“I see. And how can I contribute to that, since I obviously know nothing about psychology, statistics, or research?”
Miki chuckled at that. “I’m going to have you take notes for me.” Her eyes sparkled now, and Lisa wondered how much of that was the wine. “Actually, I can do it myself, but . . . uh . . . as I thought about driving up there all alone, I thought of you. I thought it would be fun to go up together.”
“Very much so. Thank you, Miki. It’s always good to get away from the camp for a bit.”
“Yes, I know.” She giggled. “I became quite adept at slipping away from camp. Especially at night.”
Lisa managed a quick smile and looked away, wondering if she was blushing.
“But back to the project. Let me give you some background first. Knowing why the program was started will help you better understand its importance.”
“All right. I’m listening.”
“Did you know that Germany is in a crisis when it comes to the number of babies we are having right now?”
“Really?”
“Yes, for a lot of reasons. First, think of how many young men we lost in the war. About two million. All of them were potential fathers, and now they’re gone. Second, beginning in about the middle of the last century, women started marrying at later ages. That means each woman will likely have fewer children in her lifetime. Third, knowledge of what causes pregnancy and ways to prevent it has expanded rapidly. Through advancements in science and medicine, people have discovered ways to prevent conception even after sexual relations.”
Lisa was listening, but she was drawing intricate patterns on the picnic cloth, fearing that her cheeks were coloring. Though Miki’s frankness took her aback, she found it fascinating.
“By the 1920s,” Miki went on, “England even started what they called birth control clinics. When the Great War ended here, due to the severity of political and economic conditions, more and more women chose to have fewer children, even if it meant aborting the child.”
“Aborting the child? What does that mean?”
Miki’s look was withering. “You don’t know? It means terminating the pregnancy through a simple surgical operation.”
Lisa was aghast. And Miki talking about it so casually shocked her deeply too.
Miki didn’t seem to notice her reaction. “Abortion has been around for a long time and was illegal for many centuries. During the years of the Weimar Republic it was technically forbidden, but the law was widely ignored. As the country stabilized after the war, more and more women decided to terminate their unwanted pregnancies. Now they estimate we are seeing about half a million abortions a year.”
Lisa’s jaw dropped. “Really? Here in Germany?”
“Ja, ja. It is very common. Just think. If each of those aborted babies lived to have four children of their own, that would mean two million more people in the Reich. But when a woman is so selfish that she sees pregnancy as an inconvenience, it weakens us terribly. So, with those factors—fewer men, later marriages, and escalating use of birth control and abortions—what do you think our birth rate is now?”
Lisa thought for a moment. “Well, if it was forty-five per thousand in 1900, I would guess that it is only about half of that now. So let’s say twenty-five per thousand.”
“Way too high. It’s 14.7, or just under fifteen births per thousand. So in a span of just thirty years, our birth rate has dropped by two-thirds. And do you know what happens when the birth rate drops too low?”
Lisa shook her head.
Miki was working herself up into a passion now. “A nation becomes weak. You have more and more old people and less and less young people. Old people need more care. Young people keep the factories, farms, and commerce running. In a word, the nation starts to die. If this trend continues as it has been going for three decades now, Germany could lose its position as one of the leading countries of Europe.” Her eyes narrowed. “But those statistics don’t show the real problem. Guess who is having the most babies in our country right now?”
“Um. . . .”
“The dregs of society. The poorest classes! Jews! Gypsies! The Slavs! The mentally ill or those with other genetic defects. They’re multiplying like rabbits while the best of our people are having fewer children. It is a national crisis and a national disgrace.”
“I had no idea.” Lisa was growing less comfortable with how this was going every minute.
“Thankfully, someone is finally doing something about it.”
“Who? And what are they doing?” Should she tell Miki that one of the things that had impressed the new government about the Mormons was their emphasis on family and the importance of having children? Many of her friends at school were shocked to learn that she had four brothers and sisters.
But as suddenly as it had come, Miki’s intensity was gone. She sat back, ran her fingers through her hair, and glanced at her watch. “We’d best be going. We’re supposed to be there no later than three.”
As they set to work packing up, Lisa ventured one more question. “So, this project you are working on has something to do with the birth rate and our citizens having babies?”
Miki stopped and turned to her. “Ja. Have you heard the term Lebensborn?”
Lisa was caught off guard by that. “Uh . . . the spring of life?”
“Gut. So you’re familiar with it? I mean the Lebensborn program, not just the word?”
“I. . . . I didn’t know it was a program.”
Miki closed the lid on the basket and got to her feet. “Come. We must be on our way. We can talk some more while we drive. And I want to hear all about your Benji.”
2:13 p.m.—Near Steinhöring, Ebersberg District, Bavaria
As they passed a sign stating that Steinhöring was sixteen miles ahead, the tension between Lisa and Miki had become palpable. It had started when Miki began questioning Lisa about Benji. Lisa had shown Miki the picture her family had taken of her and Benji the day before he left to return to America. Miki had gone on and on about how handsome and dashing he was and had finally wormed it out of her that they had kissed.
But when Lisa had explained that Benji wouldn’t be visiting Munich or meeting the extended family, Miki was irritated and started in on religion in general. Then she started in on the Church and its narrow-minded ideas and priggishness and how awful it was that they treated missionaries more like slaves than men.
Lisa, growing more irked by the minute, had let her cousin rant on for a time, then broke in. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, Miki. Benji chose to be where he is. And he is very happy with that choice. He would laugh in your face to hear you call him a slave. And if he were to choose to leave his mission to come and visit our family, I would be sharply disappointed in him and it would probably end our friendship.”
Miki had muttered something under her breath, but that had shut her up for a time. Five minutes later, she had started quizzing Lisa on how Jo and Oma Inga were doing in Utah and when they would be returning. She spoke in that same critical tone, even suggesting that she had heard that the party was going to look into why Jo wasn’t enrolled in the program. “You know, Lisa,” Miki had said, “the people at camp know exactly what’s going on.”
“Oh? And what is that, Miki?” Lisa had retorted.
“That your mother thinks that Jo is too fragile to be in Hitlerjugend. That America is just an elaborate excuse to keep her out of the program. And that your father has let himself be duped into going along with it.”
When genuine anger had flashed up deep inside her, Lisa’s first reaction had been to lash out at her cousin. Miki’s arrogance and moral superiority were infuriating. But then came another idea. So she had smiled sweetly and said, “Oh! I’ll be sure and tell Vati what you said when he calls on Sunday. Maybe you could even come down and tell him what is going on. I’m sure he would appr
eciate your perspective.”
It gave her great satisfaction to see Miki actually blanch a little, and again, she quickly dropped the subject. Now neither had spoken now for nearly an hour. And for that hour, Lisa had been trying to work out in her mind what Miki was up to. Was the “research project” just an excuse to get Lisa alone and try to save her “little” soul? That seemed unlikely. She could have done that by just taking her aside at the camp. It didn’t take an overnight outing. And her explanation about birth rates and a looming threat to the Fatherland had seemed quite genuine. So what was she up to? Whatever it was, Lisa was not feeling very comfortable.
Another five minutes went by in silence. Then, as they came out of a stand of forest, off in the distance, a couple of miles away, they saw a cluster of red tile roofs in a swath of green farmland. “Is that Steinhöring?” Lisa asked.
“Yes. Beautiful, isn’t it?” Miki smiled. “I love it up here.”
“It is lovely,” Lisa replied. She was a little surprised. Miki’s voice was pleasant and light and without tension, as if nothing had passed between them earlier. “So can you give me a little background on the project before we get there?” Lisa asked. “I still don’t understand what you want me to do.”
Miki considered that, then nodded. “We would like the perspective of someone outside the program. You’re bright, and you’re about the same age as some of the women in the program, so your insights will be helpful. I can give you some of the background now, but it will make more sense once we are there and you can see it for yourself.”
“I am curious, I must admit.”
“Gut. First of all, I must have your word on something.”
“What is that?”
“This project, or better, the society that is sponsoring the project, is top secret at this point. Do I have your word that you will not speak of this with anyone?”
That took Lisa aback a little, but she finally nodded. “You have my word.”
“Thank you. Does the name Heinrich Himmler mean anything to you?”
Lisa hooted softly. “Of course. Reichsführer–SS Heinrich Himmler. The third or fourth most powerful man in the Nazi hierarchy. Commander-in-chief of the national secret police.” She smiled at Miki’s expression. “Actually, I met him several times when I was younger when our family would go with Papa to various banquets or rallies.”
“That’s right,” Miki said, clearly irked. “I forget how many of the upper echelon of party leadership Uncle Hans knows personally.”
Guessing that Miki was still smarting a little from her not-so-subtle threat to tell her father what Miki had said about Jo, Lisa decided to rub it in a little. “Yes, including the Führer Hitler himself. So, what about Himmler?”
“This is his project, his brainchild.”
“‘This’ meaning what? The society?”
“Yes. And the whole program. Herr Himmler is a genius with a great vision of what our country needs to keep us on the road to greatness. The whole Lebensborn concept, including the society, was his idea.”
“What does the fountain of life have to do with Himmler and the SS? It seems odd that the head of the most powerful and feared organization in the Third Reich should be worried about birth rates.”
Miki studied her. “How much do you know about the SS?” she finally asked.
Surprised by the question, Lisa shrugged. “I know that they were originally formed to be Hitler’s personal bodyguards. I also know that when the storm troopers were put under the SS by the Führer after the Night of the Long Knives, the SS became the largest and most powerful law enforcement organization in Germany, though the Gestapo might dispute that. But aren’t there a million members of the SS now?”
“Oh, more than that, I’m sure. And did you know that in the very beginning of the SS, only men of racial purity, men who could prove clear Aryan lineage, were allowed to join? And it is still true, though it is not required of enlisted men, only officers. But without exception, officers have to meet that criteria. That is what makes them such an elite force. You start with the best, and you end up with the best. And in keeping with that standard, any SS officer who gets engaged to be married is required to certify with his commanding officer that the intended bride is also of pure Aryan stock and has no genetic defects or disorders in her lineage.”
“And they can do that?” Lisa blurted. “They can tell them who to marry?”
“Of course. If the officer doesn’t like it, he can leave the SS. But none of them do. All members swear a blood oath to the organization, and to the Führer as well, so they don’t leave. Not without serious consequences. Himmler has also taken additional steps to ensure the purity of the SS bloodlines. Officers who are already married must certify that their wives meet that same standard of purity if they hope to get rank advancement. If you don’t have an acceptable wife, you file for a divorce or get booted out of the SS.”
Lisa was aghast. “And if they love their wives?”
Miki shot her a pitying look. “The blood oath states that nothing comes before your love of the Fatherland and the Führer. Nothing!”
When Lisa did not reply, she went on. “You asked why Himmler is concerned about the birth rate. Think, Lisa! The Führer’s vision of the Third Reich is of an empire that will last a thousand years. To do that you have to have superior people, superior intellects, superior blood stock. Just like horse breeders raise up thoroughbreds—that is Himmler’s vision. He set up the society with two main objectives. First, to create a superior master race of pure blood who can lead Germany—and the rest of Europe, for that matter—through the greatest advancement in civilization the world has ever seen, a civilization that will live for the next millennium. The second objective is to counter the current trends in the birth rate so that we greatly increase the number of strong citizens to inhabit the Reich.”
“So. . . .” Lisa stopped, choosing her words carefully. “That sounds pretty complicated. How does Himmler plan to make that happen?”
“He is already making it happen,” Miki replied eagerly. “For example, he has already sent out an order to all SS officers who are married to women of child-bearing age that they are to have at least four children. Enlisted men are encouraged to do the same, but it is an absolute requirement for officers, unless there is some reason their wives can’t bear them children. Then they are to divorce them.”
Again Lisa was deeply stunned and turned to look out the window so Miki didn’t see it. “And what about single men?” she asked, trying to keep her voice level. “Does Lebensborn find them wives as well?”
To Lisa’s surprise, Miki looked away without answering. After a moment, she spoke. “We’re almost there. Once you’ve actually seen an example of the program, I will explain everything.”
June 17, 1935, 2:45 p.m.—Lebensborn Haus, Steinhöring, Ebersberg District, Bavaria
As Miki turned the car into the long driveway, Lisa was leaning forward, peering through the windshield. As they had come through the village center and continued on, the houses had grown smaller and less pretentious. All were neatly cared for with window boxes filled with brightly colored geraniums. But they obviously belonged to the less affluent villagers. But here, at the end of a narrow street, they were approaching what appeared to be a small hotel. It had a little bit of the look of a Swiss chalet, but without all the painted mural scenes and calligraphy that the Swiss and Southern Bavarians loved so much. But it was large and in excellent condition. There were three stories topped by a pitched roof with black shingles and overhanging eaves to shunt the snow off in the winter. Each floor had balconies with white railings and balusters. The main floor had its own veranda that seemed to circle the entire house. On the southeast corner of the main floor was a sunroom with tall, narrow windows. A perfect place to sit and read a book in the winter, Lisa thought.
The grounds around the hotel were immaculate as wel
l, with acres of mowed grass. There were flowers all around the base of the house and along the walks, with tall oak trees behind the building. Near one tree Lisa saw a small fountain. It was an elegant bronze statue of a young girl watering flowers with a watering pot, with water coming out of the spout to fill a small pool. It was really quite charming.
Then something odd caught her eye. Beyond the fountain, scattered across an open spread of lawn, were several white objects. She peered more closely and was surprised to see that they were baby cribs. Eight or nine of them spaced in a random pattern. There was no one there with them. Just baby cribs on the grass.
“What are those?” she asked, pointing.
Miki glanced over, then laughed. “I thought that might surprise you. Be patient. You will know soon enough.”
As Miki guided the car up the driveway and around to the front entrance, Lisa’s eyes lifted to read the sign over the front door. Lebensborn Haus. She stared at it and turned to Miki. “What is this place? The Fountain of Life House? What does that mean? I thought we were coming to a hotel.”
“I never said we were going to a hotel,” Miki said easily. “But we are staying here tonight. It has guest rooms, but it is definitely not a hotel.”
Lisa had a deep sense of unease, like something was not right here. So as Miki turned off the car’s engine and opened the door, Lisa grabbed her arm. “Tell me, Miki. What is this place?”
Seeing the resolve in Lisa’s eyes, Miki nodded. “All right, I’ll answer your last question, for that will help you understand what happens here. Then we’ll go in and you can see for yourself. You asked about single men in the SS. They are encouraged to marry at the appropriate time, but the SS does not dictate when that should be.”
“That seems a little strange,” Lisa commented. “Why not force the single men to marry if you force a married man to divorce his wife?”
Miki was silent for a time, and Lisa saw that she wasn’t going to answer. “I’m not going in until you answer my question,” Lisa said. “I want to know what is going on and why you brought me here. And don’t tell me it’s because you’re anxious for my input.”
Fire and Steel, Volume 6 Page 29
