The means of accomplishing the extermination of the Jews are discussed
in the diary of Hans Frank, then Governor-General of Occupied Poland
(_2233-D-PS_). In a cabinet session on Tuesday, 16 December 1941 in the
Government Building at Cracow, Frank made a closing address, as follows:
“As far as the Jews are concerned, I want to tell you quite
frankly that they must be done away with in one way or another.
The Fuehrer said once: ‘Should united Jewry again succeed in
provoking a world-war, the blood of not only the nations which
have been forced into the war by them, will be shed, but the Jew
will have found his end in Europe’. I know that many of the
measures carried out against the Jews in the Reich at present
are being criticized. It is being tried intentionally, as is
obvious from the reports on the morale, to talk about cruelty,
harshness, etc. Before I continue, I want to beg you to agree
with me on the following formula: We will principally have pity
on the German people only, and nobody else in the whole world.
The others, too, had no pity on us. As an old
National-Socialist, I must say: This war would only be a partial
success if the whole lot of Jewry would survive it, while we
would have shed our best blood in order to save Europe. My
attitude towards the Jews will, therefore, be based only on the
expectation that they must disappear. They must be done away
with. I have entered negotiations to have them deported to the
East. A great discussion concerning that question will take
place in Berlin in January, to which I am going to delegate the
State Secretary Dr. Buehler. That discussion is to take place in
the Reich Security Main Office with SS-Lt. General Heydrich. A
great Jewish migration will begin, in any case.
“But what should be done with the Jews? Do you think they will
be settled down in the ‘Ostland’, in villages? This is what we
were told in Berlin: Why all this bother? We can do nothing with
them either in the ‘Ostland’ nor in the ‘Reichskommissariat’. So
liquidate them yourself.
“Gentlemen, I must ask you to rid yourself of all feeling of
pity. We must annihilate the Jews, wherever we find them and
wherever it is possible, in order to maintain there the
structure of the Reich as a whole. This will, naturally, be
achieved by other methods than those pointed out by Bureau Chief
Dr. Hummel. Nor can the judges of the Special Courts be made
responsible for it, because of the limitations of the framework
of the legal procedure. Such outdated views cannot be applied to
such gigantic and unique events. We must find at any rate a way
which leads to the goal, and my thoughts are working in that
direction.
“The Jews represent for us also extraordinarily malignant
gluttons. We have now approximately 2,500,000 of them in the
General Government, perhaps with the Jewish mixtures and
everything that goes with it, 3,500,000 Jews. We cannot shoot or
poison those 3,500,000 Jews, but we shall nevertheless be able
to take measures, which will lead, somehow, to their
annihilation, and this in connection with the gigantic measures
to be determined in discussions from the Reich. The General
Government must become free of Jews, the same as the Reich.
Where and how this is to be achieved is a matter for the offices
which we must appoint and create here. Their activities will be
brought to your attention in due course.” (_2233-D-PS_)
This was not the planning and scheming of an irresponsible individual,
but the expression by the Governor-General of Occupied Poland, of the
official policy of the German State.
Rosenberg’s notion of the means to be taken against the Jews is
expressed in a secret “Document Memorandum for the Fuehrer—Concerning:
Jewish Possessions in France,” dated 18 December 1941. Rosenberg urges
plundering and death:
“* * * In compliance with the order of the Fuehrer for
protection of Jewish cultural possessions, a great number of
Jewish dwellings remained unguarded. Consequently, many
furnishings have disappeared because a guard could, naturally,
not be posted. In the whole East the administration has found
terrible conditions of living quarters, and the chances of
procurement are so limited that it is not practical to procure
any more. Therefore, I beg the Fuehrer to permit the seizure of
all Jewish home furnishings of Jews in Paris, who have fled or
will leave shortly, and that of Jews living in all parts of the
occupied West, to relieve the shortage of furnishings in the
administration in the East.
“2. A great number of leading Jews were, after a short
examination in Paris, again released. The attempts on the lives
of members of the armed forces have not stopped; on the contrary
they continue. This reveals an unmistakable plan to disrupt the
German-French cooperation, to force Germany to retaliate, and,
with this, evoke a new defense on the part of the French against
Germany. I suggest to the Fuehrer that, instead of executing 100
Frenchmen, we substitute 100 Jewish bankers, lawyers, etc. It is
the Jews in London and New York who incite the French communists
to commit acts of violence, and it seems only fair that the
members of this race should pay for this. It is not the little
Jews, but the leading Jews in France, who should be held
responsible. That would tend to awaken the Anti-Jewish
sentiment.
“(Signed) A. Rosenberg.” (_001-PS_)
(1) _Starvation._ Chief among the methods utilized for the annihilation
of the Jewish people was starvation. Policies were designed and adopted
to deprive the Jews of the most elemental necessities of life. Hans
Frank, then Governor-General of Poland, wrote in his diary that hunger
rations were introduced in the Warsaw Ghetto (_2233-E-PS_). Referring to
the new food regulations of August 1942, he noted that by these food
regulations more than one million Jews were virtually condemned to
death.
“That we sentence 1,200,000 Jews to die of hunger should be
noted only marginally. It is a matter of course that should the
Jews not starve to death it would we hope result in a speeding
up of the anti-Jewish measures.” (_2233-E-PS_)
In pursuance of the deliberate policy of Jewish starvation, Jews were
prohibited from pursuing agricultural activities in order to cut them
off from access to sources of food. A document entitled “Provisional
Directives on the Treatment of Jews”, issued by the Reichscommissar for
the Ostland, provided:
“Jews must be cleaned out from the countryside. The Jews are to
be removed from all trades, especially from trade with
agricultural products and other foodstuffs.” (_1138-PS_)
Jews were also excluded from the purchase of basic food, such as wheat
products, meat, eggs, and milk. A decree dated 18 September 1942, from
the Ministry of Agriculture, provided:
“Jews will no longer receive the following foods, beginning with
the 42nd distribution period (19 October 1942): meat, meat
products, eggs, wheat products (cake, white bread, wheat rolls,
wheat flour, etc.) whole milk, fresh skimmed milk, as well as
such food distributed not on food ration cards issued uniformly
throughout the Reich but on local supply certificates or by
special announcement of the nutrition office on extra coupons of
the food cards. Jewish children and young people over ten years
of age will receive the bread ration of the normal consumer.”
(_1347-PS_)
The sick, the old, and pregnant mothers were excluded from the special
food concessions allotted to non-Jews. Seizure by the State Police of
food shipments to Jews from abroad was authorized, and Jewish ration
cards were distinctly marked with the word “Jew” in color across the
face of the cards, so that the store-keepers could readily identify and
discriminate against Jewish purchasers.
According to page 110 of an official document of the Czechoslovakian
government published in 1943 and entitled “Czechoslovakia Fights Back,”
Jewish food purchases were confined to certain areas, to certain days,
and to certain hours. As might be expected, the period permitted for the
purchases occurred during the time when food stocks were likely to be
exhausted. (_1689-PS_)
By Special Order No. 44 for the Eastern Occupied Territories, dated 4
November 1941, Jews were limited to rations as low as only one-half of
the lowest basic category of other people, and the Ministry of
Agriculture was empowered to exclude Jews entirely or partially from
obtaining food thus exposing the Jewish community to death by
starvation. A bulletin issued by the Polish Ministry of Information,
dated 15 December 1942, concludes that upon the basis of the nature of
the separate rationing and the amount of food available to Jews in the
Warsaw and Cracow ghettos, the system was designed to bring about
starvation:
“In regard to food supplies they are brought under a completely
separate system, which is obviously aimed at depriving them of
the most elemental necessities of life.” (_L-165_)
(2) _Annihilation._ Annihilation within the ghettos is illustrated and
glorified in the report of Major General of the Police Stroop, entitled
“The Warsaw Ghetto is No More.” (_1061-PS_)
This report bound in leather profusely illustrated, typed on heavy bond
paper, and almost 75 pages in length, is the almost unbelievable recital
of a proud accomplishment by Stroop, who signed the report with a bold
hand. Stroop in his report first pays tribute to the bravery and heroism
of the German forces who participated in the ruthless actions against a
defenseless group of Jews numbering, to be exact 56,065—including
infants and women. His report relates day-by-day progress in the
accomplishment of his mission—to destroy and to obliterate the Warsaw
Ghetto. According to this report, the ghetto, which was established in
Warsaw in November 1940, was inhabited by about 400,000 Jews; and prior
to the action for the destruction of this Ghetto, some 316,000 had
already been deported.
These are some of the boastful and vivid account’s of the scenes within
the Warsaw Ghetto:
“The resistance put up by the Jews and bandits could be broken
only by relentlessly using all our forces and energy by day and
night. On 23 April 1943 the Reichsfuehrer SS issued through the
Higher SS and Police Fuehrer East at Cracow his order to
complete the combing out of the Warsaw Ghetto with the greatest
severity and relentless tenacity. I therefore decided to destroy
the entire Jewish residential area by setting every block on
fire, including the blocks of residential buildings near the
armament works. One concern after the other was systematically
evacuated and subsequently destroyed by fire. The Jews then
emerged from their hiding places and dugouts in almost every
case. Not infrequently, the Jews stayed in the burning buildings
until, because of the heat and the fear of being burned alive,
they preferred to jump down from the upper stories after having
thrown mattresses and other upholstered articles into the street
from the burning buildings. With their bones broken, they still
tried to crawl across the street into blocks of buildings which
had not yet been set on fire or were only partially in flames.
Often the Jews changed their hiding places during the night, by
moving into the ruins of burnt-out buildings, taking refuge
there until they were found by our patrols. Their stay in the
sewers also ceased to be pleasant after the first week.
Frequently from the street, we could hear loud voices coming
through the sewer shafts. Then the men of the Waffen SS, the
Police or the _Wehrmacht_ Engineers courageously climbed down
from the shafts to bring out the Jews and not infrequently they
then stumbled over Jews already dead, or were shot at. It was
always necessary to use smoke candles to drive out the Jews.
Thus one day we opened 183 sewer entrance holes, and at a fixed
time lowered smoke candles into them, with the result that the
bandits fled from what they believed to be gas in the center of
the former Ghetto, where they could then be pulled out of the
sewer holes there. A great number of Jews who could not be
counted were exterminated by blowing up sewers and dugouts.
“The longer the resistance lasted the tougher the men of the
Waffen SS, Police, and _Wehrmacht_ became. They fulfilled their
duty indefatigably in faithful comradeship, and stood together
as models and examples of soldiers. Their duty hours often
lasted from early morning until late at night. At night search
patrols with rags wound round their feet remained at the heels
of the Jews and gave them no respite. Not infrequently they
caught and killed Jews who used the night hours for
supplementing their stores from abandoned dugouts and for
contacting neighboring groups or exchanging news with them.
“Considering that the greater part of the men of the Waffen SS
had only been trained for three to four weeks before being
assigned to this action, high credit should be given to the
pluck, courage and devotion to duty which they showed. It must
be stated that the _Wehrmacht_ Engineers, too, executed the
blowing up of dugouts, sewers and concrete buildings with
indefatigability and great devotion to duty. Officers and men of
the police, a large part of whom had already been at the front,
again excelled by their dashing spirit.
“Only through the continuous and untiring work of all involved
did we succeed in catching a total of 56,065 Jews whose
extermination can be proved. To this should be added the number
of Jews who lost their lives in explosions or fires, but whose
number could not be ascertained.” (_1061-PS_)
At the beginning of his report Stroop lists the losses of German troops:
“For the Fuehrer and their country the following fell in the
battle for the destruction of Jews and bandits in the former
ghetto of Warsaw * * *” [Fifteen names are thereafter listed].
“Furthermore, the Polish police sergeant Julian Zielinski, born
13 November 1891, 8th Commissariat, fell on 19 April 1943 while
fulfilling his duty. They gave their utmost, their life. We
shall never forget them.
“The following were wounded * * *” [There follow the names of 60
Waffen SS personnel] “11 watchmen from training camps, probably
Lithuanians; 12 Security Police officers in SS units; 5 men of
the Polish Police; and 2 regular army personnel, engineers.”
(_1061-PS_)
The story continues in the daily teletype reports, from which the
following are excerpts:
“Our setting the block on fire achieved the result in the course
of the night that those Jews whom we had not been able to find
despite all our search operations left their hideouts under the
roofs, in the cellars, and elsewhere, and appeared on the
outside of the buildings, trying to escape the flames. Masses of
them—entire families—were already aflame and jumped from the
windows or endeavored to let themselves down by means of sheets
tied together or the like. Steps had been taken so that these
Jews as well as the remaining ones were liquidated at once.”
* * * * * *
“When the blocks of buildings mentioned above were destroyed,
120 Jews were caught and numerous Jews were destroyed when they
jumped from the attics to the inner courtyards, trying to escape
the flames. Many more Jews perished in the flames or were
destroyed when the dugouts and sewer entrances were blown up.”
* * * * * *
“Not until the blocks of buildings were well aflame and were
about to collapse did a further considerable number of Jews
emerge, forced to do so by the flames and the smoke. Time and
again the Jews try to escape even through burning buildings.
Innumerable Jews whom we saw on the roofs during the
conflagration perished in the flames. Others emerged from the
upper stories in the last possible moment and were only able to
escape death from the flames by jumping down. Today we caught a
total of 2,283 Jews, of whom 204 were shot, and innumerable Jews
were destroyed in dugouts and in the flames.”
* * * * * *
“The Jews testify that they emerge at night to get fresh air,
since it is unbearable to stay permanently within the dugouts
owing to the long duration of the operation. On the average the
raiding parties shoot 30 to 50 Jews each night. From these
statements it was to be inferred that a considerable number of
Jews are still underground in the Ghetto. Today we blew up a
concrete building which we had not been able to destroy by fire.
In this operation we learned that the blowing up of a building
is a very lengthy process and takes an enormous amount of
explosives. The best and only method for destroying the Jews
therefore still remains the setting of fires.”
* * * * * *
“Some depositions speak of three to four thousand Jews who still
remain in underground holes, sewers, and dugouts; The
undersigned is resolved not to terminate the large-scale
operation until the last Jew has been destroyed.” (_1061-PS_)
The teletype message of 15 May 1945 indicates that the operation is in
its last stage:
“A special unit once more searched the last block of buildings
which was still intact in the Ghetto, and subsequently destroyed
it. In the evening the chapel, mortuary, and all other buildings
in the Jewish cemetery were blown up or destroyed by fire.”
(_1061-PS_)
On 24 May 1943 the final figures were compiled by Major General Stroop:
“Of the total of 56,065 caught, about 7,000 were destroyed in
the former Ghetto during large-scale operation. 6,929 Jews were
destroyed by transporting them to T.II [believed to be Treblinka
Camp No. 2]. The sum total of Jews destroyed is therefore
13,929. Beyond the number of 56,065 an estimated number of 5 to
6,000 Jews were destroyed by being blown up or by perishing in
the flames.” (_1061-PS_)
It was not always necessary, or perhaps desirable, to place the Jews
within Ghettos to effect elimination. In the Baltic States a more direct
course of action was followed. According to a report by SS Brigade
Fuehrer Stahlecker to Himmler, dated 15 October 1941, entitled “Action
Group A,” which was found in Himmler’s private files, 135,567 persons,
nearly all Jews, were murdered in accordance to basic orders directing
the complete annihilation of Jews. SS Brigade Fuehrer Stahlecker
continues his report:
“* * * To our surprise it was not easy at first to set in motion
an extensive pogrom against the Jews. Klimatis, the leader of
the partisan unit, mentioned above, who was used for this
purpose primarily, succeeded in starting a pogrom on the basis
of advice given to him by a small advanced detachment acting in
Kowno and in such a way that no German order or German
instigation was noticed from the outside. During the first
pogrom in the night from 25 to 26 June the Lithuanian partisans
did away with more than 1,500 Jews, setting fire to several
synagogues or destroying them by other means and burning down a
Jewish dwelling district consisting of about 60 houses. During
the following nights about 2,300 Jews were made harmless in a
similar way. * * *”
* * * * * *
“It was possible, though, through similar influences on the
Latvian auxiliary to set in motion a pogrom against the Jews
also in Riga. During this pogrom all synagogues were destroyed
and about 400 Jews were killed.” (_L-180_)
Nazi ingenuity reached its zenith with the construction and operation of
the gas van as a means of mass annihilation of the Jews. A description
of the operation of these vehicles of death is fully set forth in a
captured Top Secret document dated 16 May 1942, addressed to SS
Obersturmbannfuehrer Rauff, 8 Prince Albrecht-Strasse, Berlin, from Dr.
Becker, SS Untersturmfuehrer. The report reads in part:
“The overhauling of vans by groups D and C is finished. While
the vans of the first series can also be put into action if the
weather is not too bad, the vans of the second series (_Saurer_)
stop completely in rainy weather. If it has rained for instance
for only one half hour, the van cannot be used because it simply
skids away. It can only be used in absolutely dry weather. It is
only a question now whether the van can only be used standing at
the place of execution. First the van has to be brought to that
place, which is possible only in good weather. The place of
execution is usually 10 to 15 km away from the highways and is
difficult of access because of its location; in damp or wet
weather it is not accessible at all. If the persons to be
executed are driven or led to that place, then they realize
immediately what is going on and get restless, which is to be
avoided as far as possible. There is only one way left; to load
them at the collecting point and to drive them to the spot.
“I ordered the vans of group D to be camouflaged as
house-trailers by putting one set of window shutters on each
side of the small van and two on each side of the larger vans,
such as one often sees on farm houses in the country. The vans
became so well-known, that not only the authorities but also the
civilian population called the van ‘death van’, as soon as one
of these vehicles appeared. It is my opinion the van cannot be
kept secret for any length of time, not even camouflaged.”
* * * * * *
“Because of the rough terrain and the indescribable road and
highway conditions the caulkings and rivets loosen in the course
of time. I was asked if in such cases the vans should be brought
to Berlin for repair. Transportation to Berlin would be much too
expensive and would demand too much fuel. In order to save those
expenses I ordered them to have smaller leaks soldered and if
that should no longer be possible, to notify Berlin immediately
by radio, that Pol. Nr. is out of order. Besides that I ordered
that during application of gas all the men were to be kept as
far away from the vans as possible, so they should not suffer
damage to their health by the gas which eventually would escape.
I should like to take this opportunity to bring the following to
your attention: several commands have had the unloading after
the application of gas done by their own men. I brought to the
attention of the commanders of those S.K. concerned the immense
psychological injuries and damages to their health which that
work can have for those men, even if not immediately, at least
later on. The men complained to me about headaches which
appeared after each unloading. Nevertheless they don’t want to
change the orders, because they are afraid prisoners called for
that work, could use an opportune moment to flee. To protect the
men from those damages, I request orders be issued accordingly.
“The application of gas usually is not undertaken correctly. In
order to come to an end as fast as possible, the driver presses
the accelerator to the fullest extent. By doing that the persons
to be executed suffer death from suffocation and not death by
dozing off as was planned. My directions now have proved that by
correct adjustment of the levers death comes faster and the
prisoners fall asleep peacefully. Distorted faces and
excretions, such as could be seen before, are no longer noticed.
“Today I shall continue my journey to group B, where I can be
reached with further news.
“Signed: Dr. Becker, SS Untersturmfuehrer.” (_501-PS_)
A letter signed by Hauptsturmfuehrer Truehe on the subject of S-vans,
addressed to the Reich Security Main Office, Room 2-D-3-A, Berlin, and
marked “Top Secret,” establishes that the vans were used for the
annihilation of the Jews. The message reads:
“A transport of Jews, which has to be treated in a special way,
arrives weekly at the office of the commandant of the Security
Police and the Security Service of White Ruthenia.
“The three S-vans which are there are not sufficient for that
purpose. I request assignment of another S-van (five tons). At
the same time I request the shipment of twenty gas hoses for the
three S-vans on hand (two Diamond, one Saurer), since the ones
on hand are leaky already.
(signed) The Commandant of the Security Police and the Security
Service, Ostland.” (_501-PS_)
It appears that a certain amount of discord existed between officials of
the German government as to the proper means and methods to be used in
connection with the extermination program. A secret report dated 18 June
1943, addressed to Rosenberg, complained that five thousand Jews killed
by the police and SS might have been used for forced labor, and chided
them for failing to bury the bodies of those liquidated:
“The fact that Jews receive special treatment requires no
further discussion. However, it appears hardly believable that
this is done in the way described in the report of the General
Commissioner of 1 June 1943. What is Katyn against that? Imagine
only that these occurrences would become known to the other side
and exploited by them! Most likely such propaganda would have no
effect only because people who hear and read about it simply
would not be ready to believe it.”
* * * * * *
“To lock men, women, and children into barns and to set fire to
them does not appear to be a suitable method of combatting
bands, even if it is desired to exterminate the population. This
method is not worthy of the German cause and hurts our
reputation severely.” (_R-135_)
Gunther, the prison warden at Minsk, in a letter dated 31 May 1943,
addressed to the General Commissioner for White Ruthenia, was critical
by implication. This letter, entitled, “Action Against Jews,” reads:
“On 13 April 1943 the former German dentist Ernst Israel
Tichauer and his wife, Elisa Sara Tichauer, nee Rosenthal, were
committed to the court prison by the Security Service. Since
that time all German and Russian Jews who were turned over to us
had their golden bridgework, crowns, and fillings pulled or
broken out. This happens always one to two hours before the
respective action.
“Since 13 April 1943, 516 German and Russian Jews have been
finished off. On the basis of a definite investigation gold was
taken only in two actions—on 14 April 1943 from 172, and on 27
April 1943 from 164 Jews. About fifty percent of the Jews had
gold teeth, bridgework, or fillings. _Hauptscharfuehrer_ Rube of
the Security Service was always personally present and he took
the gold along, too.
“Before 13 April 1943 this was not done.
(signed) Gunther, Prison Warden.” (_R-135_)
The foregoing letter was forwarded to Rosenberg, as Reich Minister for
the Occupied Eastern Territories, on June 1943. The covering letter to
Rosenberg reads:
“The enclosed official report from the warden of the prison in
Minsk is submitted to the Reich Minister and the Reich Commissar
for Information.
“(signed) The General Commissar in Minsk.” (_R-135_)
A further complaint is contained in a secret letter addressed to General
of Infantry, Thomas, Chief of the International Armament Department,
dated 2 December 1941 (_3257-PS_). The writer of this letter
apprehensively stated his reason for not forwarding the communication
through official channels:
“For the personal information of the Chief of the Industrial
Armament Department I am forwarding a total account of the
present situation in the Reichskommissariat Ukraine in which the
difficulties and tensions encountered so far and the problems
which give rise to serious anxiety are stated with unmistakable
clarity.
“Intentionally I have desisted from submitting such a report
through official channels or to make it known to other
departments interested in it because I do not expect any results
that way, but to the contrary am apprehensive that the
difficulties and tensions and also the divergent opinions might
only be increased due to the peculiarity of the situation.”
* * * * * *
“Jewish problem:
“Regulation of the Jewish question in the Ukraine was a
difficult problem because the Jews constituted a large part of
the urban population. We therefore have to deal—just as in the
General Government—with a mass problem of policy concerning the
population. Many cities had a percentage of Jews exceeding fifty
percent. Only the rich Jews had fled from the German troops. The
majority of Jews remained under German administration. The
latter found the problem more complicated through the fact that
these Jews represented almost the entire trade and even a part
of the manpower in small and medium industries besides the
business which had in part become superfluous as a direct or
indirect result of the war. The elimination therefore
necessarily had far-reaching economic consequences and even
direct consequences for the armament industry (production for
supplying the troops).”
* * * * * *
“The attitude of the Jewish population was anxious—obliging
from the beginning. They tried to avoid everything that might
displease the German administration. That they hated the German
administration and army inwardly goes without saying and cannot
be surprising. However, there is no proof that Jewry as a whole
or even to a greater part was implicated in acts of sabotage.
Surely there were some terrorists or saboteurs among them just
as among the Ukrainians. But it cannot be said that the Jews as
such represented a danger to the German armed forces. The output
produced by Jews who, of course, were prompted by nothing but
the feeling of fear, was satisfactory to the troops and the
German administration.
“The Jewish population remained temporarily unmolested shortly
after the fighting. Only weeks, sometimes months later,
specially detached formations of the police executed a planned
shooting of Jews. The action as a rule proceeded from east to
west. It was done entirely in public with the use of the
Ukrainian militia, and unfortunately in many instances also with
members of the armed forces taking part voluntarily. The way
these actions, which included men and old men, women, and
children of all ages were carried out was horrible. The great
masses executed make this action more gigantic than any similar
measure taken so far in the Soviet Union. So far about 150,000
to 200,000 Jews may have been executed in the part of the
Ukraine belonging to the Reichskommissariat; no consideration
was given to the interests of economy.
“Summarizing, it can be said that the kind of solution of the
Jewish problem applied in the Ukraine which obviously was based
on the ideological theories as a matter of principle had the
following results:
“(_a_) Elimination of a part of partly superfluous eaters in the
cities.
“(_b_) Elimination of a part of the population which hated us
undoubtedly.
“(_c_) Elimination of badly needed tradesmen who were in many
instances indispensable even in the interests of the armed
forces.
“(_d_) Consequences as to foreign policy—propaganda which are
obvious.
“(_e_) Bad effects on the troops which in any case get indirect
contact with the executions.
“(_f_) Brutalizing effect on the formations which carry out the
execution—regular police.” (_3257-PS_)
Lest it be thought that these conditions existed only in the East, the
official Netherlands government report by the Commissioner for
Repatriation as relates similar treatment of the Jews in the West
(_1726-PS_). The German measures taken against the Dutch
Jews—discriminatory decrees, anti-semitic demonstrations, burning of
synagogues, purging of Jews from the economic life of their country,
food restrictions, forced labor, concentration camp confinement,
deportation, and death—all these measures follow the same pattern that
was effected throughout Nazi-occupied Europe. The official Netherlands
report states that full Jews, liable to deportation, numbered 140,000.
The total number of actual Jewish deportees was 117,000, representing
more than eighty-three per cent of all the Jews in the Netherlands. Of
these, 115,000 were deported to Poland for slave labor, and after
departure all trace of them was lost. Regardless of victory or defeat to
Germany, the Jew was doomed. It was the expressed intent of the Nazi
state that whatever the German fate might be the Jew would not survive.
(_1726-PS_)
A Top Secret message from the commandant of the SIPO and SD for the
Radom District, addressed to SS Hauptsturmfuehrer Thiel on the subject,
“Clearance of Prisons,” reads as follows:
“I again stress the fact that the number of inmates of the SIPO
and SD prisons must be kept as low as possible. In the present
situation, particularly, those suspects handed over by the civil
police need only be subjected to a short, formal interrogation,
provided there are no serious grounds for suspicion. They are
then to be sent by the quickest route to a concentration camp,
should no court-martial proceeding be necessary or should there
be no question of discharge. Please keep the number of
discharges very low. Should the situation at the front
necessitate it, early preparations are to be made for the total
clearance of prisons. Should the situation develop suddenly in
such a way that it is impossible to evacuate the prisoners, the
prison inmates are to be liquidated and their bodies disposed of
as far as possible (burning, blowing up the building, etc.). If
necessary, Jews still employed in the armament industry or on
other work are to be dealt with in the same way.
“The liberation of prisoners or Jews by the enemy, be it the WB
[perhaps means ‘West-Bund,’ or ‘Western Ally’] or the Red Army,
must be avoided under all circumstances, nor may they fall into
their hands alive.” (_L-53_)
(3) _Mass Disposal of Jews in Concentration Camps._ The concentration
camps were utilized to dispose of literally millions of Jews, who died
by mass shooting, gas, poison, starvation, and other means. The part
which the concentration camps played in the annihilation of the Jewish
people is indicated in an official Polish report on Auschwitz
Concentration Camp (_L-161_). In Auschwitz during July 1944 Jews were
killed at the rate of 12,000 daily:
“* * * During July 1944, they were being liquidated at the rate
of 12,000 Hungarian Jews daily, and as the crematory could not
deal with such numbers, many bodies were thrown into large pits
and covered with quick lime.” (_L-161_)
The official Polish Government Commission Report on the Investigation of
German crimes in Poland describes the concentration camp at Treblinka in
these terms:
“* * * In March 1942, the Germans began to erect another camp,
Treblinka B, in the neighborhood of Treblinka A, intended to
become a place of torment for Jews.
“The erection of this camp was closely connected with the German
plans aiming at a complete destruction of the Jewish population
in Poland which necessitated the creation of a machinery by
means of which the Polish Jews could be killed in large numbers.
Late in April 1942, the erection of the first three chambers was
finished in which these general massacres were to be performed
by means of steam. Somewhat later the erection of the real death
building was finished, which contains ten death chambers. It was
opened for wholesale murders early in autumn 1942 * * *.”
(_3311-PS_)
The report of the Polish commission describes graphically the procedure
for extermination within the camp:
“* * * The average number of Jews dealt with at the camp in
summer 1942 was about two railway transports daily, but there
were days of much higher efficiency. From autumn 1942 this
number was falling.
“After unloading in the siding all victims were assembled in one
place where men were separated from women and children. In the
first days of the existence of the camp the victims were made to
believe that after a short stay in the camp, necessary for
bathing and disinfection, they would be sent farther east, for
work. Explanations of this sort were given by SS men who
assisted at the unloading of the transports and further
explanations could be read in notices stuck up on the walls of
the barracks. But later, when more transports had to be dealt
with, the Germans dropped all pretenses and only tried to
accelerate the procedure.
“All victims had to strip off their clothes and shoes, which
were collected afterwards, whereupon all victims, women and
children first, were driven into the death chambers. Those too
slow or too weak to move quickly were driven on by rifle-butts,
by whipping and kicking, often by Sauer himself. Many slipped
and fell, the next victims pressed forward and stumbled over
them. Small children were simply thrown inside. After being
filled up to capacity the chambers were hermetically closed and
steam was let in. In a few minutes all was over. The Jewish
menial workers had to remove the bodies from the platform and to
bury them in mass graves. By and by, as new transports arrived,
the cemetery grew, extending in eastern direction.
“From reports received, it may be assumed that several hundred
thousands of Jews have been exterminated in Treblinka.”
(_3311-PS_)
An official United States government report issued by the Executive
Office of the President of the United States, War Refugee Board, on the
German camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau, sets forth the number of Jews
gassed in Birkenau in the two-year period between April 1942 and April
1944. The figure printed in this report is not a typographical error.
The number is 1,765,000. (_L-22_)
5. RESULTS OF THE EXTERMINATION PROGRAM
The huge scale of the Jewish eliminations is also reflected in the
bookkeeping and statistics of the Germans themselves. The 16 December
1941 entry in the diary of Hans Frank contains these figures:
“The Jews for us also represent extraordinarily malignant
gluttons.
“We have now approximately 2,500,000 of them in General
Government—perhaps with the Jewish mixtures, and everything
that goes with it, 3,500,000 Jews.” (_2233-D-PS_)
On 25 January 1944, three years and one month later, Frank wrote in his
diary these words:
“At the present time we still have in the General Government
perhaps 100,000 Jews.” (_2233-F-PS_)
Thus, in this period of three years, according to the records of the
then Governor-General of Occupied Poland, between 2,400,000 and
3,400,000 Jews had been eliminated.
The total number of Jews who died by Nazi hands can never be definitely
ascertained. It is known, however, that 4 million Jews died in
concentration camps, and that 2 million Jews were killed by the State
Police in the East, making a total of 6 million murdered Jews. The
source of these figures is Adolph Eichmann, Chief of the Jewish Section
of the Gestapo. The figures are contained in an affidavit made by Dr.
Wilhelm Hoettl, Deputy Group Leader of the Foreign Section of the
Security Section, AMT VI, of the RSHA. Hoettl, in his affidavit, states
as follows:
“Approximately 4 million Jews had been killed in the various
concentration camps, while an additional 2 million met death in
other ways, the major part of which were shot by operational
squads of the Security Police during the campaign against
Russia.” (_2738-PS_)
Hoettl describes the source of his information as follows:
“According to my knowledge, Eichmann was at that time the leader
of the Jewish Section of the Gestapo, and in addition to that he
had been ordered by Himmler to get a hold of the Jews in all the
European countries and to transport them to Germany. Eichmann
was then very much impressed with the fact that Rumania had
withdrawn from the war in those days. Moreover, he had come to
me to get information about the military situation which I
received daily from the Hungarian Ministry of War and from the
Commander of the Waffen-SS in Hungary. He expressed his
conviction that Germany had now lost the war and that he
personally had no further chance. He knew that he would be
considered one of the main war criminals by the United Nations,
since he had millions of Jewish lives on his conscience. I asked
him how many that was, to which he answered that although the
number was a great Reich secret, he would tell me since I, as a
historian, would be interested, and that he would probably not
return anyhow from his command in Rumania. He had, shortly
before that, made a report to Himmler, as the latter wanted to
know the exact number of Jews who had been killed.” (_2738-PS_)
* * * * *
LEGAL REFERENCES AND LIST OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE PERSECUTION OF
THE JEWS
Document │ Description │ Vol. │ Page
│ │ │
│Charter of the International Military │ │
│ Tribunal, Article 6 (b, c). │ I │ 5
│ │ │
│International Military Tribunal, │ │
│ Indictment Number 1, Sections IV (D) 3│ │
│ (d); X (B). │ I │ 20, 55
│ │ │
3737-PS │Hague Convention of 1907 respecting the │ │
│ Laws and Customs of War on Land, │ │
│ Annex, Article 46. │ VI │ 597
│ ————— │ │
│Note: A single asterisk (*) before a │ │
│document indicates that the document was│ │
│received in evidence at the Nurnberg │ │
│trial. A double asterisk (**) before a │ │
│document number indicates that the │ │
│document was referred to during the │ │
│trial but was not formally received in │ │
│evidence, for the reason given in │ │
│parentheses following the description of│ │
│the document. The USA series number, │ │
│given in parentheses following the │ │
│description of the document, is the │ │
│official exhibit number assigned by the │ │
│court. │ │
│ ————— │ │
*001-PS │Memorandum for the Fuehrer signed │ │
│Rosenberg, 18 December 1941, concerning │ │
│Jewish possessions in France. (USA 282) │ III │ 1
│ │ │
*014-PS │Report to Fuehrer, 20 March 1941, │ │
│concerning shipment of Jewish property. │ │
│(USA 784) │ III │ 40
│ │ │
*015-PS │Letter and report of Rosenberg to │ │
│Hitler, 16 April 1943, concerning │ │
│seizure of ownerless Jewish art │ │
│possessions. (USA 387) │ III │ 41
│ │ │
*025-PS │Conference report of 4 September 1942 │ │
│concerning the importation of domestic │ │
│workers from the East into the Reich. │ │
│(USA 698) │ III │ 67
│ │ │
041-PS │Memorandum, Rosenberg to Hitler, 3 │ │
│October 1942, concerning seizure of │ │
│Jewish property. │ III │ 80
│ │ │
053-PS │Interoffice report from Hans Koch to │ │
│Rosenberg, 5 October 1941, concerning │ │
│political situation in Ukraine. │ III │ 83
│ │ │
*069-PS │Letter from Bormann to Rosenberg, 17 │ │
│January 1939, enclosing order of 28 │ │
│December 1938, concerning decisions on │ │
│Jewish question. (USA 589) │ III │ 116
│ │ │
078-PS │Regulations issued by Heydrich, 28 June │ │
│1941, for treatment of political │ │
│prisoners of war. │ III │ 123
│ │ │
*136-PS │Certified copy of Hitler Order, 29 │ │
│January 1940, concerning establishment │ │
│of “Hohe Schule”. (USA 367) │ III │ 184
│ │ │
*141-PS │Goering Order, 5 November 1940, │ │
│concerning seizure of Jewish art │ │
│treasures. (USA 368) │ III │ 188
│ │ │
*154-PS │Letter from Lammers to high State and │ │
│Party authorities, 5 July 1942, │ │
│confirming Rosenberg’s powers. (USA 370)│ III │ 193
│ │ │
155-PS │“Einsatzstab”, administrative │ │
│regulations, 30 September 1942. │ III │ 194
│ │ │
*171-PS │Undated report on “Library for │ │
│Exploration of the Jewish Question” by │ │
│the Hohe Schule District Office. (USA │ │
│383) │ III │ 200
│ │ │
197-PS │Memorandum of a conference in HQ OKH │ │
│Quartermaster General, 27 August 1941, │ │
│concerning transfer of administration of│ │
│Ukraine from Wehrmacht to civilian │ │
│authorities; signed by Labs, Ministerial│ │
│Director. │ III │ 210
│ │ │
*212-PS │Memorandum from Rosenberg file │ │
│concerning instructions for treatment of│ │
│Jews. (USA 272) │ III │ 222
│ │ │
285-PS │Henlein letter to Rosenberg, 31 October │ │
│1938. │ III │ 238
│ │ │
286-PS │Rosenberg letter to Henlein, 15 October │ │
│1938. │ III │ 239
│ │ │
*374-PS │TWX Series of Orders signed by Heydrich │ │
│and Mueller, issued by Gestapo │ │
│Headquarters Berlin, 9-11 November 1938,│ │
│concerning treatment of Jews. (USA 729) │ III │ 277
│ │ │
406-PS │Memorandum by Gauleiter Streicher, 14 │ │
│April 1939, concerning certain acts │ │
│against Jews. │ III │ 388
│ │ │
*501-PS │Collection of four documents on │ │
│execution by gas, June 1942, one signed │ │
│by Dr. Becker, SS Untersturmfuehrerat │ │
│Kiev, 16 May 1942. (USA 288) │ III │ 418
│ │ │
*502-PS │Order, 17 July 1941, entitled │ │
│“Regulations for the Commandos of the │ │
│Chief of the SIPO and SD which are to be│ │
│activated in Stalags”. (USA 486) │ III │ 422
│ │ │
579-PS │Three letters, District Commissioner, │ │
│Employment Director at Riga, and │ │
│Economic Directorate in Latvia, 21 July │ │
│1941, 10 February 1942 and 6 July 1942, │ │
│concerning forced Jewish labor in Riga │ │
│and Latvia. │ III │ 444
│ │ │
*654-PS │Thierack’s notes, 18 September 1942, on │ │
│discussion with Himmler concerning │ │
│delivery of Jews to Himmler for │ │
│extermination through work. (USA 218) │ III │ 467
│ │ │
682-PS │Thierack’s notes on discussion with │ │
│Goebbels, 14 September 1942, concerning │ │
│groups to be exterminated. │ III │ 496
│ │ │
*701-PS │Letter from Minister of Justice to │ │
│Prosecutors, 1 April 1943, concerning │ │
│Poles and Jews who are released from │ │
│Penal institutions of Department of │ │
│Justice. (USA 497) │ III │ 510
│ │ │
765-PS │Teletype message from Heydrich to all SD│ │
│and Police, 10 November 1938, concerning│ │
│“Measures against Jews tonight”. │ III │ 545
│ │ │
841-PS │Secret Order of Goering, 28 December │ │
│1938, concerning Jewish problem. │ III │ 606
│ │ │
847-PS │Hitler Decree, 5 July 1942, stating │ │
│Rosenberg’s powers. │ III │ 610
│ │ │
878-PS │Draft of Order signed by Keitel, 12 │ │
│September 1941, providing that Jews may │ │
│be put in labor-columns. │ III │ 636
│ │ │
*998-PS │“German Crimes Against Czechoslovakia”. │ │
│Excerpts from Czechoslovak Official │ │
│Report for the prosecution and trial of │ │
│the German Major War Criminals by the │ │
│International Military Tribunal │ │
│established according to Agreement of │ │
│four Great Powers of 8 August 1945. (USA│ │
│91) │ III │ 656
│ │ │
1012-PS │Teletype from OKH to Military Commander │ │
│of France, 3 February 1942, concerning │ │
│consultation of Hitler and Keitel about │ │
│shooting of Jews and Communists. │ III │ 664
│ │ │
1015-B-PS │Report on activities of Special Staff │ │
│for Pictorial Art, October 1940 to July │ │
│1944. │ III │ 666
│ │ │
*1024-PS │Memorandum, 29 April 1941, concerning │ │
│organization for handling problems in │ │
│the Eastern Territories. (USA 278) │ III │ 685
│ │ │
*1028-PS │Memorandum from Rosenberg file, 7 May │ │
│1941, concerning instructions for a │ │
│Reichskommissar in the Ukraine. (USA │ │
│273) │ III │ 690
│ │ │
*1061-PS │Official report of Stroop, SS and Police│ │
│Leader of Warsaw, on destruction of │ │
│Warsaw Ghetto, 1943. (USA 275) │ III │ 718
│ │ │
*1138-PS │Enclosure in letter from Reich │ │
│Commissioner for Baltic States to │ │
│Rosenberg, 13 August 1941, concerning │ │
│provisional directives on treatment of │ │
│Jews in area of Reichskommissariat │ │
│Ostland. (USA 284) │ III │ 800
│ │ │
*1166-PS │Interoffice memorandum of WVHA, 15 │ │
│August 1944, concerning number of │ │
│prisoners and survey of prisoners’ │ │
│clothing. (USA 458) │ III │ 824
│ │ │
1189-PS │Special Order No. 44, 4 November 1941, │ │
│concerning feeding of civilian │ │
│population in Occupied Eastern │ │
│Territories. │ III │ 833
│ │ │
*1301-PS │File relating to financing of armament │ │
│including minutes of conference with │ │
│Goering at the Air Ministry, 14 October │ │
│1938, concerning acceleration of │ │
│rearmament. (USA 123) │ III │ 868
│ │ │
*1347-PS │Extract of decree, 18 September 1942, │ │
│Ministry of Agriculture, concerning food│ │
│supply for Jews. (USA 285) │ III │ 914
│ │ │
1384-PS │Stenographic report of Hitler discussion│ │
│with Keitel and Zeitzler, 8 June 1943. │ III │ 959
│ │ │
1412-PS │Decree relating to payment of fine by │ │
│Jews of German nationality, 12 November │ │
│1938. 1938 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, p.│ │
│1579. │ IV │ 6
│ │ │
1415-PS │Police regulation concerning appearahce │ │
│of Jews in public, 28 November 1938. │ │
│1938 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, p. 1676.│ IV │ 6
│ │ │
*1472-PS │Copy of telegram from Mueller to │ │
│Himmler, 16 December 1942, concerning │ │
│recruiting Jewish labor. (USA 279) │ IV │ 49
│ │ │
*1517-PS │Memorandum from Rosenberg concerning │ │
│discussion with the Fuehrer, 14 December│ │
│1941. (USA 824) │ IV │ 55
│ │ │
*1689-PS │“Czechoslovakia Fights Back”, a document│ │
│of the Czechoslovak Ministry of Foreign │ │
│Affairs, 1943. (USA 286) │ IV │ 198
│ │ │
*1708-PS │The Program of the NSDAP. National │ │
│Socialistic Yearbook, 1941, p. 153. (USA│ │
│255; USA 324) │ IV │ 208
│ │ │
*1724-PS │Announcement in Press Conference, 4 │ │
│August 1938 of breaking up of synagogue.│ │
│(USA 266) │ IV │ 224
│ │ │
*1726-PS │Statement of Netherlands Government in │ │
│view of Prosecution and punishment of │ │
│the German Nazi War Criminals. (USA 195)│ IV │ 227
│ │ │
*1778-PS │Book “The Poisonous Mushroom”, published│ │
│in Nurnberg 1938, concerning Jews. (USA │ │
│257) │ IV │ 358
│ │ │
*1816-PS │Stenographic report of the meeting on │ │
│The Jewish Question, under the │ │
│Chairmanship of Fieldmarshal Goering, 12│ │
│November 1938. (USA 261) │ IV │ 425
│ │ │
*1919-PS │Himmler’s speech to SS Gruppenfuehrers, │ │
│4 October 1943. (USA 170) │ IV │ 558
│ │ │
*1948-PS │Letter from Governor in Vienna, 7 │ │
│November 1940, evidencing RSHA │ │
│instructions to recruit Jews from forced│ │
│labor. (USA 680) │ IV │ 586
│ │ │
2000-PS │Law for protection of German blood and │ │
│German honor, 15 September 1935. 1935 │ │
│Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, No. 100, p. │ │
│1146. │ IV │ 636
│ │ │
*2124-PS │Decree introducing the Nurnberg Racial │ │
│Laws into Austria, 20 May 1938. 1938 │ │
│Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, p. 594. (GB │ │
│259) │ IV │ 755
│ │ │
2153-PS │Defeat the Enemy of the World, published│ │
│in National Socialist Party │ │
│Correspondence No. 358, 30 March 1933. │ │
│(GB 166) │ IV │ 760
│ │ │
*2154-PS │Streicher decrees, published in National│ │
│Socialist Party Correspondence, No. 359,│ │
│31 March 1933. (GB 167) │ IV │ 760
│ │ │
*2156-PS │Announcement of Central Committee for │ │
│defense against Jewish horror and │ │
│boycott agitation, 29 March 1933, │ │
│published in National Socialist Party │ │
│Correspondence No. 357. (USA 263) │ IV │ 761
│ │ │
*2233-C-PS │Frank Diary. Tagebuch. 1940. Part IV. │ │
│October-December. (USA 271) │ IV │ 890
│ │ │
*2233-D-PS │Frank Diary. Regierungsitzungen. 1941. │ │
│October-December. Entry of 16 December │ │
│1941 at pp. 76-77. (USA 281) │ IV │ 891
│ │ │
*2233-E-PS │Frank Diary. │ │
│Regierungs-Hauptabteilungsleiter-Sitzung│ │
│en. 1942. Entry of 24 August 1942. (USA │ │
│283) │ IV │ 893
│ │ │
*2233-F-PS │Frank Diary. Tagebuch. 1 January 1944-28│ │
│February 1944. Entry of 25 January 1944 │ │
│at p. 5. (USA 295) │ IV │ 902
│ │ │
2237-PS │Letter from Reich Commissar for Reunion │ │
│of Austria with the German Reich to │ │
│Goering, 18 November 1938, concerning │ │
│actions against the Jews in November │ │
│1938. │ IV │ 918
│ │ │
*2409-PS │Extracts from The Imperial House to the │ │
│Reich Chancellery by Dr. Joseph │ │
│Goebbels. (USA 262) │ V │ 83
│ │ │
2583-PS │Quotation from speech made by Streicher,│ │
│31 October 1939. │ V │ 311
│ │ │
2602-PS │Telegram, Wilson to Secretary of State, │ │
│Washington, 10 November 1938. │ V │ 311
│ │ │
2603-PS │Letter from Kemp, U. S. Consul General │ │
│in Bremen, to Secretary of State, 10 │ │
│November 1938, concerning Anti-Jewish │ │
│demonstrations in Bremen. │ V │ 312
│ │ │
2604-PS │Report of American Consul General to │ │
│Wilson, U. S. Ambassador in Berlin, 12 │ │
│November 1938, concerning Anti-semitic │ │
│persecution in Stuttgart Consular │ │
│District. │ V │ 312
│ │ │
*2605-PS │Affidavit of Dr. Rudolf Kastner, former │ │
│President of the Hungarian Zionist │ │
│Organization, 13 September 1945. (USA │ │
│242) │ V │ 313
│ │ │
2613-PS │Extracts from “The Black Book of │ │
│Poland”. │ V │ 332
│ │ │
2617-A-PS │Reports of Department Interior │ │
│Administration from the Office of Chief │ │
│of District Warsaw, published by The │ │
│General Government for Poland, 1940, p. │ │
│59. │ V │ 339
│ │ │
*2662-PS │Extract from Mein Kampf, 39th edition, │ │
│1933, pp. 724-725. (USA 256) │ V │ 366
│ │ │
*2663-PS │Hitler’s speech to the Reichstag, 30 │ │
│January 1939, quoted from Voelkischer │ │
│Beobachter, Munich edition, 1 February │ │
│1939. (USA 268) │ V │ 367
│ │ │
*2665-PS │The Jewish Question Past and Present, │ │
│from World Battle. (USA 270) │ V │ 367
│ │ │
*2668-PS │“And Don’t Forget the Jews”, from the │ │
│Black Corps, 8 August 1940, No. 32, p. │ │
│2. (USA 269) │ V │ 367
│ │ │
2671-PS │Decree regarding the Designation of │ │
│Business Enterprises in the Government │ │
│General, from Verordnungsblatt of │ │
│Governor-General for Occupied Polish │ │
│Territory, No. 8, p. 61, 30 November │ │
│1939. │ V │ 367
│ │ │
2672-PS │Decree concerning designation of Jews │ │
│and Jewesses in the Government General, │ │
│from Verordnungsblatt of the │ │
│Governor-General for Occupied Polish │ │
│Territory, 1939, p. 61. │ V │ 368
│ │ │
2673-PS │Extract from “The Archive”, No. 90, 30 │ │
│October 1941, p. 495. │ V │ 369
│ │ │
2682-PS │Excerpts from Voelkischer Beobachter │ │
│concerning restriction against Jews, 5 │ │
│December 1938, No. 339, p. 5. │ V │ 369
│ │ │
2683-PS │Universities barred for Jews, published │ │
│in Voelkischer Beobachter, 16 November │ │
│1938. │ V │ 371
│ │ │
*2697-PS │Article: “The Chosen People of the │ │
│Criminals” from Der Stuermer, No. 2, │ │
│January 1935. (USA 259) │ V │ 372
│ │ │
*2698-PS │Article: “Two little Talmud Jews”, from │ │
│Der Stuermer, No. 50, December 1938. │ │
│(USA 260) │ V │ 372
│ │ │
*2699-PS │Article on Ritual Murder, from Der │ │
│Stuermer, No. 14, April 1937. (USA 258) │ V │ 372
│ │ │
2700-PS │Article: “The Ritual Murder”, from Der │ │
│Stuermer, No. 28, July 1938. │ V │ 373
│ │ │
2704-PS │Decree concerning Prohibition of Jewish │ │
│Religious Slaughter, from │ │
│Verordnungsblatt of the Governor-General│ │
│for Occupied Polish Territory, 1939, p. │ │
│7. │ V │ 373
│ │ │
*2709-PS │Report by Ralph C. Busser, American │ │
│Consul-General in Leipzig, 5 April 1933,│ │
│concerning Anti-Jewish movement in │ │
│Central Germany. (USA 265) │ V │ 375
│ │ │
2710-PS │Adolf Hitler Speaks, quoted from │ │
│Voelkischer Beobachter, 26 February │ │
│1938, No. 57, p. 4. │ V │ 376
│ │ │
*2711-PS │Article: “Symbolic Action”, published in│ │
│Fraenkische Tageszeitung-Nurnberg, 11 │ │
│August 1938. (USA 267) │ V │ 376
│ │ │
2712-PS │Anti-Jewish demonstrations throughout │ │
│the Reich, from Voelkischer Beobachter, │ │
│11 November 1938, No. 315, p. 2. │ V │ 376
│ │ │
2715-A-PS │Anti-semitic demonstrations in the │ │
│Entire Reich, published in Voelkischer │ │
│Beobachter, No. 315, 11 November 1938, │ │
│p. 2. │ V │ 377
│ │ │
2736-PS │Time without Precedent, by Dr. Joseph │ │
│Goebbels, 4th edition, 1942, p. 531. │ V │ 380
│ │ │
2737-PS │The Party Program, Nature, Fundamentals │ │
│and Goals of the NSDAP, by Alfred │ │
│Rosenberg, 25th Printing, 1943, p. 27. │ V │ 380
│ │ │
*2738-PS │Affidavit of Wilhelm Hoettl, 26 November│ │
│1945. (USA 296) │ V │ 380
│ │ │
**3047-PS │File notes on conference in Fuehrer’s │ │
│train on 12 September 1939; report on │ │
│execution of Jews in Borrisow; and │ │
│entries from diary of Admiral Canaris. │ │
│(USA 80) (Referred to but not offered in│ │
│evidence.) │ V │ 766
│ │ │
*3048-PS │Speech by von Schirach before European │ │
│Youth Congress in Vienna, published in │ │
│Voelkischer Beobachter, 15 September │ │
│1942. (USA 274) │ V │ 776
│ │ │
*3051-PS │Three teletype orders from Heydrich to │ │
│all stations of State Police, 10 │ │
│November 1938, on measures against Jews,│ │
│and one order from Heydrich on │ │
│termination of protest actions. (USA │ │
│240) │ V │ 797
│ │ │
*3058-PS │Letter from Heydrich to Goering, 11 │ │
│November 1938, reporting action against │ │
│the Jews. (USA 508) │ V │ 854
│ │ │
*3063-PS │Letters of transmission enclosing report│ │
│about events and judicial proceedings in│ │
│connection with anti-semitic │ │
│demonstrations of 9 November 1938. (USA │ │
│332) │ V │ 868
│ │ │
3253-PS │Affidavit, 26 November 1945, of Dr. │ │
│Benno F. T. Martin. │ V │ 959
│ │ │
*3257-PS │Letter from Armament Inspector in the │ │
│Ukraine to General Thomas, Chief of the │ │
│Industrial Armament Department, 2 │ │
│December 1941, enclosing report by Prof.│ │
│Seraphim on Jewish Problem in Ukraine. │ │
│(USA 290) │ V │ 994
│ │ │
*3311-PS │Charge No. 6 against Hans Frank, │ │
│submitted by Polish Government to │ │
│International Military Tribunal. (USA │ │
│293) │ V │ 1104
│ │ │
*3319-PS │Foreign Office Correspondence and │ │
│reports on anti-Jewish action in foreign│ │
│countries. (GB 287) │ VI │ 4
│ │ │
*3358-PS │German Foreign Office circular, 31 │ │
│January 1939, “The Jewish Question as a │ │
│factor in German Foreign Policy in the │ │
│year 1938”. (GB 158) │ VI │ 87
│ │ │
*3428-PS │Letter from Kube, 31 July 1942, │ │
│concerning combatting of Partisans and │ │
│action against Jews in White Ruthenia. │ │
│(USA 827) │ VI │ 131
│ │ │
*3663-PS │Letter, 31 October 1941, and reply 15 │ │
│November 1941, concerning execution of │ │
│Jews. (USA 825) │ VI │ 401
│ │ │
*3666-PS │Letter from Braeutiger to Reich │ │
│Commissioner for East, 18 December 1941,│ │
│concerning Jewish question. (USA 826) │ VI │ 402
│ │ │
3688-PS │Notice from the Foreign Office, 24 │ │
│September 1942, concerning evacuation of│ │
│Jews from Occupied Territories. │ VI │ 403
│ │ │
*3762-PS │Affidavit of SS Colonel Kurt Becher, 8 │ │
│March 1946, concerning the │ │
│responsibility of Kaltenbrunner for │ │
│concentration camp executions. (USA 798)│ VI │ 645
│ │ │
*3803-PS │Covering letter enclosing a letter from │ │
│Kaltenbrunner dated 30 June 1944, │ │
│concerning forced labor of Jews in │ │
│Vienna. (USA 802) │ VI │ 737
│ │ │
*3840-PS │Statement of Karl Kaleske, 24 February │ │
│1946, concerning the elimination of the │ │
│Warsaw Ghetto. (USA 803) │ VI │ 775
│ │ │
*3841-PS │Statement of SS and Polizeifuehrer │ │
│Juergen Stroop, 24 February 1946, │ │
│concerning elimination of the Warsaw │ │
│Ghetto. (USA 804) │ VI │ 776
│ │ │
*3846-PS │Interrogation of Johann Kanduth, 30 │ │
│November 1945, concerning crematorium at│ │
│Mauthausen and the activities of │ │
│Kaltenbrunner there. (USA 796) │ VI │ 783
│ │ │
*3868-PS │Affidavit of Rudolf Franz Ferdinand │ │
│Hoess, 5 April 1946, concerning │ │
│execution of 3,000,000 people at │ │
│Auschwitz Extermination Center. (USA │ │
│819) │ VI │ 787
│ │ │
*3870-PS │Affidavit of Hans Marsalek, 8 April │ │
│1946, concerning Mauthausen │ │
│Concentration Camp and dying statement │ │
│of Franz Ziereis, the Commandant. (USA │ │
│797) │ VI │ 790
│ │ │
D-229 │Extract from pamphlet “Judges Letters” │ │
│concerning judgment of Lower Court, 24 │ │
│April 1942, on concealment of Jewish │ │
│identification. │ VI │ 1091
│ │ │
D-251 │Lieberman memorandum, 27 September 1945,│ │
│describing method of transport, gassing,│ │
│and cremation. │ VI │ 1100
│ │ │
D-734 │Note of conversation between Reich │ │
│Foreign Minister and Duce in presence of│ │
│von Mackenson, Alfieri and Bastianini, │ │
│25 February 1943. │ VII │ 188
│ │ │
*D-736 │Notes on discussion between Fuehrer and │ │
│Horthy on 17 April 1943. (GB 283) │ VII │ 190
│ │ │
EC-265 │German Foreign Office telegram, 1 │ │
│October 1940, concerning the Jews in │ │
│Occupied French Territory. │ VII │ 375
│ │ │
*L-18 │Official report, Katzmann to General of │ │
│Police Krueger, 30 June 1943, concerning│ │
│“Solution of Jewish Question in │ │
│Galicia”. (USA 277) │ VII │ 755
│ │ │
*L-22 │Public reports of War Refugee Board, │ │
│Washington, on German Extermination │ │
│Camps Auschwitz and Birkenau, April │ │
│1944. (USA 294) │ VII │ 771
│ │ │
*L-53 │Order from Commandant of the SIPO and SD│ │
│for the Radom District to Branch Office │ │
│in Tomaschow, 21 July 1944, on clearance│ │
│of prisons. (USA 291) │ VII │ 814
│ │ │
*L-161 │British War Office Report “Poland │ │
│(Auschwitz) Concentration Camp”, 31 May │ │
│1945. (USA 292) │ VII │ 908
│ │ │
*L-165 │Polish Ministry of Information, Press │ │
│Bulletin, published in Polish │ │
│Fortnightly Review, 15 December 1942, │ │
│concerning Jewish Food Situation. (USA │ │
│287) │ VII │ 908
│ │ │
*L-180 │Report by SS Brigade Commander │ │
│Stahlecker to Himmler, “Action Group A”,│ │
│15 October 1941. (USA 276) │ VII │ 978
│ │ │
*R-135 │Letter to Rosenberg enclosing secret │ │
│reports from Kube on German atrocities │ │
│in the East, 18 June 1943, found in │ │
│Himmler’s personal files. (USA 289) │ VIII │ 205
│ │ │
Statement XI │Farewell Message of Robert Ley Found in │ │
│Nurnberg prison, 25 October 1945, after │ │
│discovery of his suicide. │ VIII │ 740
│ │ │
Statement XII │Political Testament of Robert Ley │ │
│written in Nurnberg Prison, October │ │
│1945. │ VIII │ 742
│ │ │
Statement XIII │Outline of Defense of Dr. Robert Ley, │ │
│written in Nurnberg Prison, 24 October │ │
│1945. │ VIII │ 749
│ │ │
Statement XIV │Hungarian Relations with Germany Before │ │
│and During the War by Nicholas Horthy, │ │
│Jr., Nurnberg, 22 February 1946. │ VIII │ 756
Chapter XIII
GERMANIZATION AND SPOLIATION
The Nazi conspirators had made plans for the Germanization and
spoliation of their conquered territories. Plans to Germanize meant
plans to assimilate conquered territories politically, culturally,
socially, and economically into the German Reich. Germanization meant
the obliteration of the former national character of the conquered
territories and the extermination of all elements which could not be
reconciled with the Nazi ideology. Plans for spoliation meant plans to
plunder public and private property and, in general, to exploit the
people and natural resources of occupied countries.
1. POLAND
Poland was, in a sense, the testing ground for the conspirators’
theories of “lebensraum.” The four western provinces of Poland were
purportedly incorporated into Germany by an order of 8 October 1939.
This order, which was signed by Hitler, Lammers, Goering, Frick, and
Hess, is set forth in 1939 _Reichsgesetzblatt_, Part I, p. 2042. These
areas of Poland are frequently referred to in correspondence between the
conspirators as the “incorporated Eastern territories”. The remainder of
Poland which was seized by the Nazi invaders was established as the
Government-General of Poland by an order of Hitler, dated 12 October
1939. By that same order, Hans Frank was named Governor-General of the
newly-created Government-General, and Seyss-Inquart was named Deputy
Governor-General. This order is set forth in 1939 _Reichsgesetzblatt_,
Part I, p. 2077.
The plans with respect to Poland, which will appear gradually from the
individual documents hereafter discussed, followed a broad pattern, as
follows:
_First_: The conspirators specifically planned to exploit the people and
material resources of the Government-General of Poland in order to
strengthen the Nazi war machine, to impoverish the Government-General,
and to reduce it to a vassal state. At a later stage, plans were
formulated for creating islands of German settlements in the more
fertile regions of the Government-General in order to engulf the native
Polish population and accelerate the process of Germanization.
_Second_: The incorporated area of Poland, which was deemed to be a part
of the German Reich, was to be ruthlessly Germanized. To that end, the
conspirators planned:
(_a_) To permit the retention of the productive facilities in the
incorporated area, all of which were to be dedicated to the Nazi war
machine.
(_b_) They planned to deport to the Government-General many hundreds of
thousands of Jews, members of the Polish intelligentsia, and other
noncompliant elements. The Jews deported to the Government-General were
doomed to speedy annihilation. Moreover, since the conspirators felt
that members of the Polish intelligentsia could not be Germanized and
might serve as a center of resistance against their “new order”, they
too were to be eliminated.
(_c_) They planned to deport all able-bodied Polish workers to Germany
for work in the Nazi war machine. This was to serve the twofold purpose
of helping to satisfy the labor requirements of the Nazi war machine and
preventing the propagation of a new generation of Poles.
(_d_) They planned to mold all persons in the incorporated area who were
deemed to possess German blood, into German subjects who would
religiously adhere to the principles of National Socialism. To that end,
the conspirators set up an elaborate racial register. Those who resisted
or refused to cooperate in this program were sent to concentration
camps.
(_e_) They planned to bring thousands of German subjects into the
incorporated area for purposes of settlement.
(_f_) They planned to confiscate the property—particularly the
farms—of the Poles, the Jews, and all dissident elements. The
confiscation of the property of Jews was part of the conspirators’
larger program of extermination of the Jews. Confiscation likewise
served three additional purposes: (1) it provided land for the new
German settlers and enabled the conspirators to reward their adherents;
(2) dispossessed Polish property owners could be shipped to Germany for
work in the production of implements of war; and (3) the separation of
Polish farmers from their wives furthered the plan to prevent the growth
of a new generation of Poles.
These plans are developed in the specific documents which follow.
A. _The Program in the Incorporated Area._
(1) _Economic Spoliation._ A report of an interview with Frank on 3
October 1939, which was included in a large report prepared in the OKW
by one Captain Varain at the direction of General Thomas, then Chief of
the Military Economic Staff of the OKW, states:
“In the first interview which the chief of the Central Division
and the liaison officer between the Armament Department Upper
East and the Chief Administrative Officer (subsequently called
Governor-General) had with Minister Frank on October 3, 1939 in
Posen, Frank explained the directive, and the economic and
political responsibilities which had been conferred upon him by
the Fuehrer and according to which he intended to administer
Poland. According to these directives, Poland can only be
administered by utilizing the country through means of ruthless
exploitation, deportation of all supplies, raw materials,
machines, factory installations, etc., which are important for
the German war economy, availability of all workers for work
within Germany, reduction of the entire Polish economy to
absolute minimum necessary for bare existence of the population,
closing of all educational institutions, especially technical
schools and colleges in order to prevent the growth of the new
Polish intelligentsia. ‘Poland shall be treated as a colony; the
Poles shall be the slaves of the Greater German World Empire’. *
* *
* * * * * *
“By destroying Polish industry, its subsequent reconstruction
after the war would become more difficult, if not impossible, so
that Poland would be reduced to its proper position as an
agrarian country which would have to depend upon Germany for
importation of industrial products.” (_EC-344-16 & 17_)
The conspirators planned a difference in treatment for the incorporated
area of Poland, and for the Government-General. A directive issued and
signed by Goering on 19 October 1939, which was found among captured
files of the OKW, stated, _inter alia_:
“In the meeting of October 13th, I have given detailed
instructions for the economical administration of the occupied
territories. I will repeat them here in short: 1. The task for
the economic treatment of the various administrative regions is
different depending on whether a country is involved which will
be incorporated politically into the German Reich or whether we
deal with the Government-General, which, in all probability,
will not be made a part of Germany.
“In the first mentioned territories the reconstruction and
expansion of the economy, the safeguarding of all their
production facilities and supplies must be aimed at, as well as
a complete incorporation into the Greater German economic system
at the earliest possible time. On the other hand, there must be
removed from the territories of the Government-General all raw
materials, scrap materials, machines etc., which are of use for
the German war economy. Enterprises which are not absolutely
necessary for the meager maintenance of the naked existence of
the population must be transferred to Germany, unless such
transfer would require an unreasonably long period of time and
would make it more practical to exploit these enterprises by
giving them German orders to be executed at their present
location.” (_EC-410_)
Once the Government-General had been stripped of its industrial
potential, the conspirators planned to leave the country desolate. Not
even the war damage was to be repaired. This is the clear import of an
order dated 20 November 1939, issued by Hess in his capacity as Deputy
Fuehrer, and found in captured OKW files. Hess stated:
“I hear from Party members who came from the Government-General
that various agencies, as, for instance, the Military Economic
Staff, the Reich Ministry for Labor, etc., intend to reconstruct
certain industrial enterprises in Warsaw. However, in accordance
with a decision by Minister Dr. Frank, as approved by the
Fuehrer, Warsaw shall not be rebuilt nor is it the intention of
the Fuehrer to rebuild or reconstruct any industry in the
Government-General.” (_EC-411_)
(2) _Deportation and Resettlement._ The Academy of German Law in January
1940 prepared a secret report on plans for the mass migration of Poles
and Jews from incorporated areas of Poland to the Government-General,
and for the forcible deportation of able-bodied Poles to Germany. (The
date of the report does not appear in the English translation, but it is
clearly set forth on the cover page of the original document, as January
1940.) It should be recalled that the decree of 11 July 1934
(_Reichsgesetzblatt_, Part I, p. 605, 11 July 1934) provided that the
Academy of German Law would be a public corporation of the Reich under
the supervision of the Reich Ministers of Justice and the Interior, and
that its task would be:
“To promote the reconstruction of German legal life, and to
realize, in constant close collaboration with the competent
legislative organizations, the National Socialist program in the
entire sphere of the law.”
It should also be stated that Frank was the president of the Academy of
German Law during the period when this secret report was made
(_2749-PS_). The report stated:
“For the carrying out of costly and long term measures for the
increase of agricultural production, the Government-General can
at the most absorb 1 to 1.5 million resettlers, as it is already
over-populated. * * * By further absorption of 1.6 million
resettlers, the 1925 Reich census figure of 133 inhabitants per
square kilometer would be reached, which practically because of
already existing rural over-population and lack of industry
would result in a double over-population.
“This figure of 1.6 million will barely suffice to transfer from
the Reich:
“The Jews from the liberated East (over 600,000), parts of the
remaining Jews, preferably the younger age groups from Germany
proper, Austria, Sudetengau and the Protectorate (altogether
over 1 million). * * *” (_661-PS_)
The report then goes on to say that the following groups of people
should be deported:
“The Polish intelligentsia who have been politically active in
the past, and potential political leaders; the leading economic
personalities, comprising owners of large estates,
industrialists and businessmen, etc.; the peasant population, so
far as it has to be removed in order to carry out by strips of
German settlements the encirclement of Polish territories in the
East * * *.”
* * * * * *
“In order to relieve the living space of the Poles in the
Government-General as well as in the liberated East, one should
remove cheap labor temporarily by the hundreds of thousands,
employ them for a few years in the old Reich, and thereby hamper
their native biological propagation. (Their assimilation into
the old Reich must be prevented.) * * *” (_661-PS_)
Finally, the report stated:
“Strictest care is to be taken that secret circulars, memoranda
and official correspondence which contain instructions
detrimental to the Poles are kept steadily under lock and key so
that they will not some day fill the White Books printed in
Paris or the U.S.A.” (_661-PS_)
Frank made the following entry in his diary:
“The Reichsfuehrer SS (Himmler) wishes that all Jews be
evacuated from the newly gained Reich territories. Up to
February approximately 1,000,000 people are to be brought in
this way into the Government-General. The families of good
racial extraction present in the occupied Polish territory
(approximately 4,000,000 people) should be transferred into the
Reich and individually housed and thereby be uprooted as a
people.” (_2233-G-PS_)
The top secret minutes of a meeting held on 12 February 1940 on
“questions concerning the East,” at which Goering was chairman and
Himmler and Frank were present, stated, among other things:
“By way of introduction, the General Field Marshal (_Goering_)
explained that the strengthening of the war potential of the
Reich must be the chief aim of all measures to be taken in the
East. * * *”
* * * * * *
“_Agriculture_:
“The task consists of obtaining the greatest possible
agriculture production from the new Eastern Gaus disregarding
questions of ownership. * * *”
* * * * * *
“_Special questions concerning the Government-General_:
“The Government-General will have to receive the Jews who are
ordered to emigrate from Germany, and the New Eastern Gaus.”
* * * * * *
“The following reported on the situation in the Eastern
territories: * * *
“2. Reichsstatthalter Gauleiter Forster: The population of the
Danzig/West Prussia Gau (newly acquired territories) is 1.5
million, of whom 240,000 are Germans, 850,000 well-established
Poles and 300,000 immigrant Poles, Jews and asocials (1,800
Jews). 87,000 persons have been evacuated, 40,000 of these from
Gotenhafen. From there, also the numerous shirkers, who are now
looked after by welfare, will have to be deported to the
Government-General. Therefore, an evacuation of 20,000 further
persons can be counted on for the current year. * * *”
(_EC-305_)
Comparable reports were made by other Gauleiters at this meeting. These
figures, it may be noted, were only as of February 1940.
These forcible deportations did not involve merely ordering the victims
to leave their homes, and to take up new residences elsewhere. These
deportations were accomplished, according to plan, in a brutal and
inhuman manner. This is shown in a speech delivered by Himmler to
officers of the SS on a day commemorating the presentation of the Nazi
flag. The exact date of the speech does not appear in the document, but
its contents plainly show that it was delivered sometime after Poland
had been overrun. In this speech Himmler said:
“Very frequently the member of the Waffen-SS thinks about the
deportation of this people here. These thoughts came to me today
when watching the very difficult work out there performed by the
Security Police, supported by your men, who help them a great
deal. Exactly the same thing happened in Poland in weather 40
degrees below zero, where we had to haul away thousands, ten
thousands, hundred thousands; where we had to have the toughness
* * * you should hear this but also forget it again—to shoot
thousands of leading Poles.” (_1918-PS_)
Such Poles from the incorporated area as managed to survive the journey
to the Government-General could look forward at best to extreme
hardship, and exposure to degradation and brutality. For the Jews who
were forcibly deported to the Government-General there was no hope.
Frank, by his own admissions, had dedicated himself to their complete
annihilation. In his diary Frank wrote:
“We must annihilate the Jews, wherever we find them, and
wherever it is possible.” (_2233-D-PS_)
(3) _Forcible Return of Racial Germans to the Reich._ The conspirators
had planned the forcible Germanization of persons in the incorporated
area who were deemed to possess German blood. Such persons were given
the choice of the concentration camp, or submission to Germanization.
Himmler was the chief executioner of this program. In a secret decree
signed by Hitler, Goering, and Keitel, dated 7 October 1939, Himmler was
entrusted with the task of executing the conspirators’ Germanization
program. The decree provided, among other things:
“The Reichsfuehrer SS (Himmler) has the obligation in accordance
with my directives:
“1. To bring back for final return into the Reich all German
nationals, and racial Germans in the foreign countries.
“2. To eliminate the harmful influence of such alien-parts of
the population, which represent a danger to the Reich, and the
German folk community.
“3. The forming of new German settlements by re-settling, and in
particular by settling of the returning German citizens and
racial Germans from abroad.
“The Reichsfuehrer SS is authorized to take all necessary
general and administrative measures for the execution of this
obligation.” (_686-PS_)
Himmler’s conception of his tasks under this decree were plainly stated
in the foreword which he wrote for the “_Deutsche Arbeit_” issue of
June/July 1942. He wrote:
“It is not our task to Germanize the East in the old sense, that
is, to teach the people there the German language and German
law, but to see to it that only people of purely German,
Germanic blood live in the East.” (_2915-PS_)
The 1940 Edition of “_Der Menscheneinsatz_,” a confidential publication
issued by Himmler’s Office for the Consolidation of German Nationhood,
contained the following statements:
“The removal of foreign races from the incorporated Eastern
Territories is one of the most essential goals to be
accomplished in the German East. This is the chief national
political task, which has to be executed in the incorporated
Eastern Territories by the Reichsfuehrer SS, Reich Commissioner
for the strengthening of the national character of the German
people.”
* * * * * *
“* * * there are the following two primary reasons, which make
the regaining of lost German blood an urgent necessity.
“1. Prevention of a further increase of the Polish
intelligentsia, through families of German descent even if they
are Polonized.
“2. Increase of the population by racial elements desirable for
the German nation, and the acquisition of ethno-biologically
unobjectionable forces for the German reconstruction of
agriculture and industry.” (_2916-PS_)
Further light upon the goals which the conspirators had set for their
Germanization program in conquered Eastern areas, is contained in a
speech delivered by Himmler on 14 October 1943. This speech was
published by the National Socialist Leadership staff of the OKW. The
following are excerpts from this speech:
“I consider that in dealing with members of a foreign country,
especially some Slav nationality, we must not start from German
points of view, and we must not endow these people with decent
German thoughts, and logical conclusions of which they are not
capable, but we must take them as they really are * * *.”
“Obviously in such a mixture of peoples, there will always be
some racially good types. Therefore, I think that it is our duty
to take their children with us, to remove them from their
environment, if necessary by robbing, or stealing them. Either
we win over any good blood that we can use for ourselves and
give it a place in our people, or * * * we destroy that blood.”
* * * * * *
“For us the end of this war will mean an open road to the East,
the creation of the Germanic Reich in this way or that * * * the
fetching home of 30 million human beings of our blood, so that
still during our lifetime we shall be a people of 120 million
Germanic souls. That means that we shall be the sole decisive
power in Europe. That means that we shall then be able to tackle
the peace, during which we shall be willing for the first twenty
years to rebuild and spread out our villages and towns, and that
we shall push the borders of our German race 500 kilometers
further out to the East.” (_L-70_)
(4) _The Racial Register._ In furtherance of these plans, the
conspirators established a Racial Register in the incorporated area of
Poland. The Racial Register was, in effect, an elaborate classification
of persons deemed to be of German blood, and contained provisions
setting forth some of the rights, privileges, and duties of the persons
in each classification. Persons were classified into four groups:
(1) Germans who had actively promoted the Nazi cause.
(2) Germans who had been more or less passive in the Nazi struggle, but
had retained their German nationality.
(3) Persons of German extraction who, although previously connected with
the Polish nation, were willing to submit to Germanization.
(4) Persons of German descent, who had been “politically absorbed by the
Polish nation”, and who would be resistant to Germanization.
The Racial Register was inaugurated under a decree of 12 September 1940,
issued by Himmler as Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of German
Nationhood. The following are pertinent extracts:
“The list of ‘ethnic Germans’ will be divided into four parts
(limited to interoffice use).
“1. Ethnic Germans who fought actively in the ethnic struggle.
Besides the membership of a German organization, every other
activity in favor of the German against a foreign nationality
will be considered an active manifestation.
“2. Ethnic Germans, who did not actively intervene in favor of
the German nationality, but who preserved their traceable German
nationality.
“3. Persons of German descent, who became connected with the
Polish nation in the course of the years, but have on account of
their attitude, the prerequisites to become full-fledged members
of the German national community. To this group belong also
persons of non-German descent who live in a people’s mixed
marriage with an ethnic German in which the influence of the
German spouse has prevailed. Persons of Masurian, Slonzak, or
upper Silesian descent who are to be recognized as ethnic
Germans, usually belong to this group 3.
“4. Persons of German descent, politically absorbed by the
Polish nation (renegades).
“Persons not included on the list of ethnic Germans are Poles,
or foreign nationals. Their treatment is regulated by BII.
“Members of groups 1 and 2 are ethnic Germans who will be used
for the reconstruction in the East. The differentiation between
the groups 1 and 2 is important for the National Socialist
Party; primarily only members of group 1 should be accepted in
the Party according to the instructions of the deputy of the
Fuehrer.
“Members of groups 3 and 4 have to be educated as full Germans,
that is, have to be re-Germanized in the course of time through
an intensive educational training in old Germany.
“The establishment of members of group 4 has to be based on the
doctrine, that German blood must not be utilized in the interest
of a foreign nation. Against those who refuse re-Germanization,
Security Police measures are to be taken.” (_2916-PS_)
The basic idea of creating a racial register for persons of German
extraction was later incorporated into a decree of 3 March 1941, signed
by Himmler, Frick, and Hess. This decree is set forth in the 1941
_Reichsgesetzblatt_ Part 1, page 118.
The entire apparatus of the SS was thrown behind the vigorous execution
of these decrees. Proof of this fact is contained in the following
extracts from directives issued by Himmler as the Reich Commissioner for
the Consolidation of German Nationhood:
“I. Where Racial Germans have not applied for entry in the
‘German Ethnical List,’ you will instruct the subordinate
agencies to turn over their names to the State Police (Superior)
Office. Subsequently, you will report to me (Himmler).
“II. The Local State Police (Superior) Office, will charge the
persons whose names are turned over to them to prove within
eight days that they have applied for entry in the ‘German
Ethnical List.’
“If such proof is not submitted, the person in question is to be
taken into protective custody for transfer into a concentration
camp.” (_R-112_)
The measures taken against persons in the fourth category, “Polonized
Germans,” were particularly harsh. These persons were resistant to
Germanization, and ruthless measures calculated to break their
resistance were prescribed. Where the individual’s past history
indicated that he could not be effectively Germanized, he was thrown
into a concentration camp. In the words of Himmler’s decree of 16
February 1942:
“II. The Re-Germanization of the Polonized Germans presupposes
their complete separation from Polish surroundings. For that
reason the persons entered in Division 4 of the German Ethnical
List are to be dealt with in the following manner:
“A. They are to be re-settled in Old Reich territory.
“1. The Superior SS and Police Leaders are charged with
evacuating and resettling them according to instructions which
will follow later.