Wilhelm Haas (4 September 1896 – 11 January 1981) was a German diplomat. He served during the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

, was dismissed during the

Nazi era Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

due to his wife's Jewish heritage, and later became a prominent ambassador for the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

(

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

). His ambassadorships included posts in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Early life and education

Wilhelm Haas was born in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

on 4 September 1896, the son of a merchant from an Evangelical (Protestant) family. He attended the Neues Gymnasium in Bremen. From August 1914 to January 1919, he served as a soldier in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, reaching the rank of ''

Leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...

'' (Lieutenant). After the war, Haas studied

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

at the

University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Prote ...

and the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially ), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1 ...

. He completed an internship at a shipping company and passed the first state law examination (''Referendarexamen'') in 1921. He earned his doctorate in law in 1922.

Diplomatic career

Weimar Republic and early Nazi era

Haas joined the

German Foreign Office The Federal Foreign Office (, ; abbreviated AA) is the foreign ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany, a federal agency responsible for both the country's foreign policy and its relationship with the European Union. It is a cabinet-leve ...

as an

Attaché In diplomacy, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified ac ...

in 1922. His early postings included Paris (1924),

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(as Legation Secretary, 1925), the Consulate General in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

(1927), and the legation in

Peking Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city as well as China's second largest city by urban area after Shanghai. It is l ...

(1929). He also served as secretary to the German

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

delegation in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. In 1933, following the Nazi seizure of power, Haas was forced out of his position as managing director of the re-founded German-Japanese Society (''Deutsch-Japanische Gesellschaft'', DJG). This was part of the ''

Gleichschaltung The Nazi term (), meaning "synchronization" or "coordination", was the process of Nazification by which Adolf Hitler—leader of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany—established a system of totalitarian control and coordination over all ...

'' (coordination) process, aimed at bringing organizations in line with Nazi ideology. The pretext was that Haas's wife, Ursula (née Corwegh; 1907–1994), was of Jewish descent. He was replaced by Friedrich Hack and Sakai Naoe.Archive of the German Society for Natural History and Ethnology of East Asia (OAG), cited in the German Wikipedia article. Despite this, Haas was appointed Commercial Attaché and head of the economic department at the German embassy in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

in 1934, under Ambassador

Herbert von Dirksen Eduard Willy Kurt Herbert von Dirksen (2 April 1882 – 19 December 1955) was a German diplomat (and from 1936, when he joined the party, specifically a Nazi diplomat) who was the last German ambassador to Britain before World War II. Parvenu n ...

. However, he faced increasing antisemitic hostility from

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

members within the embassy, particularly targeting his wife. Pressure from these elements led to his forced retirement from the diplomatic service in 1937.

World War II

Through the intervention of Herbert von Dirksen, Haas secured a position as a representative for

IG Farben I. G. Farbenindustrie AG, commonly known as IG Farben, was a German Chemical industry, chemical and Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical conglomerate (company), conglomerate. It was formed on December 2, 1925 from a merger of six chemical co ...

, which was then part of the Japanese puppet state of

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...

. This allowed him and his family to remain in China during World War II.

Post-war career

After the end of the war, Haas was interned locally in China. He returned to Germany via

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in 1947. Upon his return, he became a ''

Staatsrat The State Council of the German Democratic Republic ( German: ''Staatsrat der DDR'') was the standing organ of the People's Chamber and functioned as the collective head of state of the German Democratic Republic, most commonly referred to as E ...

'' (State Councilor) in the

Senate of Bremen The Senate of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (German: Senat der Freien Hansestadt Bremen) is the government of the German city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Various senate-like institutions have existed in Bremen since medieval times. ...

. In 1949, Haas was seconded to the Federal Chancellery in Bonn. From 25 November 1949, he headed the "Organisationsbüro für die konsularisch-wirtschaftliche Vertretung im Ausland" (Organizational Office for Consular and Economic Representation Abroad), tasked with planning the structure and staffing of West Germany's future foreign service. As head of personnel during the initial formation of the new

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

, Haas presented his concept in December 1950. His guiding principles were to minimize the hiring of individuals heavily implicated in the Nazi-era Foreign Office while ensuring sufficient expertise, and to include female applicants. The Foreign Office was formally re-established on 15 March 1951, separate from the Chancellery, with Chancellor

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...

also serving as the first

Foreign Minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

. Haas initially continued as Personnel Chief. However, in the summer of 1951, he clashed with Adenauer over the Chancellor's attempts to appoint CDU party members to diplomatic posts despite their lack of qualifications. Haas refused to approve these appointments and was subsequently dismissed from his post as Personnel Chief in July 1951. He was succeeded by Herbert Dittmann.

Ambassadorial posts

Despite the conflict with Adenauer, Haas returned to diplomatic service: * Turkey: In May 1952, he became West Germany's first ambassador to Turkey, based in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

. He served until 1956. * Soviet Union: Following the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, Haas was appointed ambassador to the

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in 1956. During his tenure, he was reportedly critical of Chancellor Adenauer's policy towards the Eastern Bloc. He served until 1958. * Japan: From 1958 until his retirement in 1961, Haas served as ambassador to Japan in Tokyo.

Later life and honors

After retiring from the diplomatic service, Haas served as president of the German Association for East European Studies (''Deutsche Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde'') until autumn 1971. Haas received several honors: * Grand Cross of Merit with Star (''Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz mit Stern'') of the Federal Republic of Germany (1954). *

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

, First Class, from Japan upon his departure in 1961. The city of Bremen named a street after him, ''Wilhelm-Haas-Straße'', in the St. Magnus district where he lived. Wilhelm Haas died in Bremen on 11 January 1981.

Personal life

Wilhelm Haas married Ursula Corwegh (1907–1994). They had four sons. One of their sons, Wilhelm Haas (18 August 1931 – 18 October 2024), also became a diplomat. He attended

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

(Class of 1953) – his graduation year sometimes being mistakenly associated with his father – before pursuing law in Germany and joining the foreign service. He served as the German Ambassador to Israel (1985–c. 1990), Japan (1990–1994), and the Netherlands (1994–1996). While ambassador to Israel, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree from Bowdoin in 1988.

Writings

* Haas, Wilhelm (1969). ''Beitrag zur Geschichte der Entstehung des Auswärtigen Dienstes der Bundesrepublik Deutschland'' ontribution to the History of the Formation of the Foreign Service of the Federal Republic of Germany Introduction by the Foreign Office. Bremen: Private printing (financed by the Foreign Office). (Cited in: )

References

External links

Wilhelm Haas
im

Munzinger-Archiv Munzinger-Archiv is a German Publishing, publisher and online encyclopedia based in the Baden-Württemberg city of Ravensburg. The content of the archive includes entries about people in politics, business, culture, sport, music and society, abou ...

(Artikelanfang frei abrufbar) (Internationales Biographisches Archiv 25/1981, 8 June 1981) *
Youtube : German Ambassador in Moscow (1956)
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in Gerhard Köbler: ''Wer war wer im deutschen Recht'' (Online version) {{DEFAULTSORT:Haas, Wilhelm 1896 births 1981 deaths People from Bremen (city) German diplomats Ambassadors of West Germany to the Soviet Union Ambassadors of West Germany to Japan German military personnel of World War I University of Marburg alumni University of Freiburg alumni Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun 20th-century German diplomats People from the Province of Hanover German Lutherans