Samoan branch of the Nazi Party

A branch of the Nazi Party operated in the Territory of Western Samoa, a League of Nations mandate administered by New Zealand, from 1934 until 1939.

The branch came into conflict with the Concordia Club, which was favoured by white German settlers and supported closer relations with the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the Nordic states.

The branch was criticised by the German consul to New Zealand, Walter Hellenthal [de], over its poor organisation and the racial make-up of its members.

[1] The islands retained a German settler presence, including Alfred Matthes, who had emigrated before the First World War and married a Tongan woman.

The Concordia Club was led by Fritz Janke, a planter, and supported closer relations between the territory and Britain, Switzerland and the Nordic states.

He favoured the Concordia Club with a generous donation of books from Germany and wrote to the Ausland-Organisation to recommend they take action to improve the Samoan branch of the party.

[7] Matthes responded to the snub from Hellenthal by increasing his political activity, attempting to convert existing anti-colonial sentiment into a pro-German one.

He distributed propaganda, established a sister organisation to cater to Polynesians and made plans to overthrow the New Zealand administration of Samoa.

[1] The External Affairs branch of the New Zealand government considered deporting him but the administrator of the territory, Alfred Turnbull, advised against this as he thought Matthes would be glad to be seen as a martyr for the Nazi cause.

[7] As part of his 1938 campaign Matthes had produced a letter in which he claimed Hitler promised that Samoa would be annexed to Germany by Christmas.

[4] The branch was disbanded in April 1939 at a time when Matthes, low on money, sought assistance from Ramm to arrange his return to Germany.