Gemlich letter
Encyclopedia
The Gemlich letter refers to a letter written by Adolf Hitler
at the behest of Karl Mayr
to Adolf Gemlich, a German army soldier. The letter, written in 1919 in response to a request for clarification on the Jewish question
, is thought to be the first known piece of antisemitic writing by Hitler. The first political piece by Hitler, it is thought to have established his credentials as a radical rightist and, amongst conservative groups, as the man who could overthrow the Weimar republic
. Because the letter is the first record of Hitler's antisemitic views, and because it brought Hitler into politics, it is considered an important document in Holocaust studies.
, also typewritten but signed by Hitler. The second version, now believed to be the original, was discovered in a Nuremberg archive by a GI, Arthur Ziegler, who brought it to the United States
where it ended up in a private collection. In 1990, Charles Hamilton, the handwriting expert, authenticated the signature on the letter and, in 2011 it was purchased by the Simon Wiesenthal Center
.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
at the behest of Karl Mayr
Karl Mayr
Captain Karl Mayr was a General Staff officer and Adolf Hitler's immediate superior in an Army Intelligence Division in the Reichswehr, 1919-1920. Mayr was particularly known as the man who introduced Hitler to politics...
to Adolf Gemlich, a German army soldier. The letter, written in 1919 in response to a request for clarification on the Jewish question
Jewish Question
The Jewish question encompasses the issues and resolutions surrounding the historically unequal civil, legal and national statuses between minority Ashkenazi Jews and non-Jews, particularly in Europe. The first issues discussed and debated by societies, politicians and writers in western and...
, is thought to be the first known piece of antisemitic writing by Hitler. The first political piece by Hitler, it is thought to have established his credentials as a radical rightist and, amongst conservative groups, as the man who could overthrow the Weimar republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
. Because the letter is the first record of Hitler's antisemitic views, and because it brought Hitler into politics, it is considered an important document in Holocaust studies.
History
Hitler, who had been wounded during the First World War, returned to Munich in September 1919 to a propaganda unit run by Karl Mayr who assigned him to write a response to Adolf Gemlich's question on the Army's position on the Jewish Question. Hitler's response, dated 16 September 1919, was either written by him or dictated by him and subsequently typed by someone. Two copies of the letter are thought to exist. One in the Bavarian state archives in Munich which is typewritten but unsigned, and the second at the Simon Wiesenthal CenterSimon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...
, also typewritten but signed by Hitler. The second version, now believed to be the original, was discovered in a Nuremberg archive by a GI, Arthur Ziegler, who brought it to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where it ended up in a private collection. In 1990, Charles Hamilton, the handwriting expert, authenticated the signature on the letter and, in 2011 it was purchased by the Simon Wiesenthal Center
Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...
.