Ernst: Yes of course, I wanted to be a policeman when I was a youngster, and I learned that being in the SS helped your chances greatly. Himmler was in charge of both the SS and police. I was not one of the old guard, but I was an early SS man after Hitler came to power. The more I read about the SS and Himmler, the more I liked what was said. The SS was a special clique of like-minded men who wanted to secure a future for the Germanic peoples. Many Germans at the time did not quite understand the purpose we had, except guarding the Führer. A main point of our beliefs was racial hygiene. To keep a race pure and healthy leads to a better future for all in the race. We wanted our most pure to have abundant children, and the genetically weak not be encouraged to breed. It weeds out the unfit, so that the healthy are given a bright future, like nature intended.

Today our enemies use this against us, forgetting even their own nations did these things as well. They advocate for the genetically ill to have as many children as possible, giving them aid while making it hard for healthy couples to do the same. Our enemies know what they are doing, and since 1945 there is no one to stop them. I was out for dinner once and overheard someone say behind my back, "what good is the black SS?" I confronted him, and told him a great damage has been promoted for many years on our people and we are overseeing the correction and rebirth. If you do not care about German blood, at least be silent and get out of our way. My number was 199 968, you never forget your number, it is like a birthday. I also joined the NSDAP as it helped one's career; it is hard to say that today. I was accepted into the black SS and given the chance to prove my worth as a leader. I was selected to report to the first officer class at the Braunschweig SS leadership school. I knew the SS was the right choice for me, I also started the process of applying to be a policeman, for which my time in the SS counted towards requirements they wanted. I had all the support I needed from my unit and party comrades. By 1937 I was both an officer in the SS and served in the police.

Did you ever meet Himmler?

Ernst: Yes, of course. He was ever-present with us; when an officer school graduated a class, he always presented the SS sword. He was often invited for dinner parties, or he hosted parties for us. It was a big night when the SS-VT [SS-Verfügungstruppe, or 'SS Support Troops'] held a dance, the ladies put on their best dresses and heels. I also saw him at sports event for the SS; he was an avid athlete, and liked to show off that in spite of being older, he could still keep up with the younger guys. He brought Gudrun [his daughter] to one of these I remember, she was running alongside the track while a race was going on, trying to keep up. I remember him being very friendly, and quite frank; he said what was on his mind. I served on the staff of RuSHA [Rasse und Siedlungshauptamt der SS, or SS Race and Settlement Main Office] and he took a vested interest in our office. He would offer advice and seek input on racial matters often. Race was a great concern for him, he was eager to learn more about our origins and what makes us, as a race, so different to the other races that only have dark eyes. He was very fixated on Germany's past, and what made this such a great and strong land. He awarded me this ring [SS-Ehrenring, or SS Honor Ring], which shows our symbols of a great and victorious life that all should strive for. At the top, you see the Totenkopf, which represents your willingness to give your life to your people if need be. Like 1 John 3:16, there is no greater love than to give your life for your people; we lived this daily.

Can I ask you what the RuSHA was created for?

Ernst: Absolutely, it was a large office that had several functions. The main one of course was the racial health of Germany. [Walther] Darré and Himmler saw that in the entire western world a decline was happening, they believed it was due to a Jewish plan. This decline was racial and was being brought about by the encouragement of race mixing. In the Germanic nations especially, Marxists and Jewish academics wanted workers from Africa, Arabia, and the East brought in. They fought for laws abolishing any racial separation and encouraged mixed relationships with propaganda. This was happening in the French controlled Saar, they stationed Africans there and delighted in seeing German women, who were starving, fall prey. Laws were enforced to stop all resentment of this. From Arab invasions that tainted Europe's bloodlines, to the Jews of the east who flooded into Germany, unmixed blood was being threatened. Some saw this very far back and wrote about the dangers, Himmler was well aware of this, and created the RuSHA to help stop it.

To correct the genetic decline, SS laws were put in place whereby to be married, the spouse had to prove her racial purity showing no mixed blood for several generations. To be admitted to the SS, the SS man had to go through the same test. Free classes were offered to the couple to show how to have a happy marriage and how to deal with problems. A happy home for children was the priority. This office also helped SS families adopt children who were voluntarily given up for one reason or another. The goal was to always make sure an SS family had any support that was needed to be happy and safeguarded. The Lebensborn homes were part of this office too, wives and unwed women who were pregnant could come free of charge to have the baby, and it was a quiet resort setting. During the Polish crisis the office oversaw the evacuation of Germans who were fleeing Polish persecution in 1938-1939. Many needed help, as they left everything behind. Later the office helped them reclaim land taken by the Poles. I ran into some men during my time in the east who were aiding the German communities who had settled in Russia hundreds of years ago. It was a very good office that had a very important job in the new era. Making sure the important bloodlines of Germany and Europe were safeguarded and promoted. Nothing sinister, evil, or ungodly, as the enemy claims. It is very misunderstood today, even though many nations adopted the same standards back then.