Brev 280645   

Barn i Tyskland, hjemsendelse, barn til Sverige etc.

Subject:     32 children of Norwegian mothers, present location Hohehorst by Löhnhorst (Bremen district). 

To:                   Royal Norwegian Ministry of Social Welfare ”R” Office, OSLO. 

1.      I confirm telephone conversation of yesterday’s date. In accordance with Byraachef Juel’s instructions I have sent a message to P.H.O., E2C2 MIL GOV, 29 DIV U.S. ARMY, as per attached copy. I further enclose a list of the children in question. The list contains the maximum information available in the nursery about the children and their origin. I was informed that the fathers are all supposed to have been members of the German Occupation Forces in Norway. The children arrived in Germany during autumn 1944.

2.      The head nurse at Hohehorst gave the following information: As as she know the children were all illegitimate. The mothers are supposed to have given up the custodianship of the child voluntarily, and on the understanding that the child would be sent to Germany where adoption would be arranged. The arrangements were made through Zentralstelle des Lebensborn, formerly in Munich, present address: Steinhöring, Oberbayern, and through the Branch-Office of said organisation in Norway, address: Arbinsgt. 7, Oslo. Spesial reference is made to Acy. No. On the attached lists of additional information. The head nurse further informed me that she had received a number of applications from German nationals who wanted to adopt one of these children. She stressed the fact that during the present difficult conditions in Germany nobody would adopt a child if they did not seriously want one as their own. She was fairly certain she would be able to arrange adoption for them all – given some time.

3.      I have visited the nursery. The children are well cared for and in excellent health. – It will be necessary to evacuate the nursery in the near future as the building is required for other purposes. The future of the establishment is likewise uncertain. For this reason an early decision with regard to the children is important. Pastor Berge or other suitable Norwegian will be requested to investigate applications for adoption, in particular if the proposition is sound as far as the future welfare of the child is concerned. Those children who are not adopted, I gather I am authorized to send to Norway. The necessary travel arrangements will be completed here and Norwegian nurses found to accompany the children. If the Ministry have any additional instruction to give, I beg to be informed immediately. A copy of this letter is sent to lt/col Christie, Chief Norw. LO. 

626 MIL GOV DET

28 June 1945

E.H.Sørensen, Capt.

Kilde: Norges forskningsråd. Hjemmeside: http://www.forskningsradet.no/

Tilrettelagt for internett av Norges Krigsbarnforbund (NKBF). Homepage: http://www.nkbf.no