Gerhard Klopfer: The Lawyer and State Secretary of the Nazi Party Chancellery
Gerhard Klopfer was a high-ranking lawyer and senior official within the Nazi Party who wielded significant administrative power during the Third Reich. Serving as the State Secretary in the Party Chancellery, he acted as the chief deputy to Martin Bormann, one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. Klopfer is most historically noted for his participation in the Wannsee Conference, the meeting where the logistics for the Final Solution—the systematic genocide of European Jews—were formalized.
Despite his proximity to the center of Nazi power and his role in planning mass murder, Klopfer managed to avoid prosecution for war crimes after the war, eventually returning to a professional legal career in West Germany.
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Key Facts
- Role: State Secretary of the Party Chancellery and chief deputy to Martin Bormann.
- Military Rank: Attained the rank of SS-Gruppenführer in the Schutzstaffel (SS).
- Historical Significance: Participant in the 1942 Wannsee Conference.
- Post-War Status: Classified as a "minor offender" during denazification; never convicted of war crimes.
- Education: Doctorate of Law from the University of Breslau and University of Jena.
Early Life and Legal Education
Born on February 18, 1905, in Schreibersdorf, Province of Silesia, Klopfer was the son of a farmer. He pursued an academic path, completing his Abitur in 1923 before studying law and economics at the University of Breslau and the University of Jena.
Klopfer's early professional life was marked by rapid legal advancement. After passing his first state legal examination in 1927, he earned his doctorate of law in 1929. By 1931, he had passed his second state legal examination in Berlin and began his career as a junior judge in Düsseldorf.
Rise Within the Nazi Regime
Klopfer joined the Nazi Party on April 1, 1933, shortly after the party seized power. He quickly integrated himself into the state apparatus, serving as a state prosecutor in Düsseldorf and later as a consultant (Referent) in the Prussian Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Forests under Walther Darré.
Administrative Power and Aryanization
In 1935, Klopfer joined the staff of Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess in Munich. As a Senior Government Councilor (Oberregierungsrat), he managed the party's oversight of the Reich Interior Ministry. By 1938, his responsibilities expanded to include the Aryanization process—the forced seizure of Jewish-owned businesses—as well as legal matters regarding mixed marriages between Jewish and Gentile Germans.
The Party Chancellery and Martin Bormann
By April 1941, Klopfer became a Ministerial Director, heading Department III, which coordinated legislation and communication between the Nazi Party and state ministries. He became a trusted confidant of Martin Bormann. When Bormann took over the Party Chancellery on May 12, 1941, Klopfer became one of his highest-ranking subordinates, granting him immense power over party appointments and patronage.
On November 22, 1942, Adolf Hitler appointed Klopfer as the State Secretary of the Party Chancellery. In the final months of World War II, Klopfer was also a signatory for the call to arms for the Volkssturm, a national militia consisting of males aged 16 to 60.
SS Membership and Military Rank
Parallel to his political career, Klopfer rose through the ranks of the Schutzstaffel (SS). Joining in July 1935, he served within the SD Main Office and the Reich Security Main Office. His ascent was rapid, moving from an Untersturmführer in 1935 to the rank of SS-Gruppenführer by November 1944.
| Date | Rank |
|---|---|
| September 15, 1935 | SS-Untersturmführer |
| November 9, 1935 | SS-Obersturmführer |
| April 20, 1936 | SS-Hauptsturmführer |
| January 20, 1937 | SS-Sturmbannführer |
| January 20, 1939 | SS-Obersturmbannführer |
| April 20, 1939 | SS-Standartenführer |
| April 20, 1941 | SS-Oberführer |
| January 30, 1942 | SS-Brigadeführer |
| November 9, 1944 | SS-Gruppenführer |
Post-War Life and Lack of Prosecution
As Berlin fell to the Red Army in April 1945, Klopfer fled west and lived under an assumed name. He was arrested by the Counterintelligence Corps in Munich on March 1, 1946. Although he testified as a witness at the Ministries Trial in Nuremberg in 1948 and faced war crime charges, he denied all knowledge of the Holocaust. The case was dropped due to a perceived lack of evidence and the claim that he lacked the individual power to influence Holocaust policy.
In 1949, a denazification tribunal classified him as a "minor offender" (category III), resulting in a 2,000 Reichsmark fine and three years of probation. Klopfer worked briefly as a carpenter before becoming a tax advisor in Ulm in 1952 and resuming his law practice in 1956.
A second investigation into his role at the Wannsee Conference was closed in 1962, with prosecutors concluding he could not have prevented the mass murder program. Klopfer died on January 29, 1987, as the last surviving attendee of the Wannsee Conference. His death notice, which praised his "fulfilled life," sparked significant public outrage for ignoring his role in the Nazi regime.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Gerhard Klopfer's role at the Wannsee Conference?
Klopfer represented Martin Bormann at the conference on January 20, 1942, where the administrative and logistical details for the implementation of the Final Solution to the Jewish Question were formalized.
Why was Gerhard Klopfer never convicted of war crimes?
Despite his high rank, legal cases against him were dropped because he denied knowledge of the Holocaust and courts deemed he did not possess sufficient individual authority to have altered the regime's genocidal policies.
What was Klopfer's relationship with Martin Bormann?
Klopfer was Bormann's chief deputy and a close confidant. As State Secretary of the Party Chancellery, he handled many of the administrative appointments and patronage decisions for the Nazi Party on Bormann's behalf.
How did Klopfer make a living after World War II?
After his release from internment and a brief period working as a carpenter, Klopfer became a tax advisor in Ulm in 1952 and was readmitted to the practice of law in 1956.
What was the public reaction to Klopfer's death?
His death in 1987 caused a public outcry because his family published a death notice celebrating his life as being "to the benefit of all," which many viewed as an insult to the victims of the Holocaust.