Parting from the Gröning Association

Time to take stock of the damages

Narrow-minded bureaucracy watches passively as Gröning is fined

In October, 1957, relations between Bruno Gröning and the managers of the Gröning Association ended in confrontation. Through narrow-minded bureaucracy, the Gröning Association had done him considerable damage. The cause of the dispute was the court judgment which required Bruno Gröning to pay a 2000 DM fine within a short space of time. Since he had never taken any money for his work, and as a result, had no money to speak of, the Gröning Association committee had agreed to bear the costs of the court case from the beginning. Whether this included the fine was disputed within the committee. The committee wanted to use a drawn-out bureaucratic process to check whether the Association was obliged to pay the 2000 DM or not. Only after this did it intend to deal with the matter of raising the money. As such, it was predictable that the money would reach Bruno Gröning far too late, if at all. The Association stood by and watched, without doing anything, as Bruno Gröning, unable to pay the fine, would instead have to go to prison. This led to an open conflict and finally to a separation.

False friends

In a 62-page document entitled Review of the Activities of the Association, Bruno Gröning addressed all the points by which the Association had caused him damage. In summary he stated, “When I draw comparisons today between my earlier environment (the profiteers Meckelburg, Enderlin, Schmidt and Hülsmann) and my current environment (the Association's committee members), then I come to the same conclusion. Today the end result is the same as then. Today, through the work of those who are supposed to be my closest and best friends, nothing more has been achieved than at that time. Back then I was betrayed by the dirty deeds of those helpers. Today friends have failed me, in that they have stood quietly by and watched as I went through the court case, through the accusations, in that I received no help, in that I wasn't able to visit my local communities, as no vehicle was made available to me, in that no one took any action against the smear campaign which was waged against me, in that you caused confusion by not being there for me when I needed people. People who with all their worldly knowledge, learning, and experience, could and had to support me, so that it wouldn’t come to this at this one time when I am on this earth.

Not one of these friends engaged themselves on my behalf, to fight for my freedom; no one had the courage to really stand up for me. Nothing was done. Decision after decision was made on the basis of petty bureaucracy. No one really got involved on my behalf; no one committed himself with all his might to freeing me once and for all from all these battles in the courts, against the press, for an assistant for my work, for the car which was unserviceable, against the smear and slander campaigns, etc. etc. and cleared the way for me so I could do that for which I am here to this earth: to deliver to humankind the power of life, and lead people to belief.

That I need peace and quiet for that, and to not constantly be interrupted and prevented by external worldly influences, that I need a real protective wall in order to allow that which is given to me to work undisturbed; no one had thought about that. None of my friends, not one of those who wanted to be my friend. And this is what is really shameful and so disappointing to me:

- The profiteers wanted to gain advantage, and they have been recognized as bad people.
- Friends from the Gröning Association are too half-hearted, too indifferent, and too comfortable; I won't say ill-intentioned.

And the result is the same; I am not free. Many friends from the Gröning Association committee have not kept their word. I have been hampered by everything that has been done."

The failure of the Association

Weisser stepped down, and the Gröning Association, which never managed to be officially registered as an association, was disbanded shortly after. In its place there arose the Association for Advancement of the Spiritual and Natural Principals of Life. It was established in 1958, and its leaders were Erich Pelz from Germany and Alexander Loy from Austria. But this, the last organization founded during Bruno Gröning's lifetime, did not deliver what he had hoped for from it, either. His name did not appear in its constitution even once.