THE PRESIDENT: Yes, M. Gerthoffer.
M. CHARLES GERTHOFFER (Assistant Prosecutor for the French Republic):
Mr. President, Your Honors, I come to the sixth section of this
presentation, which deals with the economic pillage of France.
When the Germans invaded France, they found there considerable wealth.
They set about with ingenuity to seize it and also to subjugate the
national production.
When they failed to attain their ends by mere requisitions, they
resorted to devious methods, using simultaneously ruse and violence,
striving to cloak their criminal actions with legality.
To accomplish this, they misused the conventions of the armistice.
These, in fact, did not contain any economic clauses and did not include
any secret provisions but consisted only of regulations, which were
published. Nevertheless, the Germans utilized two clauses to promote
their undertakings. I submit to the Tribunal as Document Number RF-203 a
copy of the Armistice Conventions, and I cite Article 18, which reads as
follows:
“The maintenance costs of German occupation troops in French
territory will be charged to the French Government.”
This clause was not contrary to the regulations of the Hague
Conventions, but Germany imposed payment of enormous sums, far exceeding
those necessary for the requirements of an occupation army. Thus she was
enabled to dispose, without furnishing any compensation, of nearly all
the money which, in fact, was cleverly transformed into an instrument of
pillage.
Article 17 of the Armistice Convention reads as follows:
“The French Government undertakes to prevent any transfer of
economic securities or stocks from the territory to be occupied
by the German troops into the non-occupied area or into a
foreign country. Those securities and stocks in the occupied
territory can be disposed of only in agreement with the Reich
Government, it being understood that the German Government will
take into account what is vitally necessary for the population
of the non-occupied territories.”
Apparently the purpose of this clause was to prevent things of any kind
which might be utilized against Germany from being sent to England or to
any of the colonies. But the occupying power took advantage of this to
get control of production and the distribution of raw materials
throughout France, since the non-occupied zone could not live without
the products of the occupied zone and vice versa.
This intention of the Germans is proved particularly by Document Number
1741-PS which was discovered by the American army, and which I now
submit to the Tribunal as Exhibit Number RF-204.
I do not want to trouble the Tribunal by reading this long document, I
shall give only a short summary.
It is a secret report, dated 5 July 1940 addressed to the President of
the Council . . .
THE PRESIDENT: M. Gerthoffer, as this is not a document of which we can
take judicial notice, I think you must read anything that you wish to
put in evidence.