3.2 Heidegger Demands Dismissal
• On 6 February 1934, Heidegger was “asked” by the Baden Ministry of Culture
“to submit comments urgently, enclosing the files”, because “Paragraph 4 of the
Act (to restore the civil service, editor’s note) must be applied, if necessary, by
31 March 1934” [33, p. 204]. The Freiburg vice-chancellor replied on 10 February, i.e. only 4 days later, and argued in favour of a dismissal of Staudinger from
his position as a civil servant. Among other things, Heidegger’s letter says:
All the reports by the German Consulate General in Zurich from the War [. . .] talk about the
disclosure by St. of German chemical manufacturing processes to foreign (enemies). [. . .]
Staudinger has [. . .] ‘never denied that he was in complete opposition to the national
movement in Germany and has declared on numerous occasions that he will never defend
his fatherland with weapons or by service in other forms’. [. . .] No less incriminating
evidence is the fact that Staudinger wrote a petition for the pacifist Dr. med. (Georg
Friedrich, editor’s note) Nicolai (1874–1964, editor’s note), who had refused to take the
oath of allegiance, in Zurich in 1917. [. . .] These facts alone require application of
Paragraph 4 of the Act to restore the civil service. Since they have become and remained
known to large numbers of people in Germany since the discussions about the appointment
of Staudinger to the position in Freiburg in 1925/26, action also needs to be taken in order to
protect the reputation of Freiburg University [. . .]. Dismissal is likely to be the better option
rather than retirement. Heil Hitler! Heidegger. (Quoted in [33], p. 205) (see for photo of
Nicolai)
The Baden Minister of Culture, Otto Wacker (1899–1940), supported
Heidegger’s demand on 22 February 1934 (see [34], p. 178, [33], p. 206 and [19],
p. 397) and proposed: “The Ministry of State is asked to suggest to the Reich
Governor that Professor Dr Hermann Staudinger [. . .] is dismissed from the Baden
civil service” (quoted from [33], p. 206). Staudinger was “no longer a suitable
teacher for German academic youth; I consider that the conditions for removal from
Freiburg University in accordance with §4 of the Act (to restore the civil service,
editor’s note) are satisfied” [33].
The fact that Staudinger was an annoyance to staunch Nazis was attributable to
more than mere rumours:
• The political background of Staudinger’s family was strongly left-wing. His father
Franz (1849–1921) had a doctorate in philosophy, sought to combine the theories
of Kant and Marx, published in the “Sozialistische Monatshefte”, was involved in
the co-operative movement and maintained personal friendships with such prominent Social Democrats as Eduard Bernstein (1850–1932). Staudinger’s first wife,
Dora (1886–1964), ne ´e Fo ¨rster, was also actively involved in the co-operative
movement as well as “in the religious-pacifist and religious-socialist circles led by
the (Swiss, editor’s note) clergyman (Leonhard, editor’s note) Ragaz (1868–1945,
editor’s note), who then lost his position in the ministry” [33, p. 204]. Staudinger’s
brother Hans (1889–1980), Secretary of State in the Prussian Ministry of Trade,
was a member of the Social Democratic Party and was married to the Jew Else
110
M. Weber and G. Deussing
• On 6 February 1934, Heidegger was “asked” by the Baden Ministry of Culture
“to submit comments urgently, enclosing the files”, because “Paragraph 4 of the
Act (to restore the civil service, editor’s note) must be applied, if necessary, by
31 March 1934” [33, p. 204]. The Freiburg vice-chancellor replied on 10 February, i.e. only 4 days later, and argued in favour of a dismissal of Staudinger from
his position as a civil servant. Among other things, Heidegger’s letter says:
All the reports by the German Consulate General in Zurich from the War [. . .] talk about the
disclosure by St. of German chemical manufacturing processes to foreign (enemies). [. . .]
Staudinger has [. . .] ‘never denied that he was in complete opposition to the national
movement in Germany and has declared on numerous occasions that he will never defend
his fatherland with weapons or by service in other forms’. [. . .] No less incriminating
evidence is the fact that Staudinger wrote a petition for the pacifist Dr. med. (Georg
Friedrich, editor’s note) Nicolai (1874–1964, editor’s note), who had refused to take the
oath of allegiance, in Zurich in 1917. [. . .] These facts alone require application of
Paragraph 4 of the Act to restore the civil service. Since they have become and remained
known to large numbers of people in Germany since the discussions about the appointment
of Staudinger to the position in Freiburg in 1925/26, action also needs to be taken in order to
protect the reputation of Freiburg University [. . .]. Dismissal is likely to be the better option
rather than retirement. Heil Hitler! Heidegger. (Quoted in [33], p. 205) (see for photo of
Nicolai)
The Baden Minister of Culture, Otto Wacker (1899–1940), supported
Heidegger’s demand on 22 February 1934 (see [34], p. 178, [33], p. 206 and [19],
p. 397) and proposed: “The Ministry of State is asked to suggest to the Reich
Governor that Professor Dr Hermann Staudinger [. . .] is dismissed from the Baden
civil service” (quoted from [33], p. 206). Staudinger was “no longer a suitable
teacher for German academic youth; I consider that the conditions for removal from
Freiburg University in accordance with §4 of the Act (to restore the civil service,
editor’s note) are satisfied” [33].
The fact that Staudinger was an annoyance to staunch Nazis was attributable to
more than mere rumours:
• The political background of Staudinger’s family was strongly left-wing. His father
Franz (1849–1921) had a doctorate in philosophy, sought to combine the theories
of Kant and Marx, published in the “Sozialistische Monatshefte”, was involved in
the co-operative movement and maintained personal friendships with such prominent Social Democrats as Eduard Bernstein (1850–1932). Staudinger’s first wife,
Dora (1886–1964), ne ´e Fo ¨rster, was also actively involved in the co-operative
movement as well as “in the religious-pacifist and religious-socialist circles led by
the (Swiss, editor’s note) clergyman (Leonhard, editor’s note) Ragaz (1868–1945,
editor’s note), who then lost his position in the ministry” [33, p. 204]. Staudinger’s
brother Hans (1889–1980), Secretary of State in the Prussian Ministry of Trade,
was a member of the Social Democratic Party and was married to the Jew Else
110
M. Weber and G. Deussing