1 H.N. BATE, DEAN OF YORK, TO ARCHBISHOP LANG, 27 APRIL 1933

My dear Archbishop,

I hope I may venture, in view of the existence of the Council of Foreign Relations, just to report to your Grace a fact which has just come to my knowledge.

Two years ago a Pastor (Lutheran) from Breslau was recommended to me, and he and his wife stayed at Hadleigh. He was making a survey of the work of English religious bodies upon social problems, and their relation to the working classes: an excellent man in all ways.

I have now had a most pitiful letter from him. It appears that his mother was of Jewish descent: and this fact alone will cost him the loss of his work and livelihood, and deprive him of all hope of continuing to function as a Lutheran pastor. He is in such grave fear of trouble that he does not even sign his letter to me.

The poor man in his desperation even asks whether he could come over here and serve our Church. I have sent word through a neutral channel to warn him against building on that kind of hope.

This is the first case of this kind which has come to my knowledge: & it seemed to me that as we now find this anti-Jewish fever attacking Christians of even distantly Jewish antecedents, this new development might well be reported to your Grace.

Believe me

Yours most faithfully

H.N. Bate

2 ARCHBISHOP LANG TO DEAN BATE, 30 APRIL 1933

My dear Dean,

I thank you for your letter of the 27th. I am distressed and indignant by your account of this good Lutheran pastor at Breslau. I do not know whether I am more indignant at the whole attitude of the new revolutionary Government in Germany to the Jews or with the Lutheran Church for submitting, as it seems to have done in such a case as this, to dictation as to the qualifications for its Ministry. But no doubt it is difficult for us in this country to understand the ferment which is now agitating Germany. I fear it would be useless for him to think of coming to this country and think of being ordained in it.