Bidspirit auction | Shocking letter by the German

Shocking letter by the German race theorist Prof. Fritz Lenz – an early and chilling testimony to the formulation of the principles of racial theory - ”In order for the state to maintain control over the quality of the next generation, it must also restrict the granting of children's rights exclusively to legally married mothers.” – A shocking personal letter in the handwriting and bearing the signature of the German race theorist Prof. Fritz Lenz, dated May 1, 1916. In this letter, written many years before the Nazis rose to power, Prof. Lenz outlines his views on the importance of marriage for the enhancement of racial purity, and on the method of reproduction and racial policy that the German state should adhere to. The letter is accompanied by the official envelope in which it was sent to Dr. Hubbard the following day, on May 2. German. In his letter, Lenz writes that the state must prevent the reproduction of the “unfit for marriage” through a legal ban on childbirth outside of wedlock without racial oversight. He further asserts that granting equal rights to children born out of wedlock undermines the principle of racial purity, empties the institution of marriage of its meaning, and harms the state's ability to oversee the quality of the “next generation.” “Undesirable” children (as he calls them, the result of relationships lacking conscious racial purpose) are not deserving of equal status to children born into “racially desirable” married families. He also states that a German should take pride in his lineage and ancestry, and that equating children of marriage with children born of “mistake or drunkenness” is an affront to the racial pride of the German people. According to him, many support these views but are afraid to express them publicly, as they are considered “reactionary.” Text of the letter (translated to English): Honorable Dr. Hubbard, Thank you very much for your esteemed letter of April 22. My lecture was indeed entirely free and the product of unbiased judgment, and it truly reflects my position, which I have formed over many years of work in this field. I assume that you too support some form of action in the realm of racial hygiene. Imagine for a moment a person who is deemed unfit for marriage. If marriage prohibitions were enforced, then only in exceptional cases would such an unfit person be able to reproduce. Now imagine that the children of such individuals are nonetheless granted equal rights, would a state that pursues a policy of racial hygiene not make itself ridiculous? In order for the state to retain influence over the quality of the next generation, it must also restrict the granting of rights to children born only to legally married mothers. If, on the other hand, equal rights are given to children born out of wedlock, then there is no longer any essential difference between state-recognized marriage and free relationships. This means that the institution of marriage is, in effect, abolished, and can only survive for a while longer due to the psychological inertia of the masses. I have long known the drive toward motherhood well enough to understand where things are heading. You say, we need children, even from outside of marriage. On the other hand, you yourself say that granting equal status to illegitimate children seriously disrupts the entire social order. As a result, fewer children will be born out of wedlock, without necessarily increasing the number of children born within marriage. One sees, therefore, that the logical connection between two separate cases is not enough to resolve such a complex issue. A question like this must be considered within the context of its broader social conditions, otherwise one easily overlooks its long-term consequences — and in this case, the consequence is that social recognition and equal status for illegitimate children will inevitably erode the institution of marriage, and thus also the act of reproduction itself. That is why I firmly reject the view that this might lead, in the long run, to any kind of demographic benefit. Precisely because I know that children out of wedlock will always be born, I find it wholly inappropriate, and indeed harmful to the life of the race — that the fruits of a connection where there was no intention of procreation be equated with those of a deliberate and conscious union for proper racial reproduction. The person of the future must once again be proud of his origin and lineage. This is gravely harmed if he is compared to the product of an accidental encounter or a moment of intoxicated passion. Incidentally, I have once again received letters telling me that I expressed the most important things straight from the heart. Many who disagree with me apparently lack only the courage to say so publicly, because today such things are considered reactionary. With respect and esteem, Yours, Fritz Lenz” Fritz Lenz (1887–1976) – one of the leading race theorists in Germany,