June 16 - June 25, 1942.
Summary:
Alexander Schmorell, Christoph Probst, Hans Scholl, and Sophie Scholl decide that Hans and Alex would each generate a leaflet draft. They would then meld the documents into a single manuscript. The ultimate in collaborative writing!
Alex borrows an American-made Remington typewriter from his neighbor, Karl Pötzl, telling him he had started writing poetry. Alex also buys an inexpensive, hand-cranked Greif duplicating machine. They run off 100 copies of the first leaflet - four pages long! Alex pays for all supplies out of his allowance. They borrow his father’s telephone directory and work in his room.
The friends choose the White Rose symbol as their image or “brand” (in 21st century terms). Lilo’s friend Fritz Rook had written her a letter about white roses in which he said that death, love, and youth are all the same. Drawing on old Germanic notions of white roses and death, Fritz Rook spoke of the white rose’s fragrance and “fragile purity.” The friends call this: Leaflets of the White Rose. I.
The Leaflets of the White Rose therefore point the reader to the well-known literary symbol, not to the people writing the words. This is critical to remember as the story progresses.
This first leaflet draws heavily on German literature, especially words penned by Goethe and Schiller. Although long, the document is clear. These students do not let fellow citizens off with indifference or inaction. They emphasize that Germans are getting the government they deserve, that unless they take action, they will be subject to shame when “the awful crimes that infinitely exceed any human measure are exposed to the light of day.”
Unsure of themselves, they send up two test balloons before the mass mailing goes out. First they mail one to Professor Huber. And second, Hans Scholl gives a copy to Traute Lafrenz.
2007 update, Fritz Hartnagel has moved from in-town quarters in Mariupol to a tent in the Donbas. Despite decreeing that he and his men do not have to wear uniforms (they wear “track clothes” instead), he is miserable. Rampant alcoholism makes his job as C.O. unpleasant.
Why This Matters:
It is beyond difficult to keep going when we see no results from our efforts. Alex’s statement about the reception to this first leaflet, even among their trusted friends, underscores the discouraging nature of “good trouble,” of doing what is right.
I relish the discomfort caused to Professor Richard Harder as he tries to define how ‘the author’ knew about failed resistance movements, without disclosing that he - Professor Harder - also listened to foreign broadcasts. A sweet reminder that more Germans knew what was really happening, than would own up to that knowledge after the war. ——- And this was the primary point of the leaflets!
When you have undertaken a tough task, what have been the roadblocks you’ve encountered? How did you get past them? Please post in the comments!
White Rose History, Volume II, pages 60-66. Yes, this was longer than usual, because there wasn’t a natural “break” in the narrative.
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