Schaefer’s 11 Feb 1943 memorandum

February 11, 1943

Secret State Police [Gestapo]

State Police Headquarters Munich – Munich, February 11, 1943

Vol. No. 13 226/43 II A/Sond. [Special commission – Robert Mohr]

/Stamp: CONFIDENTIAL!
VERY URGENT!/

a.)        To the Headquarters of Reich Security – Berlin.

b.)        For information

To all the State Police Headquarters and Bureaus in southern Germany, including the Eastern Frontier [Note 1], as well as the State Police Bureau in Frankfurt / Main, and Secret Service [Note 2] division in Munich.

Regarding: Treasonable activities in Munich.

Reference: For RSHA [Note 3]: IV A 3 Vol. No. 52/43; for all: telex dated February 5, 1943, Vol. No. 13226/43 I1 A/Sond.

[I.]

The large-scale search undertaken subsequent to the telex dated February 5, 1943 with regards to the perpetrators of the distribution of leaflets has been unsuccessful. The search was carried out in the metropolitan area of Munich on February 4 [sic], 1943 with the participation of all available State Police and plain clothes detectives, including cooperation of the security police, train security personnel etc.

Seven reports have been filed in response to the advertisement that was placed in several newspapers in the metropolitan area, as well as in various towns in Upper Bavaria. The advertisement challenged the general populace to join in the search for the “violent criminal” by making them aware of the description of the perpetrator and by offering a reward of 1,000 Reichmarks [$8,000] [for his capture]. Of the seven reports, six persons have been eliminated as suspects without further ado. One Czech national who had been taken into custody due to one of these reports had to be released upon further examination. Three additional persons – two here and one in Freising – also had to be released once they were able to establish irrefutable alibis for the critical time in question. Besides, their physical appearance did not match the description given by the eyewitness.

All owners of local hotels, inns, boarding houses, etc., were also called to join in the cooperative search efforts. A circular letter was sent to them with the request to engage their entire staffs in the search.

Retrieval of hotel registrations for travelers passing through the city, information received from travel agencies, from publishers of telephone directories, and similar inquiries have failed to yield any leads.

The criminal labs of the police department of the city of Munich have been able to determine that the leaflets of the so-called “Resistance Movement” were all typed on the same typewriter. This expert opinion has allowed the fairly certain conclusion that the stencils for these leaflets were prepared on the same typewriter as those of the well-known leaflets of the so-called “White Rose” (see Vol. No. IV A 1 d – 3 247/42 in your files). This determination has solidified the position that the perpetrator or perpetrators can be found in Munich or the surrounding areas.

The State Police Headquarters in Vienna reported that Dr. Max Stefl [Note 4], a resident of Munich, was temporarily in Vienna at the critical time in question [when the leaflets were distributed there]. Stefl is a former National Librarian, born September 15, 1888 in Nuremberg. He currently resides at Lotzbeck Str. 3/I in Munich. His personal history, degree of education, and intellectual and political attitudes make him a good match for the profile of the perpetrator [of the distribution activities] or of the writer of the contents of the leaflet. Before the accession to power [Note 5], Stefl subscribed to the “Münchener Post” (the daily newspaper of the SPD [Note 6]) and was in agreement with the KPD [Note 7].

As a malicious opponent of the movement [Note 8], Stefl was denounced in 1933 for insulting the Führer. In 1934, he was finally released from civil service due to his obviously subversive attitudes, in compliance with the laws regarding the failure to fulfill one’s duty as a public servant. Surveillance of Stefl was initiated [Note 9].

It was impossible to determine which specific German system the typewriter in question utilizes. Currently, an investigation is underway to determine whether it could be a foreign-made typewriter. In this context it is interesting to note that in the opinion of the State Police Headquarters in Vienna it is possible that the typewriter in question is a foreign-made model (Remington and Underwood brands).

II.

In the meantime, the following determinations have been made regarding the leaflet “January 30, 1933 – January 30, 1943 [Note 10]”:

The envelopes used – so-called window envelopes – are manufactured exclusively by G[eorg] Steibl Company, Munich, Sand Str. 21-24. The last delivery of that type of envelope to the BMW Company took place on January 22, 1943. Inquiries about transport, delivery, etc., have been initiated.

The paper used for these inflammatory documents was an absorbent wood-pulp paper of lower quality. All paper mills manufacture this kind of paper for use as typewriter and duplicating paper. BMW started using this kind of paper one year ago. There are no remnants [of the paper stock] remaining. Plant I Munich and Plant II Munich-Allach are delivered paper goods and envelopes from the central offices at Plant I Munich. However, it is possible that the larger operational divisions purchase their own supplies which are not delivered to central stock. These kinds of purchases are only reported to the purchasing department and registered. If operational divisions retrieve paper goods from stock, it is delivered in exchange for a delivery voucher that must be signed by the Division Manager. Small quantities of paper and envelopes are not delivered. In general, divisions place orders from stock in quantities up to 1,000 pieces. It is certainly possible that e.g. 50 envelopes could be used by an employee without anyone’s noticing.

An order has been given for an inspection of all typewriters used by BMW (approximately 1100 units). The type is to be tested under some pretense or another. These will then be made available to be analyzed. Using the same criterion, the duplicating machines [at BMW] are to be tested by creating stencils from the typewriters associated with each machine.

An expert has been provided for the crime labs of the State Police Headquarters in Munich and of the city police department.

Please inform me if reports have been filed regarding other places where leaflets of this sort have been confiscated.

III.

The “Down With Hitler” and “Freedom” graffiti have recently been painted on university buildings in the night of February 8/9, 1943. The same oil-based paints were used for all the graffiti operations (this time it was green), so that both graffiti operations were carried out by the same perpetrator or perpetrators. An investigation of the chemical composition of the paint has been commissioned. Since the perpetrator or perpetrators obviously targeted the university buildings, we have placed the buildings under appropriate surveillance.

There are currently no leads to prove that the activities described in I, II, and III above are not coincidentally simultaneous, but are rather an organized, coordinated effort.

From time to time, updates will be issued as new information is received.

Signed Schaefer.

/Seal: Secret State Police [Gestapo]
State Police Headquarters Munich
/Picture of eagle with swastika /  /

/Typewritten inside seal: Certified: Pol.-08./
/Signature inside seal: Illegible/

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Note 1: National Socialist name for Austria: Ostmark.

Note 2: Sicherheitsdienst, abbreviated SD.

Note 3: Headquarters of Reich Security (Reichssicherheitshauptamt).

Note 4: Dr. Stefl was a publisher of the works of Theodor Haecker, as well as a close friend of Haecker and Carl Muth. The student Hans Leipelt rented a room from Stefl. As of January 2003, Stefl has never been included in the list of White Rose “mentors” or participants. His knowledge of their activities is unknown.

Note 5: Of Adolf Hitler in January 1933.

Note 6: Socialist Party that Hitler banned early on.

Note 7: Communist Party of Germany – banned even earlier.

Note 8: National Socialism.

Note 9: Unclear from grammar in footnote whether surveillance was initiated in 1934 when he was fired, or in 1943 when the Viennese Gestapo reported him as a possible White Rose suspect.

Note 10: Date Hitler came to power – date of defeat at Stalingrad. This was the so-called BMW Leaflet. Not related to White Rose leaflets.

NOTE: Schaefer was head of the Munich Gestapo.

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Source: ZC13267 (7 – 10)