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DENAZIFICATION
LAW
FOR LIBERATION FROM NATIONAL SOCIALISM
AND MILITARISM
of 5 March 1946.
(Annotated with corrected translation)
1. For 12 years National Socialism and Militarism ruled Ger-
many with terror and violence, committed most serious crimes
against the German people and the world, plunged Germany into
distress and misery and destroyed the German Reich. The liberation
from National Socialism and Militarism is an indispensable pre-
requisite to political, economic and cultural reconstruction.
2. American Military Government has, during the past months
following the surrender carried out the removal and exclusion of
National Socialists and Militarists from public administration and
other positions.
3. On January 12, 1946, the Control Council has, in Directive
No. 24, issued regulations for all Germany for removal and ex-
clusion which are binding upon the German Governments and the
German people.
4. Law No. 8 of Military Government and Regulation No. 1
thereunder extended the liberation to the field of trade and in-
dustry and introduced the appeal procedure through German in-
vestigation Boards.
5. American Military Government has now decided that the
German people may share the responsibility for liberation from
National Socialism and Militarism in all fields. The discharge of
the task thus entrusted to the German people will be accomplished
by this Law, within the framework of Control Council Directive
No. 24.
6. For a uniform and just execution of this task the following
Law is hereby simultaneously enacted and promulgated for Ba-
varia, Hesse and Wurttemberg-Baden.
M. G. Anno:
The Class I and II categories listed in the Appendix attached
to the Law have been taken from the compulsory removal and
exclusion categories of Control Council Directive No. 24 (MGR
2-120h and MGR 23-161.24).
In view of the fact that the preamble of the Law for Liberation
requires that the task of denazification will be accomplished by the
Law within the framework of Control Council Directive No. 24
which is recognized as binding upon the German people, the phrase
"nominal participant" in Article 12 of the Law must be interpreted
in accordance with the definition contained in paragraph 2 (a) of
Control Council Directive No. 24, MGR 23-161.24. (OMGUS letter
dated 10 March 1947, file AG 014.311 (IA), subject, "Disapproval
of Proposed Instruction concerning Findings of Follower against
Officers of Nazi Organisations".)
CHAPTER I
Principles
APRIL 1948
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