the practical possibility for it continue further comes to an end. The Allies must continue to advance and fight until the German troops have no more war material with which to offer resistance.

That is how I imagine the war will end. The Allies must continue to use their strength in order to terminate the war.

[edit] The purpose of the diary

After the war, Friedrich Kellner dedicated himself to reestablishing the Social Democratic Party, and he became chairman of the Laubach branch. He retired from politics in 1960, at the age of seventy-five.

In 1968, he gave his diary to his American grandson, Professor Robert Scott Kellner, to take to America for safekeeping. He told him:

“The day will come when the same kind of anti-democratic and anti-Semitic hatred will bring intense misery to the world. Use the diary as a weapon against these evils, against dictatorships and fascism and terrorism. There will always be people of bad will, therefore people of good will must be prepared to oppose them.”

During the many years of translating the diary, Dr. Robert Scott Kellner has received invitations from a number of universities, such as Purdue and Columbia and Stanford, to place the diary in their archives. Also, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. have asked to have the diary for their collections.

A documentary film, entitled My Opposition: the Diaries of Friedrich Kellner, was made in Toronto, Canada, by CCI Entertainment and Global Television. The film intertwines the stories of the diary of Friedrich Kellner and the efforts by Robert Scott Kellner to bring it to the attention of the public. The documentary is scheduled for world-wide distribution in 2007.

The first public showing of the Kellner diary was at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum from April - May 2005 as part of the Presidential Library’s commemoration of VE Day, the victory in Europe that took place on May 8, 1945. Copies of the diary are on permanent display in the Laubach Heimat Museum in Germany.

[edit] Institutes expressing an interest in the diary

Columbia University Kenneth Lohf, Librarian for Rare Books, July 30, 1982: “We would be very interested in receiving the collection of your late grandfather.”

Stanford University Milorad Drachkovitch, Director of Archives, Hoover Institution, August 18, 1982: “The Hoover Institution is a particularly suitable place for your grandfather’s papers.”

Purdue University Joseph Dagnese, Director of Libraries, September 1, 1982: “The Friedrich Kellner material appears to me to be an historically valuable collection. My conversations with professors Rothenberg (History) and Laszlo Kovacs (Library) have confirmed this view.”

University of Texas Katherine Adams, Assistant Director, Barker Texas History Center, September 7, 1982: “I would like to invite you to place your collection at the Barker Center. Yours is a valuable collection.”

University of Massachusetts Siegfried Feller, Director for Library Collection Development, , October 20, 1982: “Your grandfather’s Nachlass should make a fine addition to any academic/research collection, including ours.”

Simon Wiesenthal Center Mark Weitzman, National Associate Director Educational Outreach, April 2, 1993: “We at the Center are very interested in the diaries both as a historical document and for their meaning as a warning in today’s world. We would be very interested in working together with you to achieve these goals.”

Holocaust Museum Houston Edith Mincberg, Library and Archives Committee, February 25, 1993: “The historical importance of this diary is tremendous and it should be published for all to read.”

Yad Vashem Yaacov Lozowick, Assistant Director, Archives, May 31, 1993: “We are VERY interested in your grandfather’s diary.”

CanWest Global Media – Canada Leonard Asper, CEO: “The Asper Foundation has developed and is leading the building of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. We would be grateful if we could be considered a worthy recipient of your grandfather’s diaries.”

George Bush Presidential Library Patricia Burchfield, Deputy Director and Curator, May 3, 2004: “The Museum at the George Bush Presidential Library will be delighted to display your grandfather’s diary “Mein Widerstand” and selections from his memorabilia.”

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C. Brewster Chamberlain, Director of Archives, June 1, 1993: “We are greatly interested in the donation of the materials to our Archives. All too little is known about the daily lives and thoughts of those who resisted the nazis through the mechanism of what has become known as ‘inner or internal exile.’ Your grandfather’s diary will help fill this gap.”

Henry Mayer, Chief Archivist, June 3, 2005: “It not only possesses intrinsic worth as an historical artifact but also is remarkable for its special content and observations. I would absolutely want to add this to the Museum Archives' holdings.”

[edit] External links

• Diary of Friedrich Kellner
• George Bush Presidential Library - Kellner exhibit
• Justus Liebig University - Kellner Project
• Telefilm Canada - "My Opposition: the Diaries of Friedrich Kellner"
• Holocaust Museum Houston - Kellner exhibit
• Heimat Museum, Laubach, Germany - Kellner exhibit
• Friedrich Kellner German Wikipedia page