1936- The Master Race Must Procreate, and Adopt! Heinrich Himmler
As early as December 13, 1934, I wrote to all SS leaders and declared that we have fought in vain if political victory was not to be followed by victory of births of good blood. The question of multiplicity of children is not a private affair of the individual, but his duty towards his ancestors and our people.
The SS has taken the first step in this direction long ago with the engagement and marriage decree of December 1931. However, the existence of sound marriage is futile if it does not result in the creation of numerous descendants.
I expect that here, too, the SS and especially the SS leader corps, will serve as a guiding example.
The minimum amount of children for a good sound marriage is four. Should unfortunate circumstances deny a married couple their own children, then every SS leader should adopt racially and hereditarily valuable children, educate them in the spirit of National Socialism, let them have education corresponding to their abilities.
The organization “Lebensborn eingetragener Verein [Spring of Life, registered society]” serves the SS leaders in the selection and adoption of qualified children. The organization “Lebensborn e. V.” is under my personal direction, is part of the Central Office for Race and Resettlement bureau of the SS, and has the following obligations:
1. Support racially, biologically, and hereditarily valuable families with many children.
2. Place and care for racially and biologically and hereditarily valuable pregnant women, who, after thorough examination of their and the progenitor’s families by the Central Office for Race and Resettlement central bureau of the SS, can be expected to produce equally valuable children.
3. Care for the children.
4. Care for the children’s mothers.
It is the honorable duty of all leaders of the central office to become members of the organization “Lebensborn e. V.” The application for admission must be filed prior to September 23, 1936.
The dues of the SS leaders of the central office, from the Hauptsturmfuehrer [rank of captain] on are determined in the enclosed tables.
I shall personally keep myself informed of the success of my appeal.
Let me remind every SS leader once more that only sacrifices of a personal and material nature have brought us success in the times of the battle, and that the further construction of Germany, to last hundreds and thousands of years, will not be possible unless each and every one of us is ready to keep doing his share in the fulfillment of his obvious duty.
Reichsfuhrer SS
[signed] H. HIMMLER