Source: Timeline
Apr. 30, 1919 Nuncio Pacelli reports aggressions and threats by Councils Republic forces against him and the Nunciature, also equating Jewish with Russian and revolutionary in reporting the collapse of the “Russian-Jewish-revolutionary tyranny” in Munich.
Italian original at www.Pacelli-Edition.de and English translation of report to Gasparri
Apr. 30, 1919 Pacelli to Gasparri, from Munich:
Re: Aggressions against the Nunciature
Most Reverend Eminence,
Yesterday, Tuesday April 29th, a little after 3:00 p.m., the Commander of the Red Army of the South, Seyler, came to the Nunciature with his adjutant Brongratz and other soldiers armed with rifles, revolvers and hand grenades. After having intimidated, with the threat to explode the selfsame grenades, the servant of the Nunciature who had opened the door to them, they entered by force, stating that they wanted to seize the Nunciature’s automobile (a splendid car with the pontifical coat of arms), and demanded to speak immediately with the Nuncio. Monsignor Auditor being away from the house at that moment, I presented myself to these raving men and made known to the Commander that the violent penetration into the Nunciature and the requisitioning of the automobile by force of arms constituted two flagrant violations of international law binding on all civilized peoples, and I further showed him the certificate of extraterritoriality issued by the People’s Commission for Foreign Affairs, of which I had the honor to report to Your Most Reverend Eminence in my respectful Report No. 12572. For his entire response the adjutant aimed the revolver at my chest, and the Commander – a horrible delinquent type – after having given his underlings the order to hold hand grenades at the ready, told me insolently that any talk was useless and that he had to have the automobile immediately to proceed to the front. I replied with vigor that I was protesting against the aggression, but that, in the face of brutal violence, I was permitting the aforesaid servant to open the garage.
Seyler then proceeded there, and, thanks to the help of a chauffeur who came with him, tried to put the automobile in motion; an arduous task, since the Nunciature’s chauffeur, in anticipation of the event, had removed from the machine an essential piece for its functioning. While these delinquents, infuriated by encountering the obstacle, were intent on their work, I had a telephone call made to the competent Ministry of Military Affairs. The response, however, was hardly encouraging: If the automobile was not immediately handed over, the Nunciature would be bombarded and the whole band (sic, in original), that is the personnel of the selfsame Nunciature, would be arrested. This attempt having failed, and despite the difficulty deriving from the fact that an armed sentinel was watching over the telephone, I succeeded in having Monsignor Schioppa alerted, in order to try a step with the Commander of the City. He indeed, engaged immediately by Monsignor Schioppa, understood the situation; and towards five, that is two whole hours after the Nunciature had been invaded, three security agents arrived and ordered the Commander of the Red Guard to desist from his enterprise. Given, however, that he, as a member of the Supreme Command, maintained that he did not have to submit to orders from the Commander of the City, there arose between the two parties a loud argument, until, as it pleased God, at 6 o’clock, as a result of new instructions from other Authorities, Seyler undertook to go away, leaving the automobile. Thus quiet returned to the Nunciature, but only for a short time.
This morning I was in Prof. Jochner’s Clinic, where, having recently had a strong attack of influenza and a sick stomach, I am undergoing a special treatment. Monsignor Schioppa was in the Nunciature. Toward 9:00, the same two individuals reappeared, that is the Commander of the Red Army of the South and his adjutant, accompanied by other armed soldiers and equipped with a document signed by Egelhofer, Supreme Commander of the Red Army, which authorized them to requisition the Nunciature’s automobile.
Immediately the Executive Committee, as well as the Commander of the City, were alerted by telephone. Indeed there arrived at the Nunciature, with all speed in two automobiles, a member of the aforesaid Committee with armed soldiers, and in another automobile, about ten soldiers of the City Command’s police. An agitated discussion arose about the jurisdiction of the powers, and the matter threatened to go on for an eternity and perhaps end badly; when it was proposed that the two who came for the requisitioning go together with the member of the Executive Committee to Egelhofer. After more than a short wait, they returned in an automobile, this furnished with a machinegun and a not inconsiderable number of soldiers with rifles and hand grenades. The member of the Executive Committee then told Monsignor Auditor that this Committee could not do anything at all to avert the seizure of the automobile, as it concerned a matter of a military character. The soldiers from the City Command made the same statement, adding that they could well have undertaken a struggle by armed force against those of the Red Army, but that it was more humane to spare the shedding of blood.
Monsignor Schioppa protested with the greatest vigor against the act of violence that they wanted to commit, making it known, among other things, that even in Russia and Hungary the prerogatives of the Diplomatic Corps were respected and that it is impossible to understand how members of the Executive Committee and soldiers of the Councils Republic would not respect the decisions and signatures of their Ministers, who had recognized the extraterritoriality of the Nunciature. At this point, the Commander of the Red Army of the South, with an imperious and arrogant tone, turned to Monsignor Auditor and said to him: “Not one word more; otherwise you will be arrested at this very moment!” At this threat he needed to yield, but not before Monsignor Schioppa had first made clearly known that the yielding was only in the face of violence and that the Executive Committee would be responsible for the consequences of this act of violation of international law.
While they were proceeding to take away the automobile, however, the Italian Army Captain, Signor De Luca, detached to Munich by the Military Mission in Berlin, and an excellent Gentleman, having learned what was happening, went to the Supreme Command of the Red Army, and (of his own initiative, indeed unknown to the Nunciature) demanded the release of the automobile in the name of the Italian Government, protesting against what had occurred. The step had a happy result, as Egelhofer gave an order to the aforesaid Captain for the immediate release of the car, which has already been taken to the Benz Company garage for appropriate repairs. There Egelhofer’s order was shown, before which the two who came for the requisitioning had to yield, not without first bringing menacing words of rancor to their lips, among them that the whole band (the Nunciature) should be thrown into prison!
Indeed the Italian attaché at the Swiss Consulate (who was in charge of the protection of Italians during the war), having become aware of the matter, went to the Executive Committee and had from them a letter of apology for what had happened to the Nunciature, and the assurance that the deplorable event would not be repeated, as well as confirmation of what the Commander in charge of the Red Army had already said to Captain De Luca.
Thus the automobile could be returned to the Nunciature with rubber tires that had also been required: but there remains the act of violence against the Pontifical Representative, the violation of the right of extraterritoriality and the threats of abuse against the Nunciature, which, given the state of exceptional excitement that reigns here and the double game played by the Commander of the Red Army of the South and his worthy adjutant, there could be attempts, and therefore I as well as Monsignor Auditor have been advised to sleep away from the house for several nights, naturally leaving the palace of the Nunciature well watched after.
An event developed into an echo of cannons, which reverberated yesterday almost uninterruptedly in Munich, in the fratricidal fighting between the Red Army of the Councils Republic and the White Army fighting for the liberation of the Capital of Bavaria from the harshest Russian-Jewish-revolutionary tyranny.
Humbly bowing to kiss the Sacred Purple ...
Source: www.Pacelli-Edition.de, Document No. 258.