to us. Then will be fulfilled the promise made to Abraham. Gold is
the ruler of the earth. Gold is power, reward, pleasure ... all
that human beings fear and desire. This is the mystery of the
Caballa ... the teachings concerning the spirit which rules the
world, and about the future! Eighteen centuries we have belonged to
our enemies. The future belongs to us. For the fifth time in the
course of the thousand-year-old struggle to which we have
consecrated ourselves, those who know of the existence of the
secret union have gathered here to take counsel as to the means
which are afforded us by the sins of our enemies, and each time,
for five hundreds years, a new Sanhedrim, ordered the fiercest
struggle. But, excepting Russia, not a single century has been
crowned with such success as this one. Therefore we may think that
the time for which we are striving is near, and we may say, "The
Future is ours!"'
"'Yes, if persecutions against the Jews will not take place in the
meantime!' pointed out one of the men with a bitter smile.
"'The dark days of such a danger are passed. The success of
so-called civilization among the Christian nations may serve as the
best protection for our endeavors. Before listening to the
individual opinions, let us examine the material means, the pure
capital possessed by the nation of Israel....'
"'But against the three and a half million Jews with their money
there are 265 million enemies in Europe, or rather 500 million
fists,' remarked one of these present.
"'The head will protect us against the fists, as in the past. Labor
is the slave of speculation, and violence is the slave of wisdom.
Who will deny that cunning is the distinctive trait of our nation?
"'Our nation is ostentatious and greedy, arrogant and
pleasure-loving.
"'Where there is light there is also shadow. It is not in vain that
Adonai our God gave his chosen people the tenacity of a snake, the
cunning of a fox, the look of a falcon, the memory of a dog, the
diligence of an ant, and the sociability of a beaver. We were in
captivity on the rivers of Babylon, and have become powerful! Our
temple was destroyed, but we have built a thousand new temples! For
eighteen hundreds years we were slaves; now we have grown head and
shoulders above all other nations.'
"All the twelve pronounced the concluding words--
"'Brethren,' said the Levite, 'the time has come when, in
accordance with the laws of the founder of our union, we must
determine ways and means by which the Jews shall attain their goal
as soon as possible; our experience of a hundred years will help us
in this. We who know must direct and guide the masses which are
blind. We, the builders, will combine the dead stones into a pillar
which must reach the sky.'
"'The Tower of Babel was destroyed by the hand of Him whose name I
dare not pronounce,' said the sceptic.
"'Our structure rests upon the foundation of the promise made to
Abraham. It is your turn to speak, representative of the tribe of
Reuben! By what means will the Jewish nation achieve power and
supremacy over all other nations on earth?'
"A shrill, unpleasant voice then spoke:
"'All the princes and the lands of Europe are at present in debt.
The stock exchange regulates these debts. But such things are done
only by movable capital; therefore all the movable capital must go
over to the hands of the Jews. The foundation for this is already
laid, judging from what we have heard here. If we will be supreme
in the stock exchange, we will attain the same supremacy in the
governments. Therefore it is necessary to facilitate loans in order
to get them into our hands all the more. Wherever possible, we must
take in exchange for capital, mortgages on railroads, taxes, mines,
regalia and domains. Furthermore, the stock exchange is a means for
the transfer of the belongings of the small people to the hands of
the capitalists, by drawing them into stock gambling. Transactions
in securities are a splendid invention of our nation. Although the
stock exchange members cheat one another sometimes, it is the
outsider who always pays in the end.'
"The voice which resounded on the Paris Bourse became silent.
"'Do the _zekenim_ agree with the opinion of our brother?' asked
the Levite.
"A whisper of approbation was the answer to this question.
"'Representative of the tribe of Simeon, it is your turn now!'
"A serious, dull voice resounded after this order. Each word was
pronounced slowly and thoughtfully:
"'Ownership of land is always the iron-clad, everlasting possession
of every country. This in itself gives power, respect and
influence. Therefore, the Jews should secure the possibility of
acquiring real estate. It will not be hard to accomplish this, if
we acquire movable capital. Therefore it is necessary to facilitate
loans on land. Under the fear of scandal we will destroy land
wealth and minimize its importance. Ownership of land should be
mobilized, if lands are sold as other commodities. The more we help
in the breaking up of estates, the more easily will they fall into
our hands. Under the pretext of relieving the poor classes, it is
necessary to levy all taxes of states and communities on the land
owners. When the land is in our hands, the labor of the Christian
workers and farmers will give us a tenfold income.'
"He who did not belong to any tribe laughed sneeringly.
"'This advice is good, but not new. Ask in Paris and in Vienna, who
owns the houses there?'
"A whisper of approbation was heard again.
"'Tribe of Judah, your turn!'
"The voice that resounded was marked with conviction and reminded
one of the sound of the Thaller.
"'Industry, the power of the burgher, which hinders the Jewish
nation, must be paralyzed even as agriculture. The manufacturer
should be no better than an ordinary worker. The means to
accomplish this may be the unlimited freedom of trade. The
manufacturer will take the place of the artisan as he does not have
to work, only to speculate. The children of Israel can adapt
themselves to all branches of work. Their capital and dexterity
will be the substitute for right. Transforming the artisans into
our factory workers, we will be in a position to direct the masses
for our political purposes. Whoever resists this system will be
destroyed by competition. The senseless and ungrateful masses will
not support the artisans in this struggle, if commodities are
reduced in price to a certain extent.
"A noisy approbation of the new Sanhedrin showed that the soundness
of this advice had long been appreciated and even applied in
practice.
"'Now it is my turn,' said the representative of Levi--'I speak in
the name of the tribe of Aaron. The natural enemy of the Jews is
the Christian church. Therefore we must try to humiliate it, we
must instill into it free-thinking, scepticism, and conflicts.
Therefore we will, first of all, start a war on the clergy, we will
try to arouse suspicion against it and ridicule it. The main pillar
of the church is the school. Therefore we must gain influence over
the young. Under the guise of progress and the equal rights of all
religions, we will destroy the study of religion in Christian
schools. Then the Jews may become teachers in all schools; then
religion will be taught at home. And as there is little time left
for that, the spirit of religion will gradually decline, and
eventually it will be destroyed altogether. Agitation for the
appropriation of property belonging to the churches and schools,
the transfer of church property to the state, or (what is the same)
into the hands of the Jews, will be our reward!'
"Again approbation followed the words of the man who had spoken.
Nobody contradicted him and he announced:
"'Representative of the tribe of Isaachar, it is your turn!'
"Now an old, trembling voice spoke:
"'Let our brethren strive for the abolition of armed force. The
coarse military art is not for the sons of Israel. Not everyone can
be a Gideon! The army is for the defense of the throne and the
school of narrow patriotism. Not the sword, but reason and money
must rule. Therefore at every opportune instance, it is necessary
to help the downfall of the military class, to arouse suspicion in
the masses against it, and to incite animosity against one another.
It is enough for the soldiers to do police duty and to protect the
wealthy from those who have nothing.'
"'The Lion of Judah has spoken,' said the stranger angrily. 'David
conquered Goliath. The nations will soon wear long coats instead of
military armour. A slap on the bourse will be equivalent to a lost
battle.'
"It looked as though a storm was rising against this arrogant
sarcasm, but one word from the eldest restored them all to calm.
"'This is the son of Baal! He may say whatever he pleases. But he
will do whatever is decided by the council of the tribes.'
"'The tribe of Zebulun may speak!'
"A dull voice, like a storm in the distance, said as follows:
"'Our nation is conservative to its very root, and clings fast to
what is old. But our interest demands that we participate, or,
rather, direct the movements of nations. It is indisputable that
ours is a time of many reforms, whose main purpose is the
amelioration of the material condition of the needy classes. But
for this the propertied classes must sacrifice their capitals.
Capital is in the hands of the Jews. Therefore they must outwardly
take part in the movement and try to divert it from social and
political reforms. The masses themselves are blind and foolish, and
permit the shouters to rule over them. Who shouts more loudly and
more shrewdly than the Jews? Therefore our nation has been the
first on the platform, in the press, and in all Christian
communities! The more communities and meetings, the more
dissatisfaction and idleness. From this it follows inevitably that
the people grow poorer, that they become subjected to those who
have money, leading to the enrichment of the latter. Besides, every
movement makes us richer, for the smaller people are ruined and are
contracting debts. The unstability of the foundation increases our
power and our influence. Therefore the support of every kind of
dissatisfaction, every revolution, increases our capital and brings
us nearer to our goal.'
"This terrible speech was followed by prolonged silence. Every
member of this secret Sanhedrim seemed to be thinking of its
terrible meaning. The son of Baal again laughed hoarsely.
"'Are you afraid of blood? It isn't yours.'
"Then one member of the gathering expressed his approval, and all
others followed his example.
"'Son of the tribe of Dan, your turn!'
"The answer bore the stamp of a Jew of the lower order:
"'Every business in which there is speculation and profit must be
in our hands. That is our natural right. First of all, we must get
control of the traffic in liquor, butter, wool, and bread. Then we
shall have in our hands agriculture, farming. We can prepare bread
everywhere, and if dissatisfaction and want should arise, we can
easily throw the blame on the government. Petty wares, which give a
great deal of trouble and yield very little profit, we can leave in
the hands of the Christians. Let them work hard and suffer as the
chosen people suffered for several centuries.'
"This speech scarcely needed approval. The Levite called on the
next one.
"'Tribe of Naphtali?'
"The following words rang out shrilly and with assurance:
"'All governmental positions should be open to us. Once this
principle is established, the cunning and flattery of the Jewish
employees will help them to penetrate even there, and they will
have real influence. I am speaking only of the posts which bring
honor, power, and pre-eminence. Positions which require work and
knowledge may remain for the Christians. Therefore the Jews may
neglect positions of secondary importance. Justice is very
important for us, the law is a great step forward. This occupation
is suited to the cunning and skill of our people and gives us
influence and power against our natural enemies. Why can't a Jew be
Minister of Education as he has already been more than once
Minister of Finance?'
"'Remember the scaffold of Haman, the fate of Shushan and Leopold!'
said a warning voice.
"'Why does the raven croak about the past which is so distant and
almost forgotten? More than one of our people has been a Minister
in France and respected by the King himself.'
"Approval was expressed in a tone of satisfied pride; then the
orator continued:
"'Our people must be among the legislators of the governments. The
laws of the goyim against the children of Israel must be abolished.
We will maintain the laws of our Fathers. We need no longer any
laws that would protect us. No. We must concern ourselves about
laws that will give us privileges. A mild law respecting
bankruptcy, promulgated in the interests of humanity, would be a
golden mountain in our hands. First of all we must see to it that
the law regarding usury is abolished in all countries under the
pretext that money would thereby become cheaper. Money is just such
a commodity as others, and the law should give us the right to
regulate its price according to our desire.'
"'Now is the turn for the tribe of Benjamin.'
"'What can I add to the counsel of such wise men? The Jew should
also make use of honors, and should be at the head of all
organizations that may give him honor without risks, and he should
engage in science and the arts which are more adapted to the
character of our people and which we can master more easily. We can
become good actors and philosophers, because there is room for
speculation in these domains. In the arts our people will look
after the reception and will burn incense to ourselves. In science
we will take up medicine and philosophy. These afford opportunities
for theories and speculation. A physician penetrates the secrets of
families and holds their lives in his hands.'
"'Tribe of Asher, your turn!'
"'We must demand free marriage between Jews and Christians. Israel
will only be the gainer, even though there be an admixture of
impure blood to a certain degree. Our sons and daughters will marry
into renowned and powerful Christian families. We give money and
thus have influence. The Christian relationship cannot have a bad
influence on us, while we can exert a strong influence over them.
That is one thing. Another thing is that we respect the Jewish
woman and we enjoy the forbidden pleasure with the women of our
enemies. We have money, and for money we can get everything. A Jew
must never make a daughter of his own race his mistress. If he
should desire to sin against the Seventh Commandment he should
content himself with Christian girls.'
"'What is the use of employing the beautiful girls of the goyim in
our stores if not for this?' angrily interposed the representative
of the evil spirit. 'Whoever will not want to satisfy our desire
will get no work, consequently no bread. Go to the large cities and
you will see that they are not waiting for your wise men's orders.
Substitute a contract for sacrament in the marriage of Christians
and their wives and daughters will come to you still more readily.'
"The terrible cynicism of these words, touching such a delicate
subject, must have produced a profound impression, especially since
the views of the ancient doctrines were so strict on the topic of
moral purity.
"'What does the law say?' asked one of the twelve.
"'For adultery with a woman of our own people--death; for seducing a
girl--a fine, if she was not betrothed; if she was betrothed--death.
But the law is not so rigorous with regard to one who lives with a
slave--her body belongs to her master.'
"'Are the goyim better than our slaves?'
"This explanation was followed by a whisper of approval.
"'The tribe of Manasseh may speak now!'
"The last of the orators lifted his hand and during his speech he
raised and lowered it, as if desiring thus to make a stronger
impression by his words. His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, but
he spoke skilfully and with assurance.
"'If gold is the first power in the world, the press is the second.
Of what value are all the opinions and advice given here without
the aid of the press? We will attain our aim only when the press is
in our hands. Our people must direct the daily publications. We are
cunning, shrewd, and we possess money which we know how to utilize
for our purposes. We need great political newspapers which mold
public opinion--criticism, the literature of the streets and the
stage. In this way we will crowd out the Christians step by step,
and will dictate to the world what it should believe in, what it
should respect, and what it should curse. We will repeat the
sorrowful cry of Israel and the complaints against the persecutions
which are directed against us. Then, even though each individual
may be against us, the masses, in their stupidity, will always be
for us. With the press in our hands, we can turn wrong into right,
dishonesty into honesty. We can shake all foundations, and separate
families. We can destroy faith in all that our enemies, until now,
have believed. We can ruin credits and arouse passions. We can
declare war; we can award fame or disgrace. We can uplift or ruin
talent.
"'When Israel shall have gold and the press in his hands, we will
be able to ask: "On what day will it please you to _put on Atarah_
(crown) which belongs to us by right, to erect Shisse (?) and
extend the Shebet (sceptre) over the nations of the earth?"'
"A noisy greeting followed these words and the agitated men who
listened hardly understood for some time what was being said at the
meeting. At last the voice of the Levite called upon all to be
silent.
"'The Roshe-Bate-Aboth of the twelve tribes have uttered words of
wisdom. These words will be as pillars for the times to come, if
the son of him "who has not rest" will write these words upon his
memory and spread the seeds among the nation of Israel in order
that it may grow to be a mighty tree. They will be the sword with
which Israel will strike down his enemies. Our posterity must share
among themselves happiness, wealth and power as it shared
misfortune and dangers. They must help one another. Wherever one of
them places his foot, he must drag another--his brother--along with
him. If one of them is unfortunate, others must help him, if he but
lives according to the law of our nation.
"'He who was in prison for ten years, may become a rich man to whom
princes will bow, if only our people will not forsake him. Where
everybody is against us, all will be for us. After forty years of
wandering in the desert, the hand of Jehovah brought us to power in
the land of Canaan; the same hand will lead us after forty-five
times forty years from our misfortune and miseries to rule over
lands which are forty-five times vaster than Canaan. If Israel
shall obey the decision here adopted by the Sanhedrin of the
Caballah, our grandchildren, coming a hundred years hence to the
grave of the founder of our union, will announce to him that they
have indeed become the princes of the world and that the promise
made to the nation of Israel has been fulfilled. Other nations will
become his slaves! Renew our oath, sons of the golden calf, and go
to all lands of the world.'
"The blue flame flared up brightly upon the grave of the Rabbi;
each of the thirteen threw upon the tomb a stone which each carried
under his cloak.
"It seemed to the doctor that on the top of the tombstone, in the
bluish flame, there appeared a monstrous golden figure of an
animal.
"Then he heard the same metallic sound that he had heard when the
light first appeared. Then impenetrable darkness covered the
cemetery.
"The white figures again slipped by among the tombstones. The gates
creaked softly.
"The clock in the tower struck two past midnight. The last of the
mysterious visitors knocked at the window and a hoarse voice said
(as though the speaker knew that the watchman was not asleep):
"'Close the house of life, watchman of those who are awaiting the
resurrection, and may your lips be sealed with the seal of Solomon
for a hundred years.'
"The scholar still lay motionless; he was afraid to stir; all he
had heard had made upon him such a dreadful impression.
"A noise near him indicated that his companion was rising.
"'To concentrate in their hands all the capital of the nations of
all lands; to secure possession of all the land, railroads, mines,
houses; to be at the head of all organizations, to occupy the
highest governmental posts, to paralyze commerce and industry
everywhere, to seize the press, to direct legislation, public
opinion and national movements--and all for the purpose of
subjugating all nations on earth to their power! No! I shall
struggle against the golden calf and shall smash it to pieces as
Moses smashed it in the desert.'
"'What we heard is a threat against all society. Here is my hand, I
will be your comrade in this struggle against the power of gold.'
"The Italian shook his head, but accepted the extended hand. 'No,'
he said, 'I want to act alone. There is a force which, if properly
directed, is not weaker than gold. That force is poverty and her
companion, labor. I shall call them out and lead them into battle.
Proud Israel! Beware! I shall put against you the _Artel_ (union)
and Labor.'
"'And I,' said the scholar, with animation, 'all that is lofty and
noble,--science, idealism, faith--I shall lead these against this
materialism.'
"His comrade laughed:
"'Your ideals will crumble as clay striking against metal. Only the
forces of poverty and hunger can be the fighters that will defeat
the golden calf. Our ways part here; you will go one way, and I
another. My promise is fulfilled; but remember your vow--be silent
as to all that you have heard and seen here!'"
This is the weird, fantastic "thriller" from which sprang the Protocols.
It is the first stage. According to this story not only were there
present at a secret meeting in the Prague Cemetery, the representatives
of the twelve tribes of Israel, ten of which totally disappeared nearly
twenty-five centuries ago, but also the son of "the accursed one," the
Devil, was there, making side-remarks from time to time. His assigned
function was that of spreading the decisions of the Wise Men of Zion
among the Jews in order that they conquer the world.
Dr. Herman L. Strack, professor of theology at the University of Berlin,
one of the foremost Christian authorities on theological and religious
literature, commenting on this Goedsche-Retcliffe concoction, says that
this tale of the ghostly convocation in the Jewish cemetery at Prague,
discloses no real knowledge of Judaism, that the reference to mixed
marriages indicates gross ignorance of actual Jewish thought, and that
the Hebrew words supposed to have been employed by the spokesmen for the
various tribes appear to have been borrowed from a dictionary. He also
points to Goedsche-Retcliffe's story and the "Rabbi's Speech" about to
be mentioned as the sources of the Protocols.
CHAPTER THREE
FICTION FORGED INTO "FACT"
The Lie in its Second Stage--The Tale Becomes "Fact"--The "Rabbi's"
Speech--Its Authenticity Vouched for by "Retcliffe"--An Illuminating
Footnote--A Dedication to the Russian "Black Hundreds"--The Imaginary
"Speech" Bears Witness to Authenticity of "Protocols," Themselves Based
on "Speech"--Three Stages of the Lie.
A number of years after this Russian translation of the
Goedsche-Retcliffe story appeared, Sir John Retcliffe, alias Goedsche,
deeming it important for his purpose of adding fuel to the flame of
anti-semitism that had been lighted in Germany, undertook to convert
this work of fiction, this offspring of his imagination, into a
statement of fact. This led him to adopt the simple device of
consolidating into one continuous speech the dialogue contained in his
shilling shocker, and putting the speech into the mouth of an imaginary
Rabbi in such a way as to make it appear to be an address delivered by
him to a secret convocation of Jews. And the very man who had invented
the speeches set down in his work of fiction twenty years before, now
vouched for the authenticity of the obviously fabricated speech which he
attributed to a Rabbi who had his birth in the contorted mind of this
notorious forger.
A translation from the Russian of the apocryphal "Rabbi's Speech," with
the introductory note as published in Russia by G. Butmi, in 1907, in a
book entitled "The Enemy of the Human Race," dedicated by the author to
the Black Hundreds, will now be laid before the reader. A comparison of
it, with the scene in the cemetery, will at once demonstrate the
identity of authorship. Below is a facsimile of the title page of this
book, a copy of which is in the Russian collection of the Library of
Congress, in Washington, D. C.
[Illustration: Cyrillic]
[Transliteration:
G. BUTMI.
OBLICHITEL'NYJA RECHI.
VRAGI
RODA CHELOVECHESKAGO.