Document │ Description │ Vol. │ Page
│ │ │
│Charter of the International Military │ │
│ Tribunal, Article 6. │ I │ 5
│International Military Tribunal, │ │
│ Indictment Number 1, Section IV (H);│ │
│ Appendix A. │ I │ 29, 59
│ ———— │ │
│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. │ │
│ ———— │ │
*526-PS │Top secret notice, 10 May 1943, │ │
│concerning saboteurs captured and shot│ │
│in Norway. (USA 502) │ III │ 434
│ │ │
532-PS │Telegram of WFSt, 24 June 1944, │ │
│concerning treatment of Commandos. │ III │ 437
│ │ │
*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
│ │ │
745-PS │Letter from Chief of SD, Koblenz, 12 │ │
│June 1944, concerning enemy aviators │ │
│who have been shot down. │ III │ 543
│ │ │
*835-PS │Letter from OKW to the German │ │
│Armistice Commission, 2 September │ │
│1944, concerning the status of │ │
│political prisoners. (USA 527) │ III │ 602
│ │ │
*1061-PS │Official report of Stroop, SS and │ │
│Police Leader of Warsaw, on │ │
│destruction of Warsaw Ghetto, 1943. │ │
│(USA 275) │ III │ 718
│ │ │
*1063-A-PS │Order of Chief of SIPO and SD, 2 │ │
│January 1941, concerning │ │
│classification of concentration camps.│ │
│(USA 492) │ III │ 775
│ │ │
1063-B-PS │Letter signed by Kaltenbrunner, 26 │ │
│July 1943, concerning establishment of│ │
│Labor Reformatory camps. (USA 492) │ III │ 777
│ │ │
*1104-PS │Memorandum, 21 November 1941, │ │
│enclosing copies of report concerning │ │
│anti-Jewish action in Minsk. (USA 483)│ III │ 783
│ │ │
*1276-PS │Top secret letter from Chief of SIPO │ │
│and SD to OKW/WFSt, 17 June 1944, │ │
│concerning Commando operations. (USA │ │
│525) │ III │ 855
│ │ │
*1514-PS │Order, 27 July 1944, from 6th Corps │ │
│Area Command concerning delivery of │ │
│prisoners of war to secret state │ │
│police. (USA 491) │ IV │ 53
│ │ │
1574-PS │Warrant, 19 January 1944, for │ │
│protective custody. │ IV │ 114
│ │ │
*1650-PS │Directive to State Police Directorates│ │
│from Chief of SIPO and SD by Mueller, │ │
│4 March 1944, concerning captured │ │
│escaped PWs except British and │ │
│American PWs. (USA 246) │ IV │ 158
│ │ │
*1815-PS │Documents on RSHA meeting concerning │ │
│the study and treatment of church │ │
│politics. (USA 510) │ IV │ 415
│ │ │
*1919-PS │Himmler’s speech to SS │ │
│Gruppenfuehrers, 4 October 1943. (USA │ │
│170) │ IV │ 558
│ │ │
*2239-PS │File of orders sent by AMT IV, RSHA, │ │
│Prague, to Gestapo office Darmstadt, │ │
│signed Kaltenbrunner. (USA 520) │ IV │ 920
│ │ │
2375-PS │Affidavit of Rudolf Mildner, 16 │ │
│November 1945, concerning activities │ │
│of SIPO and SD. │ V │ 2
│ │ │
2476-PS │Affidavit of Josef Buehler, 4 November│ │
│1945. │ V │ 228
│ │ │
*2477-PS │Affidavit of Willy Litzenberg, 4 │ │
│November 1945. (USA 518) │ V │ 229
│ │ │
*2519-PS │Undated memorandum for radio message │ │
│from Kaltenbrunner to Fegelein, │ │
│concerning arrangements against Jews. │ │
│(USA 530) │ V │ 256
│ │ │
*2580-PS │Protective custody decrees signed │ │
│Kaltenbrunner. (USA 524) │ V │ 305
│ │ │
*2582-PS │Telegrams ordering protective custody │ │
│signed by Kaltenbrunner. (USA 523) │ V │ 307
│ │ │
*2605-PS │Affidavit of Dr. Rudolf Kastner, │ │
│former President of the Hungarian │ │
│Zionist Organization, 13 September │ │
│1945. (USA 242) │ V │ 313
│ │ │
*2620-PS │Affidavit of Otto Ohlendorf, 5 │ │
│November 1945. (USA 919) │ V │ 341
│ │ │
2622-PS │Affidavit of Otto Ohlendorf, 5 │ │
│November 1945. │ V │ 343
│ │ │
*2641-PS │Affidavit of Alois Hoellriegl in │ │
│connection with photographs of │ │
│Kaltenbrunner, Himmler, and others at │ │
│Mauthausen concentration camp. (USA │ │
│516) │ V │ 354
│ │ │
2644-PS │Affidavit of Otto Ohlendorf, 5 │ │
│November 1945. │ V │ 357
│ │ │
*2745-PS │Order for commitment to concentration │ │
│camp, 7 July 1943, Kaltenbrunner’s │ │
│signature. (USA 519) │ V │ 383
│ │ │
2752-PS │Affidavit of Willy Litzenberg, 8 │ │
│November 1945. │ V │ 392
│ │ │
*2753-PS │Affidavit of Alois Hoellriegl, 7 │ │
│November 1945. (USA 515) │ V │ 393
│ │ │
2770-PS │War Decorations, published in Order │ │
│Gazette of the Chief of Security │ │
│Police and SD, Edition A, 5th year, 9 │ │
│December 1944, No. 51. │ V │ 417
│ │ │
2890-PS │Extracts from Befehlsblatt of the Sipo│ │
│and SD. │ V │ 557
│ │ │
2892-PS │Biographical information on Ernst │ │
│Kaltenbrunner, published in the │ │
│Greater German Reichstag, 1938. │ V │ 561
│ │ │
*2938-PS │Article in The German Police, Number │ │
│10, Berlin, 15 May 1943, p. 193, │ │
│concerning Kaltenbrunner. (USA 511) │ V │ 605
│ │ │
*2939-PS │Affidavit of Walter Schellenberg, 17 │ │
│November 1945. (USA 513) │ V │ 606
│ │ │
*2990-PS │Affidavit of Walter Schellenberg, 18 │ │
│November 1945. (USA 526) │ V │ 694
│ │ │
*2992-PS │Affidavits of Hermann Graebe. (USA │ │
│494) │ V │ 696
│ │ │
*3012-PS │Order signed Christiansen, 19 March │ │
│1943, to all group leaders of Security│ │
│Service, and record of telephone │ │
│conversation signed by Stapj, 11 March│ │
│1943. (USA 190) │ V │ 731
│ │ │
3361-PS │Message to all Commanders of Security │ │
│Police from Kaltenbrunner regarding │ │
│arrest of Plant Directors. │ VI │ 96
│ │ │
*3427-PS │Announcement of Kaltenbrunner │ │
│appointed Chief of Security Police and│ │
│SD, in German Police, 15 February │ │
│1943. (USA 512) │ VI │ 130
│ │ │
*3462-PS │Interrogation of Bertus Gerdes, 20 │ │
│November 1945. (USA 528) │ VI │ 161
│ │ │
*3723-PS │Testimony of Gottlieb Berger, 20 │ │
│September 1945. (USA 529) │ VI │ 460
│ │ │
*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
│ │ │
3838-PS │Statement of Martin Sandberger, 19 │ │
│November 1945, concerning │ │
│Kaltenbrunner’s treatment of │ │
│prisoners. (USA 800) │ VI │ 773
│ │ │
*3839-PS │Statement of Josef Spacil, 9 November │ │
│1945, concerning the meaning of │ │
│“resettlement” and “special │ │
│treatment”. (USA 799) │ VI │ 774
│ │ │
*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
│ │ │
*3842-PS │Statement of Fritz Mundhenke, 7 March │ │
│1946, concerning the activities of │ │
│Kaltenbrunner and SS in preparation │ │
│for occupation of Czechoslovakia. (USA│ │
│805) │ VI │ 778
│ │ │
*3844-PS │Statement of Josef Niedermayer, 7 │ │
│March 1946, concerning Kaltenbrunner’s│ │
│part in “bullet” orders at Mauthausen │ │
│concentration camp. (USA 801) │ VI │ 782
│ │ │
*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-46 │Order designating Herzogenbosch as │ │
│concentration camp, 18 January 1943. │ VI │ 1025
│ │ │
D-50 │Order establishing concentration camps│ │
│at Lublin, 9 April 1943. │ VI │ 1027
│ │ │
*D-473 │Letter from Kaltenbrunner to Criminal │ │
│Public Offices, 4 December 1944, │ │
│concerning combatting of crime among │ │
│Polish and Soviet-Russian civilian │ │
│laborers. (USA 522) │ VII │ 64
│ │ │
L-5 │Order of Military Commander Southeast,│ │
│3 September 1944. │ VII │ 755
│ │ │
*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-31 │Communique of the Polish-Soviet │ │
│Extraordinary Commission for │ │
│Investigating the Crimes committed by │ │
│the Germans in the Majdanek │ │
│Extermination Camp in Lublin. │ VII │ 772
│ │ │
L-34 │Affidavits of Edmund Trinkl, Chairman │ │
│of Amt I A 6 of the RSHA, 2 August │ │
│1945. │ VII │ 774
│ │ │
L-35 │Affidavit of Rudolf Mildner, 1 August │ │
│1945. │ VII │ 780
│ │ │
*L-37 │Letter from Illmer, Chief of the SIPO │ │
│and SD of Radom, to subordinates, 19 │ │
│July 1944, concerning collective │ │
│responsibility of members of families │ │
│of assassins and saboteurs. (USA 506) │ VII │ 782
│ │ │
*L-38 │Affidavit of Hermann Pister, 1 August │ │
│1945. (USA 517) │ VII │ 783
│ │ │
L-41 │Orders of Mueller, Chief of the │ │
│Gestapo, 17 December 1942 and 23 March│ │
│1943, concerning transfer of workers │ │
│to concentration camps. (USA 496) │ VII │ 784
│ │ │
*L-49 │Affidavit of Otto Hoffman, Chief of SS│ │
│Main Office for Race and Settlement, 4│ │
│August 1945. (USA 473) │ VII │ 795
│ │ │
*L-50 │Affidavit of Kurt Lindow, Director of │ │
│Office for Criminal affairs in RSHA, 2│ │
│August 1945. (USA 793) │ VII │ 796
│ │ │
*L-51 │Affidavit of Adolf Zutter, 2 August │ │
│1945. (USA 521) │ VII │ 798
│ │ │
*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-158 │Circular letter from SIPO and SD │ │
│Commander of Radom District, 28 March │ │
│1944, concerning measures to be taken │ │
│against escaped officers and │ │
│non-commissioned officer PWs. (USA │ │
│514) │ VII │ 906
│ │ │
*L-215 │File of orders and dossiers of 25 │ │
│Luxembourgers committed to │ │
│concentration camps at various times │ │
│in 1944. (USA 243) │ VII │ 1045
│ │ │
*L-219 │Organization plan of the RSHA as of 1 │ │
│October 1943. (USA 479) │ VII │ 1053
│ │ │
*L-358 │Extract from register of arrests by │ │
│Gestapo in Poland, 1943. (USA 495) │ VII │ 1107
│ │ │
*R-110 │Himmler order of 10 August 1943 to all│ │
│Senior Executive SS and Police │ │
│officers. (USA 333) │ VII │ 1107
│ │ │
*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
│ │ │
Affidavit B │Affidavit of Otto Ohlendorf, 20 │ │
│November 1945, substantially the same │ │
│as his testimony on direct examination│ │
│before the International Military │ │
│Tribunal at Nurnberg 3 January 1946. │ VIII │ 596
│ │ │
Affidavit C │Affidavit of Dieter Wisliceny, 29 │ │
│November 1945, substantially the same │ │
│as his testimony on direct examination│ │
│before the International Military │ │
│Tribunal at Nurnberg 3 January 1946. │ VIII │ 606
│ │ │
Affidavit D │Affidavit of Walter Schellenberg, 23 │ │
│January 1946, substantially the same │ │
│as his testimony on direct examination│ │
│before the International Military │ │
│Tribunal at Nurnberg 4 January 1946. │ VIII │ 622
│ │ │
Affidavit E │Affidavit of Alois Hoellriegl, 22 │ │
│November 1945, substantially the same │ │
│as his testimony on direct examination│ │
│before the International Military │ │
│Tribunal at Nurnberg 4 January 1946. │ VIII │ 630
│ │ │
*Chart No. 1 │National Socialist German Workers’ │ │
│Party. (2903-PS; USA 2) │ VIII │ 770
│ │ │
*Chart No. 3 │Organization of the SS. (USA 445) │ VIII │ 772
│ │ │
*Chart No. 5 │Position of Kaltenbrunner and the │ │
│Gestapo and SD in the German Police │ │
│System. (USA 493) │ VIII │ 774
│ │ │
*Chart No. 19 │Organization of the Security Police │
│(Gestapo and Kripo) and the SD │
│1943-1945. (2346-PS; USA 480) │ End of VIII
7. ALFRED ROSENBERG
A. _THE POLITICAL CAREER OF ROSENBERG._
The political career of Alfred Rosenberg embraced the entire history of
National Socialism and permeated nearly every phase of the conspiracy.
In order to obtain a full conception of his influence upon and
participation in the conspiracy, it is necessary to review his political
history and to consider each of his political activities in their
relation to the thread of the conspiracy, which stretches from the
inception of the party in 1919 to the defeat of Germany in 1945.
It is interesting to note that for Rosenberg the 30th of November 1918
marked the
“Beginning of political activities with a lecture about the
‘Jewish Problem’”. (_2886-PS_)
An official German pamphlet entitled, “Dates in the History of the
NSDAP”, discloses that Rosenberg was a member of the German Labor Party
(afterwards the National Socialist German Workers Party) in January
1919, and that Hitler joined forces with Rosenberg and his colleagues in
October of the same year (_3557-PS_). Thus, Rosenberg was a member of
the National Socialist movement even before Hitler himself.
An extract from “_Das Deutsche Fuehrer Lexikon_”, 1934/35 (_3530-PS_)
completes the biographical data on Rosenberg:
“From 1921 until the present, editor of the _Voelkischer
Beobachter_; editor of the ‘N.S. Monatshefte’; 1930, Reichstag
deputy and representative of the foreign policy of the movement;
since April 1933, leader of the foreign political office of the
NSDAP; then designated as Reichsleiter; January 1934, deputized
by the Fuehrer for the spiritual and philosophical education of
the NSDAP, the German labor front and all related organizations”
(_3530-PS_).
In July 1941 Rosenberg was appointed Reichsminister for the Occupied
Eastern Territories. (_2886-PS_)
B. _ROSENBERG’S PART, AS OFFICIAL NAZI IDEOLOGIST, IN PREPARING FOR THE
SEIZURE OF POWER AND THE LAUNCHING OF AGGRESSIVE WAR._
Rosenberg was the official National Socialist ideologist. Through the
ideological tenets which he expounded he exerted an influence upon the
unification of German thought, a unification which was an essential part
of the conspirator’s program for seizure of power and preparation for
aggressive war.
Rosenberg wrote extensively on, and actively participated in, virtually
every aspect of the National Socialist program. His first publication
was the “Nature, Basic Principles, and Aims of the NSDAP”, which
appeared in 1922. Rosenberg spoke of this book in the following terms:
“During this time (that is, during the early phase of the party)
a short thesis was written, which nevertheless is significant in
the history of the NSDAP. It was always being asked what points
of program the NSDAP had and how they each were to be
interpreted. Therefore, I wrote the principal program and aims
of the NSDAP, and this writing made the first permanent
connection between Munich and local organizations being
organized and friends within the Reich.” (_3054-PS_)
Thus, the original draftsman of and spokesman for the party program was
Rosenberg.
Without attempting to survey the entire ideological program advanced by
Rosenberg in his various writings and speeches, certain of his
statements may be considered as indicating the nature and scope of the
ideological program which he championed. There was not a single basic
tenet of the Nazi philosophy which was not given authoritative
expression by Rosenberg.
(1) _The theory of racism._ Rosenberg wrote the “Myth of the Twentieth
Century”, published in 1930. At page 479 of this work (_3553-PS_),
Rosenberg expressed the following views on the race question:
“The essence of the contemporary world revolution lies in the
awakening of the racial types, not in Europe alone but on the
whole planet. This awakening is the organic counter movement
against the last chaotic remnants of liberal economic
imperialism, whose object of exploitation out of desperation has
fallen into the snare of Bolshevik Marxism, in order to complete
what democracy had begun, the extirpation of the racial and
national consciousness.” (_3553-PS_)
(2) “_Lebensraum_.” Rosenberg expounded the “_Lebensraum_” idea, which
was utilized as the dynamic impulse behind Germany’s waging of
aggressive war. In his journal, the “National Socialist _Monatshefte_”
for May 1932, he wrote:
“The understanding that the German nation, if it is not to
perish in the truest sense of the word, needs ground and soil
for itself and its future generations, and the second sober
perception that this soil can no more be conquered in Africa,
but in Europe and first of all in the East—these organically
determine the German foreign policy for centuries.” (_2777-PS_)
(3) _Persecution of Christian Churches._ Rosenberg expressed his theory
as to the place of religion in the National Socialist State in the “Myth
of the Twentieth Century”, additional excerpts from which are cited in
(_2891-PS_):
“We now realize that the central supreme values of the Roman and
the Protestant Churches, being a negative Christianity, do not
respond to our soul, that they hinder the organic powers of the
peoples determined by their Nordic race, that they must give way
to them, that they will have to be remodeled to conform to a
Germanic Christendom. Therein lies the meaning of the present
religious search.” (_2891-PS_)
In the place of traditional Christianity, Rosenberg sought to implant
the neo-pagan myth of the blood. At page 114 in the “Myth of the
Twentieth Century” (_2891-PS_) he stated:
“Today, a new faith is awakening—the Myth of the Blood, the
belief that the divine being of mankind generally is to be
defended with the blood. The faith embodied by the fullest
realization, that the Nordic blood constitutes that mystery
which has supplanted and overwhelmed the old sacraments.”
Rosenberg’s attitudes on religion were accepted as the only philosophy
compatible with National Socialism. In 1940 Bormann, in writing to
Rosenberg, made this statement:
“The churches cannot be conquered by a compromise between
National Socialism and Christian teachings, but only through a
new ideology whose coming you yourself have announced in your
writings.” (_098-PS_)
Rosenberg actively participated in the program for elimination of church
influence. Bormann frequently wrote Rosenberg in this regard, furnishing
him information as to proposed action to be instituted against the
churches and, where necessary, requesting that action be taken by
Rosenberg’s department. See _070-PS_ dealing with the abolition of
religious services in the schools; _072-PS_ dealing with the
confiscation of religious property; _064-PS_ dealing with the inadequacy
of anti-religious material circulated to the soldiers; _089-PS_ dealing
with the curtailment of the publication of Protestant periodicals; and
_122-PS_ dealing with the closing of theological faculties.
(4) _Persecution of the Jews._ Rosenberg was particularly zealous in his
pursuit of the “Jewish Question”. On 28 March 1941, on the occasion of
the opening of the Institute for the Exploration of the Jewish Question,
he set the keynote for its activities and indicated the direction which
the exploration was to take. He spoke in part as follows:
“For Germany the Jewish Question is only then solved when the
Last Jew has left the Greater German space.
“Since Germany with its blood and its nationalism has now broken
for always this Jewish dictatorship for all Europe and has seen
to it that Europe as a whole will become free from the Jewish
parasitism once more, we may, I believe, also say for all
Europeans: For Europe the Jewish question is only then solved
when the last Jew has left the European continent.” (_2889-PS_)
Rosenberg had called an Anti-Jewish Congress in June 1944, but the
Congress was cancelled due to military events. (_1752-PS_)
Rosenberg did not overlook any opportunity to put these anti-Semitic
beliefs into practice. He recommended for instance that instead of
executing 100 Frenchmen as retaliation for attempts on lives of members
of the _Wehrmacht_, there be executed 100 Jewish bankers, lawyers, etc.
(_001-PS_). The recommendation was made with the avowed purpose of
awakening the anti-Jewish sentiment.
(5) _Abolition of Versailles Treaty._ In the realm of foreign policy, in
addition to demanding “_Lebensraum_,” Rosenberg called for elimination
of the Treaty of Versailles, and cast aside any thought of revision of
that treaty. In his book, “Nature, Principles and Aims of the NSDAP”,
Rosenberg wrote:
“The National Socialists reject the popular phrase of the
‘Revision of the Peace of Versailles’ as such a revision might
perhaps bring a few numerical reductions in the so-called
‘obligations,’ but the entire German people would still be, just
as before, the slave of other nations.”
* * * * * *
“‘We demand equality for the German people with other nations,
the cancellation of the peace treaties of Versailles and St.
Germain.’” (_2433-PS_)
(6) _Foreign Nazi Penetration._ Rosenberg conceived of the spread of
National Socialism throughout the world and, as will be subsequently
shown, took an active part in promoting the infection of other nations
with his creed. In the “Nature, Principles and Aims of the NSDAP”, he
stated:
“But National Socialism still believes that its principles and
ideology though in individually different suitable ways of fight
according to racial-national conditions—will be directives far
beyond the borders of Germany for the inevitable fights for
power in other countries of Europe and America. There too a
decision of ideas must take place, and the racial-nationalistic
fight against the ever similar loan-capitalistic and Marxist
internationalism must be taken up. National Socialism believes
that once the great world battle is concluded, after the defeat
of the present epoch, there will be a time when the swastika
will be woven into the different banners of the Germanic peoples
as the Aryan symbol of rejuvenation.” (_2433-PS_)
Thus, Rosenberg gave authoritative expression to the basic tenets upon
which National Socialism was founded, and through the exploitation of
which the conspiracy was crystallized in action.
(7) _Ideological training and education._ Rosenberg’s value to the
conspiratorial program found official recognition in his appointment in
1934 as the Fuehrer’s Delegate for the Entire Spiritual and
Philosophical Education and Supervision of the NSDAP. His activities in
this capacity were many and varied. The National Socialist Year Book for
the year 1938, at page 180, describes as follows the functions of
Rosenberg’s office as the Fuehrer’s delegate:
“The sphere of activity of the Fuehrer’s Commissioner for all
spiritual and ideological instruction and education of the
movement, its organization, including the ‘Strength through
Joy’, extends to the detailed execution of all the educational
work of the Party and of the affiliated bodies. The office, set
up by _Reichsleiter_ Rosenberg, has the task of preparing the
ideological educational material, of carrying out the teaching
programme, and is responsible for the education of those
teachers suited to this educational and instructional work.”
(_3531-PS_)
As the Fuehrer’s delegate, Rosenberg thus supervised all ideological
education and training in the Party.
It was Rosenberg’s belief that upon the performance of his new functions
as ideological delegate depended the future of National Socialism. An
excerpt from an article by Rosenberg appearing on page 9 of the March
1934 issue of “The Educational Letter” states:
“The focus of all our educational work from now on is the
service for this ideology, and it depends on the result of these
efforts, whether National Socialism will be buried with our
fighting ancestors or whether, as we believe, it really
represents the beginning of a new era.” (_3532-PS_)
In his capacity as the Fuehrer’s Delegate for Spiritual and Ideological
Training, Rosenberg assisted in the preparation of the curriculum for
the Adolf Hitler schools. These schools selected the most suitable
candidates from the Hitler Jugend and trained them for leadership within
the Party. They were the elite schools of National Socialism. An excerpt
from “Documents of German Politics” reads as follows:
“_Voelkischer Beobachter_, 19 January 1937.—‘As stated by Dr.
Ley, _Reichsorganisationsleiter_, on 23 November 1937 at
Ordensburg Sonthofen, these Adolf Hitler Schools, as the first
step of the principle of selecting a special elite, form an
important branch in the educational system of the National
Socialist training of future leaders [_Fuehrernachwuchs_]’
“_Voelkischer Beobachter_ dated 24 November 1937.—* * * The
curriculum has been laid down by _Reichsleiter_ Rosenberg,
together with the _Reichsorganisationsleiter_ and the Reich
Youth Leader.” (_3529-PS_)
Rosenberg exercised further influence in the education of Party members
through the establishment of community schools for all organizations of
the Party. The following statement is taken from the 1934 edition of
“_Das Dritte Reich_”:
“We support the request of the Fuehrer’s Commissioner for the
supervision of the whole spiritual and ideological training and
instruction of the NSDAP, Party member Alfred Rosenberg, to
organize _community schools_ of all organizations of the NSDAP
twice a year, in order to show by this common effort the
ideological and political unity of the NSDAP and the
steadfastness of the National Socialist will.” (_3528-PS_)
Rosenberg’s program was endorsed by Schirach as well as by Himmler, Ley,
and others.
Virtually every phase of National Socialist training came under
Rosenberg’s influence, and unified ideological concepts were inculcated
in every echelon of the party due to his influence. The 1936 edition of
“_Das Dritte Reich_”, under the heading “Education in the Ordensburg”
states:
“Those Party members, selected for training in leadership in
accordance with such points of view (who must have completed
their labor service and their military service satisfactorily)
are to be taught in the Ordensburgen by the best teachers in
history and science of race, philosophy and culture, economics
and specialized training, etc. To determine the ideological
direction of this education, to choose suitable teachers and to
train them, is one of the tasks of the Senior School of the
Party [_Hohe Schule der Partei_] which is to be established in
the near future and will be placed under the direction of the
Reich Leader Party member Alfred Rosenberg in his capacity as
Delegate of the Fuehrer for the Supervision of the Entire
Spiritual and Ideological Teaching and Education of the NSDAP.”
(_3552-PS_)
(8) _Plunder of art treasures._ In his capacity as the Fuehrer’s
delegate, Rosenberg established the Institute for the Exploration of the
Jewish Question, in Frankfort on Main. (This institute, commonly known
as the “_Hohe Schule_”, has been referred to in the discussion of the
Plunder of Art Treasures in Chapter XIV.) Into its library there flowed
books, documents, and manuscripts which were looted from virtually every
country of occupied Europe. As Ideological Delegate Rosenberg conducted
the fabulous art looting activities of the _Einsatzstab Rosenberg_,
activities which extended to France, Belgium, the Netherlands,
Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, the Occupied Eastern Territories, Hungary,
and Greece. The extent of the plunder is indicated in document
_1015-B-PS_ which contains a detailed account of the seizure of over
21,000 valuable objects of art, and in document _L-188_ in which the
looting of the contents of over 71,000 Jewish homes is described.
The importance of Rosenberg’s activities as official ideologist of the
Nazi party was not overlooked. The Hart biography of Rosenberg,
entitled, “The Man and His Work” (_3559-PS_), states that Rosenberg won
the German National prize in 1937. The creation of this prize was the
Nazis’ petulant reply to the award of the Nobel prize to Carlin
Assietsky, an inmate of a German concentration camp. The citation which
accompanied the award to Rosenberg read as follows:
“Alfred Rosenberg has helped with his publications to lay the
scientific and intuitive foundation and to strengthen the
philosophy of the National Socialist in the most excellent way.
His indefatigable struggle to keep National Socialist philosophy
clean was especially meritorious. Only future times will be able
to fully estimate the depth of the influence of this man on the
philosophical foundation of the National Socialist Reich. The
National Socialist movement, and beyond that, the entire German
people, will be deeply gratified that the Fuehrer has
distinguished Alfred Rosenberg as one of his oldest and most
faithful fighting comrades by awarding him the German National
Prize.” (_3559-PS_)
The contribution which Rosenberg’s book, “The Myth of the Twentieth
Century,” made to Nazi ideological propaganda was appraised in the
November 1942 edition of the official National Socialist book review
publication, “_Bucher Kunde_”, as follows:
“Next to the Fuehrer’s book it has contributed to a unique
extent to the rise and the spiritual and physical development of
this people. Twelve years after Alfred Rosenberg’s ‘Mythus’
first appeared, a million copies of the book have been published
and circulated.”
* * * * * *
“It must therefore be stated that the phrases coined by Alfred
Rosenberg have passed into the consciousness of the whole
people, and it is just today that they are proving pillars of an
ideological building whose completion is the purpose of the
fight being waged not least today.” (_3554-PS_)
The significance of ideological training in promoting the aims of the
conspiracy is emphasized in a brief statement which Hitler made to his
supreme commanders on 23 November 1939. On that occasion, Hitler said:
“The building up of our armed forces was only possible in
connection with the ideological education of the German people
by the Party.” (_789-PS_)
The contribution which Rosenberg made through formulation and
dissemination of National Socialist ideology was fundamental to the
conspiracy. As apostle of neo-paganism, exponent of the drive for
“_Lebensraum_,” glorifier of the myth of nordic superiority, and as one
of the oldest and most energetic Nazi proponents of anti-Semitism, he
contributed materially to unification of the German people behind the
swastika. He provided the impetus and philosophy of National Socialism.
C. _ROSENBERG’S ACTIVITIES ABROAD, THROUGH THE APA, IN PREPARATION FOR
AGGRESSIVE WAR._
Rosenberg also actively contributed toward the preparation for
aggressive war through the international activities of the APA (The
Foreign Policy Office of the NSDAP). Rosenberg became a _Reichsleiter_,
the highest level of rank in the Leadership Corps, and was made chief of
the Foreign Political Office of the NSDAP in April 1933 (_3530-PS_). The
Organizational Manual of the NSDAP (_2319-PS_) describes the functions
of the APA as including the influencing of public opinion abroad so as
to convince foreign nations that Nazi Germany desires peace. The
following excerpt indicates the far-flung activities of the APA:
“* * * II. 1. The APA is divided into three main offices:
“A. Office for Foreign Referats with the Main Offices.
_a._ England and Far East
_b._ Near East
_c._ South East
_d._ North
_e._ Old Orient
_f._ Controls, personnel questions, etc.
“B. Office of the German Academic Exchange Service.
“C. Office of Foreign Commerce.
“2. Moreover, there is in the APA a main office for the press
service and an educational office.” (_2319-PS_)
The Press activities of the APA, designed to influence world opinion in
such a manner as to conceal the conspirators’ true purposes and thus
facilitate the preparation for waging aggressive war, were conducted on
an ambitious scale. “A Short Report on the Activities of the APA of the
NSDAP” describes the press activities as follows:
“* * * _The Press_: The Press Division of the APA is comprised
of persons who together master all the languages that are in
use. Daily they examine approximately 300 newspapers and deliver
to the Fuehrer, the deputy Fuehrer, and all other interested
offices the condensations of the important trends of the entire
world press. I know that these press reports are highly praised
by all who constantly follow them. The Press Division
furthermore conducts an exact archives on the attitudes of the
most important papers of the world and an exact archives on the
most important journalists of the world. Many embarrassments
during conferences in Germany could have been avoided had one
consulted these archives (case of Leumas, Nurnberg, 1934; case
of Dorothy Thompson; and others). Further, the Press Division
was able to arrange a host of interviews as well as conducting a
great number of friendly foreign journalists to the various
official representatives of Germany.” (_003-PS_)
The nature and extent of the activities of the APA are amply disclosed
in a “Report on the Activities of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the
Party from 1933 to 1943,” signed by Rosenberg (_007-PS_). This report
contains a recital of widespread activities in foreign countries. These
activities range from the promotion of economic penetration, to
fomentation of anti-Semitism; from cultural and political infiltration
to the instigation of treason. Activities were carried on throughout the
world and extended to such widely separated points as the Middle East
and Brazil. (_007-PS_)
(1) _Activities in Hungary, Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg._ Much of
the APA’s achievements were brought about through the subtle
exploitation of personal relationship. Activities in Hungary proceeded
as follows:
“* * * _The first foreign state visit after the seizure of power
took place through the mediation of the Foreign Affairs Bureau._
Julius Gombos, who in former years had himself pursued
anti-Semitic and racial tendencies, had reached the Hungarian
Premier’s chair. The Bureau maintained a personal connection
with him.” (_007-PS_)
The APA endeavored to strengthen the War Economy by shifting the source
of food imports to the Balkans:
“Motivated by reasons of War Economy, the Bureau advocated _the
transfer of raw material purchases from overseas_ to the areas
accessible by overland traffic routes, i.e., primarily _in the
Balkans_, naturally insofar as practicable. At first little heed
was paid to the Bureau in these endeavors, but it later secured
the active support especially of the Food Estate [_Naeurstand_].
Through its cooperation, e.g., on the subject of fruit and
vegetable imports, a very substantial shift in the source of
imports was attained, particularly through the currently
initiated cooperation with Croatian and Hungarian cooperatives
as well as with commercial associations all over the Balkans.”
(_007-PS_)
Activities in Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg were confined to
“observation of existing conditions” and “to the establishment of
relations, especially of a commercial nature.” (_007-PS_)
(2) _Activities in Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq._ In Iran the APA
achieved a high degree of economic penetration, in addition to promoting
cultural relations:
“The Bureau’s initiative in developing, with the help of
commercial circles, entirely new methods for the economic
penetration of Iran found expression, in an extraordinarily
favorable way, in reciprocal trade relations.
“Naturally in Germany, too, this initiative at first encountered
a completely negative attitude and resistance on the part of the
competent state authorities, an attitude that had first to be
overcome.
“In the course of a few years the volume of trade with Iran was
multiplied five-fold, and in 1939 Iran’s trade turnover with
Germany had attained first place. Even Soviet Russia, the
competitor who had been biggest and most dreaded previously, had
been eliminated from the running. Concurrently with activation
of commercial relations, the Bureau had also intensified
cultural relations and had, in conjunction with growing
commercial influence and in closest collaboration with the
Iranian Government, created a series of cultural institutions
headed and directed by Germans.” (_007-PS_)
Rosenberg further reports on APA activities in other parts of the world:
“Afghanistan’s neutral position today is largely due to the
Bureau’s activity.”
* * * * * *
“The _Arab question_, too, became part of the work of the
Bureau. In spite of England’s tutelage of _Iraq_ the Bureau
established a series of connections to a number of leading
personalities of the Arab world, smoothing the way for strong
bonds to Germany. In this connection, the growing influence of
the Reich in Iran and Afghanistan did not fail to have
repercussions in Arabia.” (_007-PS_)
In view of the numerous “personal connections” maintained by the Bureau
in many different countries, it is not difficult to surmise what
Rosenberg meant when he stated at the conclusion of his report:
“The Bureau has carried out the initiating of all politically
feasible projects. With the outbreak of war it [the APA] was
entitled to consider its task as terminated. The exploitation of
the many _personal_ connections in many lands can be resumed
under a different guise.
“(Signed) Rosenberg” (_007-PS_)
(3) _Activities in Rumania._ Annex Two of the report deals with
activities in Rumania. Here the APA’s intrigue was more insidious, its
interference in the internal affairs of a foreign nation more
pronounced. After describing the failure of what Rosenberg terms a
“basically sound anti-Semitic tendency”, due to dynastic squabbles and
party fights, Rosenberg describes the APA’s influence in the unification
of conflicting elements:
“What was lacking was the guiding leadership of a political
personality. After manifold groping trials the Bureau believed
to have found such a personality—the former Minister and poet,
Octavian Goga. It was not difficult to convince this poet,
pervaded by instinctive inspiration, that a Greater Rumania,
though it had to be created in opposition to Vienna, could be
maintained only together with Berlin. Nor was it difficult to
create in him the desire to link the fate of Rumania with the
future of the National-Socialist German Reich in good time. By
bringing continuing influence to bear, the Bureau succeeded in
inducing Octavian Goga as well as Professor Cuza to amalgamate
the parties under their leadership on an Anti-Semitic basis.
Thus they could carry on with united strength the struggle for
Rumania’s renascence internally, and her _Anschluss_ with
Germany externally. Through the Bureau’s initiative both
parties, which had heretofore been known by distinct names, were
merged as the National-Christian Party, under Goga’s leadership
and with Cuza as Honorary President.” (_007-PS, Annex II_)
Rosenberg’s man, Goga, was supported by two “splinter parties” which had
not joined the anti-Semitic trend of these two parties. Rosenberg has
this to say:
“_Through intermediaries_, the Bureau _maintained constant
contact_ with both tendencies, just as it constantly consulted
with Goga, through Staff Director [Stabsleiter] Schickendanz,
about tactics to be followed.” (_007-PS, Annex II_)
Goga was appointed Prime Minister by the King in December 1937. The
influence of Rosenberg’s ideology had achieved a major triumph, for he
states:
“_Thus a second government on racial and anti-Semitic
foundations had appeared in Europe, in a country in which such
an event had been considered completely impossible._” (_007-PS,
Annex II_)
Rosenberg’s intrigues made a significant contribution to Nazi
preparations for aggressive war, and the benefit to Germany’s position
in the Balkans was great. Rosenberg reports that upon Goga’s resignation
he left a personal heir in Marshal Antonescu, who was appointed by Goga
as Minister of War against the wishes of the King. Of Antonescu
Rosenberg says:
“After Goga’s resignation, Antonescu still remained in the
king’s cabinet at Goga’s wish. He also maintained continued
relations with the Iron Guard. Thereby the possibility of
eliminating the king was at hand—and was exploited. Antonescu
today appears in practice as executor of the heritage bequested
to him by Goga, who had led him from political insignificance
into the political arena. Thereby a change to Germany’s liking
had become possible in Rumania.
“(Signed) Rosenberg.” (_007-PS_)
It will be recalled that on 5 September 1940 Antonescu became President
of the Rumanian Council of Ministers and immediately suspended the
Rumanian constitution. King Carol abdicated on the following day, and
Rumania existed as a German satellite throughout the war. Rosenberg’s
aims had been achieved.
The substantial contribution which Rosenberg had thus made to Germany’s
strategic plans for aggressive war is evident from a brief review of the
military action which followed in the wake of his political maneuvers.
Shortly after King Carol’s abdication Antonescu “invited” German troops
to “protect” the Rumanian oil fields. When Hungary subscribed to the
Axis pact a few weeks later, Germany acquired a continuous land bridge
to the Black Sea, through Austria, Hungary, and Rumania. When Bulgaria
subscribed to the Pact in March 1941, a German thrust southward through
Yugoslavia and Greece became feasible, for with Hungary, Rumania, and
Bulgaria secure, the entire German eastern flank was safe from attack. A
month later, Yugoslavia and Greece were invaded. Only when they were
overcome was Germany free to attack the Soviet Union. Seven weeks after
the fall of Crete, Germany launched her war on the U.S.S.R. Thus,
Rosenberg’s intrigue in Rumania provided a vital link in the chain of
the German strategy of aggression.
(4) _Relations with Quisling in Norway._ Rosenberg also played a leading
role in the development of fifth-column activities in Norway. He
fostered the development of close relations between Germany and
Quisling, procured financial backing for Quisling’s activities, and
brought him into contact with Raeder and Hitler. Rosenberg kept the
Reich informed as to internal developments in Norway through his
contacts with Hagelin, Quisling’s deputy, and took an active part in the
development of plans for a Quisling coup in Norway. The record is clear
that Rosenberg provided the inspiration and the means for the betrayal
of Norway by Quisling and Hagelin—treason for which the Norwegian
Government has tried, condemned, and executed them. (_007-PS_; _C-64_;
_C-65_; _C-66_; _004-PS_; _957-PS_)
D. _ROSENBERG’S PARTICIPATION IN THE CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT WAR CRIMES AND
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN THE OCCUPIED EASTERN TERRITORIES._
Rosenberg participated in the conspiracy to commit war crimes and crimes
against humanity in the areas of the Occupied East which he administered
for over three years. This area included the Baltic States, White
Ruthenia and the Ukraine, and the Eastern portion of Poland.
(The mass murder and mistreatment of the Eastern peoples, and the
spoliation of their territories is discussed in Chapter X on Forced
Labor, Chapter XIII on Germanization and Spoliation, Chapter XI on
Concentration Camps, Chapter XII on Persecution of the Jews, Section 5
of Chapter XV on the SS, and Section 6 of Chapter XV on the Gestapo and
SD.) Rosenberg bears personal responsibility for these crimes.
Rosenberg may contend that some of these crimes were committed against
his wishes. There is, indeed, some evidence that he protested on
occasion, not out of humanitarian reasons, but on the ground of
political expediency. Rosenberg may also attempt to place the blame for
these crimes on other agencies and other defendants. The documents
prove, however, that he himself formulated the harsh policies in the
execution of which the crimes were committed; that the crimes were
committed for the most part by persons and agencies within his
jurisdiction and control; that the other agencies which participated in
the commission of these crimes were invited by him to cooperate in the
administration of the East, although the brutal methods customarily
employed by them were common knowledge; and that his Ministry lent full
cooperation to their activities despite the criminal methods that were
employed.
(1). _Activities as “Commissioner for the Central Control of Questions
Connected with the East European Region.”_ Rosenberg was actively
participating in the affairs of the East as early as 20 April 1941, two
months prior to the German attack upon the Soviet Union. On that date he
was designated by Hitler as “Commissioner for the Central Control of
Questions connected with the East European Region” (_865-PS_). The
initial preparations undertaken by Rosenberg for fulfillment of his new
task indicate the extent to which he cooperated in promoting the
military plans for aggression. They also show that he understood his
task as requiring the assistance of a multitude of Reich agencies and
that he invited their cooperation.
Shortly after his appointment by Hitler, Rosenberg conducted a series of
conferences with representatives of various Reich agencies (_1039-PS_).
Cooperation of the following agencies in the administration of the
Eastern Territories was contemplated and solicited by Rosenberg:
OKW
OKH
OKM
Ministry of Economy
Commissioner for the Four Year Plan
Ministry of the Interior
Reich Youth Leadership
German Labor Front
Ministry of Labor
The SS
and the SA—(as well as several others). (_1039-PS_)
These arrangements, it should be noted, were made by Rosenberg in his
capacity as Commissioner on Eastern Questions—before the attack on the
Soviet Union, before Rosenberg was appointed Minister of the Occupied
East, and before there was any Occupied Eastern Territory for Germany to
administer.
(_a_) _“Solution” of the Jewish Problem._ Emphasis must be placed on
Rosenberg’s basic attitudes regarding his new task, and the directives
he knew he would be expected to follow. On 29 April 1941 he stated:
“A general treatment is required for the Jewish problem for
which a temporary solution will have to be determined (forced
labor for the Jews, creation of Ghettos, etc.)” (_1024-PS_)
On 8 May 1941, instructions were prepared for all Reich Commissars in
the Occupied Eastern Territories (_1030-PS_). The last paragraph of
these instructions reads as follows:
“From the point of view of cultural policy, the German Reich is
in a position to promote and direct national culture and science
in many fields. It will be necessary that in some territories an
uprooting and resettlement of various racial stocks
[_Voelkerschaften_] will have to be effected.” (_1030-PS_)
In his “Instructions for a Reich Commissar in the Baltic Countries and
White Russia” (officially referred to together as the “Ostland”),
Rosenberg directs that the Ostland be transformed into a part of the
Greater German Reich by Germanizing racially possible elements,
colonizing Germanic races, and banishing undesirable elements.
(_1029-PS_)
In a speech delivered by Rosenberg on 20 June 1941 he stated that the
job of feeding Germans was the top of Germany’s claim on the East; that
there was no obligation to feed also the Russian peoples; that this was
a harsh necessity bare of any feeling; that a very extensive evacuation
would be necessary; and that the future would hold many hard years in
store for the Russians. (_1058-PS_).
On 22 June 1941 the German armies invaded the U.S.S.R.
(_b_) _Deportation of Prisoners of War for Labor in the Reich._ On 4
July 1941 a representative of the Rosenberg Bureau attended a conference
on the subject of mobilization of labor and utilization of Soviet
prisoners of war. A memorandum of this conference (_1199-PS_) states
that among the participants were representatives of the Commissioner for
the Four-Year Plan, of the Reich Labor Ministry, of the Reich Food
Ministry, and of the Rosenberg Bureau. The conference proceeded as
follows:
“After an introduction by Lt. Col. Dr. Krull, Lt. Col. Breyer of
the P.W. department explained that actually there was in effect
a prohibition by the Fuehrer against bringing Russian P.W.’s
into the Reich for mobilization of labor [_Arbeitseinsatz_]; but
that one might count on this prohibition being relaxed a
little.”
* * * * * *
“The chairman summarized the results of the discussion as
indicating that all the interested bureaus unqualifiedly
advocated and supported the demand for utilization of P.W.’s
because of manpower needs [_Arbeitseinsatz_] in the Reich. The
War Economy and Armament office will approach the Commissioner
for the Four-Year Plan with a request for relaxation of the
restrictive regulations and express to the Chief of Operational
Staff of the Armed Forces its point of view, accordingly.”
(_1199-PS_)
(_c_) _Germanization._ On 16 July 1941, the day before Rosenberg’s
appointment as Minister of the Occupied East, he attended a conference
at the Fuehrer’s Headquarters. At that time Hitler stated that
“The Crimea has to be evacuated by all foreigners and to be
settled by Germans alone.” (_L-221_)
Hitler further stated that Germany’s objectives in the East were
three-fold, first, to dominate it; second, to administer it; third, to
exploit it. (_L-221_)
Thus, the character of the administration contemplated for the Occupied
East was well established before Rosenberg took office as Minister of
the Occupied East. He knew of these plans and was in accord with them.
Persecution of the Jews, forced labor of prisoners of war, Germanization
and exploitation were basic points of policy at the time he assumed
office.
(2) _Activities as Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories._ On 17
July 1941 Hitler appointed Rosenberg as Reichsminister for the Occupied
Eastern Territories, territories which included nearly all the area
seized by Germany from the U. S. S. R. (_1997-PS_)
(_a_) _Rosenberg’s complete control over, knowledge of, and
responsibility for all non-military German activities and policies in
the occupied Eastern Territories._ The organizational structure and
chain of responsibility within the Ministry for the Occupied East
emphasizes Rosenberg’s responsibility.
A treatise entitled “The Organization of the Administration of the
Occupied Eastern Territories” (_1056-PS_) is undated and unsigned, but
further information regarding it may be obtained by reference to
document _EC-347_, Goering’s “Green Folder.” Part II, subsection of
_EC-347_ is entitled,
“Excerpts from the Directives of the Reich Minister for the
Occupied Eastern Territories for the Civilian Administration.
(Brown Folder, Pt. I, pp. 25-30).” (_EC-347_)
The two paragraphs which follow are identical to two paragraphs found in
document _1056-PS_. Thus, _1056-PS_ is identified as being a
reproduction of Part I of the Brown Folder which was mentioned in the
“Green Folder,” and was issued by the Reich Minister for the Occupied
Eastern Territories.
The directives issued by the Rosenberg Ministry itself (_1056-PS_) prove
the extent of Rosenberg’s authority: he was the Supreme civilian
authority in the Eastern Territories. There was a continuous chain of
command from Rosenberg down to regional administrative officials,
extending even to the local prison warden (_1056-PS_). The relationship
which existed between the Rosenberg Ministry and other German agencies
varied from full control by Rosenberg, to close cooperation with them
made mandatory by his directives and by Hitler’s orders. Finally, the
various subdivisions of the Ministry, were required to submit
period-reports of the situation within their jurisdiction—so that the
numerous reports of brutality which Rosenberg received were submitted to
him pursuant to his orders. (_1056-PS_)
The treatise on the organization of Rosenberg’s ministry states as
follows:
“The newly occupied Eastern Territories are subordinated to the
Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories. By
directions of the Fuehrer he establishes a civil administration
there upon withdrawal of the military administration. He heads
and supervises the entire administration of this area and
represents the sovereignty of the Reich in the occupied Eastern
Territories.”
* * * * * *
“To the Reich Ministry is assigned a deputy of the Reich Leader
SS and Chief of the German Police in the Reich Ministry of the
Interior.” (_1056-PS_)
The responsibility of the Reich Commissars is described as follows:
“In the Reich Commissariats, Reich Commissars are responsible
for the entire civil administration under the supreme authority
of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories.
According to the instructions of the Reich Minister for the
Occupied Eastern Territories the Reich Commissar, as a
functionary of the Reich, heads and supervises, within his
precincts, the entire civil administration. Within the scope of
these instructions he acts on his own responsibility.
“Subordinate offices of the Reich Commissar are:
“General Commissariats,
“Main Commissariats,
“District Commissariats.” (_1056-PS_)
The SS was placed under Rosenberg’s jurisdiction and control:
“The Higher SS- and Police Leader is directly subordinated to
the Reich Commissar. However, the Chief of Staff has the general
right to secure information from him also. His official title
is:
‘The Reich Commissar for the Eastern Territory The Higher
SS- and Police Leader.’
“Great stress is to be placed on close cooperation between him,
the Chief of Staff, and the other Main Department Heads of the
office of the Reich Commissar, particularly with the one for
Policies.” (_1056-PS_)
The scope of Rosenberg’s control over the SS in the Occupied Eastern
Territories is revealed in a decree signed by Rosenberg, dated 17 July
1941, and found in the _Verordnungsblatt_ of the Reich Minister for the
Occupied East, 1942 #2, pages 7 and 8. This decree provides for the
creation of summary courts-martial to punish crimes committed by
non-Germans in the East, as determined by the Reich Commissar. The
courts are to be presided over by a police officer or an SS leader, who
have authority to order the death sentence and confiscation of property,
and whose decisions are not subject to appeal. The General Commissar is
given the right to reject a summary Courts’ decision. Thus, the
determination of the SS is subordinated to the authority of Rosenberg’s
Ministry.
The position of the General Commissar is defined as follows in the
organizational treatise:
“The General Commissar forms the administrative office of
intermediate appeal. Within his jurisdiction he heads the
administration according to the general directives of the Reich
Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories and the
prescriptions of the Reich Commissar.”
* * * * * *
“The SS- and _Police Leader_ assigned to the General Commissar
is directly subordinated to him; however, the Chief of Staff has
the general right of requiring information from him.”
(_1056-PS_)
Regional Commissars are described as follows:
“The Regional Commissar heads the entire administration of the
lower administrative office in the Circuit District
[_Kreisgebiet_] in accordance with the instructions of the
General Commissar and the superior offices * * *. The leader of
the police unit assigned to him is directly subordinated to
him.” (_1056-PS_)
Main Commissars are described in these terms:
“Upon recommendation by the Reich Commissar the Reich Minister
for the Occupied Eastern Territories appoints Main Commissars
for Main Districts formed by the consolidation of several
Circuit Districts.” (_1056-PS_)
The order of superiority in the service among these various officials is
stated as follows:
“The Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories is the
service superior of the Reich Commissar and the officials and
the employees subordinate to them. The Reich Commissar is the
superior of all officials and employees of his office and of the
offices subordinate to him. The General Commissar is the
superior of the officials and employees of his office and of the
officials and employees of the offices of the Main and Regional
Commissars. The Main Commissar and the Regional Commissar are
the superior of the officials and employees of their offices.”
(_1056-PS_)
Thus, there is a continuous chain of command and of accountability from
the Reich Minister, Rosenberg, down through each subdivision of the
Ministry.
Furthermore, Rosenberg had authority to legislate for the entire area,
and the jurisdiction of his Ministry was exclusive, aside from that of
the military. The organizational treatise states:
“The Reich Commissars, General Commissars, Main Commissars and
Regional Commissars (City Commissars) are—aside from the
military agencies—the only Reich authorities
[_Reichsbehoerden_] in the Occupied Eastern Territories. Other
Reich authorities may not be established alongside them. They
handle all questions of administration of the area which is
subordinate to their sovereignty and all affairs which concern
the organization and activity of the administration including
those of the Police in the supervision of the native
[_landeseigenen_] agencies and organizations, and of the
population.
“The Reich Minister governs the occupied Eastern Territories by
order of the Fuehrer. He can make the law for all the
territories.” (_1056-PS_)
The following passage shows that the economic exploitation of the
territory was undertaken in fullest cooperation with the Commissioner of
the Four-Year Plan:
“The Fuehrer has entrusted Reich Marshal Hermann Goering, as
Commissioner for the Four Year Plan, with the supervision of the
tasks of the war economy in the Occupied Eastern Territories.
The economic inspectorates and economic commands are active
there as his representatives [_Organe_] [see Green Folio]. These
economic inspectorates and economic commands will be
substantially absorbed in the agencies of the civil
administration after the establishment of the civil
administration.” (_1056-PS_)
Careful provision was made for channeling to Rosenberg complete and
accurate information as to the situation throughout the territory
governed by him:
“The Reich and General Commissars will determine the periods at
which the subordinate agencies are to report regularly about the
general situation without prejudice to the duty to provide
individual reports and special delivery reports (at first, at
short intervals which can be later lengthened). At first the
Reich Commissars will give the Reich Minister for the Occupied
Eastern Territories a comprehensive report on the situation in
brief form twice a month, on the first and fifteenth of each
month. The Reich Minister is to be given a report by the Reich
Commissar immediately about incidents of an especially important
nature. The General Commissars and Regional Commissars must
report directly to the Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern
Territories by the quickest means particularly important
incidents, as, for example, widespread unrest, more important
acts of sabotage and strikes, great natural catastrophes and the
like, and at the same time report them to the next superior
agency.” (_1056-PS_)
The Second Section of this organizational treatise, entitled “Working
directives for the Civil Administration,” contains this statement:
“* * * the Hague Rules of Land Warfare which deal with the
administration of a country occupied by a foreign armed power
are not valid.” (_1056-PS_; _EC-347_)
The document continues as follows:
“The handling of cases of sabotage is the concern of the Senior
SS- and Police Leader, of the SS- and Police Leader and/or the
police leaders of the lower echelon. Insofar, however, as
collective measures against the population of a definite region
appear appropriate, the decision about them rests with the
competent Commissar on the proposal of the Police Leader. The
calling of the population for the tasks of guarding can be
ordered by the Regional Commissar.
“The assessment of fines of money or goods, as well as the
ordering of the seizure of hostages and the shooting of
inhabitants of the territory in which the acts of sabotage have
taken place, can only be by the General Commissar, insofar as
the Reich Commissar himself does not intervene.”
* * * * * *
“The District Commissar is responsible for the supervision of
all prisons, insofar as the Reich Commissar does not decree
otherwise.” (_1056-PS_; _EC-347_)
(_b_) _Rosenberg’s Use of His Authority and Power for Criminal
Purposes._ The manner in which Rosenberg’s authority and power were
wielded is illustrated in other sections of this volume, which show that
in the Eastern Territories millions of Jews were exterminated; that
millions of slave laborers were pressed into service under indescribable
conditions; that the populace was degraded, starved, beaten, and
murdered; and that the country was stripped of its resources. However,
in order to illustrate the manner in which Rosenberg participated in the
criminal activities conducted within his jurisdiction, four examples may
be mentioned.
_1. Seizure of Jewish Property._ The first illustration is
contained in the decree signed by Lohse, Reichscommissar for the
Ostland, which is published in the _Verordnungsblatt_ of the
Reichscommissar for the Ostland, 1942, No. 38, pages 158 and
159. This decree provides for the seizure of the entire property
of the Jewish population in the Ostland, including the claims of
Jews against third parties. The seizure was made retroactive to
the day of the occupation of the territory by the German troops.
This sweeping decree was issued and published by Rosenberg’s
immediate subordinate, and it must be assumed that Rosenberg
knew of it and acquiesced in it. The power to enact such a
decree, as previously outlined, arose by virtue of delegation of
that power by Rosenberg to the Reichscommissar.
_2. Extermination of Jews._ The second illustration is the
report of the prison warden of Minsk that 516 German and Russian
Jews had been killed. The warden called attention to the fact
that valuable gold had been lost due to the failure to knock out
the tooth-fillings of the victims before they were done away
with (_R-135_).
_3. Deportations for Forced Labor._ The third illustration is a
letter which Rosenberg wrote to Sauckel on 21 December 1942 in
the following terms:
“I thank you very much for your report on the execution
of the great task given to you, and I am glad to hear
that in carrying out your mission you have always found
the necessary support, even on the part of the civilian
authorities in the occupied Eastern territories. For
myself and the officials under my command this
collaboration was and is self-evident, especially since
both you and I have, with regard to the solution of the
labor problem in the East, represented the same
view-points from the beginning.” (_018-PS_)
As late as 11 July 1944 the Rosenberg Ministry was actively
concerned with the continuation of the forced labor program in
spite of the retreat from the East. A letter from Alfred Meyer,
Rosenberg’s deputy, addressed to Sauckel, dated 11 July 1944
shows that this time it is Rosenberg’s Ministry that is urging
action:
“1. * * * The war employment command
[_Kriegseinsatzkommando_] formerly stationed in Minsk
must continue under all circumstances the calling in of
your white Ruthenian and Russian manpower for military
employment in the Reich. In addition, the command has
the mission to bring young boys of 10-14 years of age to
the Reich.” (_199-PS_)
_4. Economic Exploitation._ The final illustration of
Rosenberg’s criminal responsibility is contained in a secret
letter from Rosenberg to Bormann dated 17 October 1944
(_327-PS_). It furnishes a graphic account of Rosenberg’s
activities in the economic exploitation of the Occupied East.
The first paragraph reads:
“In order not to delay the liquidation of companies
under my supervision, I beg to point out that the
companies concerned are not private firms but business
enterprises of the Reich, so that also actions with
regard to them, just as with regard to government
offices, are reserved to the highest authorities of the
Reich. I supervise the following companies * * *.”
(_327-PS_)
There follows a list of nine companies—a trading company, an
agricultural development Company, a supply company, a
pharmaceutical company, and five banking concerns. The mission
of the trading company is stated to be:
“Collection of all agricultural products as well as
commercial marketing and transportation thereof.
(Delivery to armed forces and the Reich.)” (_327-PS_)
The letter continues as follows:
“During this period, the Z.O. (Central Trading
Corporation), together with its subsidiaries, has
collected:
“Grain 9,200,000 tons
Meat and meat products 622,000 tons
Linseed 950,000 tons
Butter 208,000 tons
Sugar 400,000 tons
Fodder 2,500,000 tons
Potatoes 3,200,000 tons
Seeds 141,000 tons
Other agricultural products 1,200,000 tons
and 1,075,000,000 eggs
“The following was required for transportation:
“1,418,000 railroad box cars and 472,000 tons of boat
shipping space.” (_327-PS_)
* * * * *
LEGAL REFERENCES AND LIST OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO ALFRED ROSENBERG
│ │ │
Document │ Description │ Vol. │ Page
│ │ │
│Charter of the International Military │ │
│ Tribunal, Article 6. │ I │ 5
│International Military Tribunal, │ │
│ Indictment Number 1, Section IV (H);│ │
│ Appendix A. │ I │ 29, 59
│ ———— │ │
│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
│ │ │
*003-PS │Report of activity of NSDAP Bureau for│ │
│Foreign Affairs, October 1939. (USA │ │
│603) │ III │ 10
│ │ │
*004-PS │Report submitted by Rosenberg to │ │
│Deputy of the Fuehrer, 15 June 1940, │ │
│on the Political Preparation of the │ │
│Norway Action. (GB 140) │ III │ 19
│ │ │
*007-PS │Report on activities of the Foreign │ │
│Affairs Bureau from 1933 to 1943 │ │
│signed Rosenberg. (GB 84) │ III │ 27
│ │ │
016-PS │Sauckel’s Labor Mobilization Program, │ │
│20 April 1942. (USA 168) │ III │ 46
│ │ │
*017-PS │Letter from Sauckel to │ │
│Reichsministerfor the Occupied Eastern│ │
│Territories, 5 October 1942, │ │
│concerning mobilization of foreign │ │
│labor forces. (USA 180) │ III │ 60
│ │ │
*018-PS │Letter from Rosenberg to Sauckel, 21 │ │
│December 1942, concerning labor in the│ │
│East. (USA 186) │ III │ 61
│ │ │
*019-PS │Letter from Sauckel to Rosenberg, 17 │ │
│March 1943, concerning draft of │ │
│workers from the East. (USA 181) │ III │ 65
│ │ │
*031-PS │Memorandum, 12 June 1944, concerning │ │
│evacuation of youths from the │ │
│territory of Army Group “Center”, and │ │
│interoffice memorandum, Ministry for │ │
│Occupied Eastern Territories, 14 June │ │
│1944. (USA 171) │ III │ 71
│ │ │
*054-PS │Report to Reich Ministry for Occupied │ │
│Eastern Territories, 7 October 1942, │ │
│concerning treatment of Ukrainian │ │
│Specialists. (USA 198) │ III │ 90
│ │ │
*064-PS │Bormann’s letter to Rosenberg, 27 │ │
│September 1940, enclosing letter from │ │
│Gauleiter Florian criticizing churches│ │
│and publications for soldiers. (USA │ │
│359) │ III │ 109
│ │ │
*070-PS │Letter of Deputy Fuehrer to Rosenberg,│ │
│25 April 1941, on substitution of │ │
│National Socialist mottos for morning │ │
│prayers in schools. (USA 349) │ III │ 118
│ │ │
*072-PS │Bormann letter to Rosenberg, 19 April │ │
│1941, concerning confiscation of │ │
│property, especially of art treasures │ │
│in the East. (USA 357) │ III │ 122
│ │ │
084-PS │Interdepartmental report of Ministry │ │
│for Occupied Eastern Territories, 30 │ │
│September 1942, concerning status of │ │
│Eastern laborers. (USA 199) │ III │ 130
│ │ │
*089-PS │Letter from Bormann to Rosenberg, 8 │ │
│March 1940, instructing Amann not to │ │
│issue further newsprint to │ │
│confessional newspapers. (USA 360) │ III │ 147
│ │ │
*098-PS │Bormann’s letter to Rosenberg, 22 │ │
│February 1940, urging creation of │ │
│National Socialist Catechism, etc. to │ │
│provide moral foundation for NS │ │
│religion. (USA 350) │ III │ 152
│ │ │
*101-PS │Letter from Hess’ office signed │ │
│Bormann to Rosenberg, 17 January 1940,│ │
│concerning undesirability of religious│ │
│literature for members of the │ │
│Wehrmacht. (USA 361) │ III │ 160
│ │ │
*122-PS │Bormann’s letter to Rosenberg, 17 │ │
│April 1939, enclosing copy of Minister│ │
│of Education letter, 6 April 1939, on │ │
│elimination of theological faculties │ │
│in various universities. (USA 362) │ III │ 173
│ │ │
*199-PS │Letter from Alfred Meyer to Sauckel, │ │
│11 July 1944, concerning forced labor │ │
│of children. (USA 606) │ III │ 213
│ │ │
*212-PS │Memorandum from Rosenberg file │ │
│concerning instructions for treatment │ │
│of Jews. (USA 272) │ III │ 222
│ │ │
*254-PS │Letter from Raab to Reichsministerfor │ │
│Occupied Eastern Territories, 7 June │ │
│1944, concerning burning of houses in │ │
│Wassilkow district. (USA 188) │ III │ 231
│ │ │
265-PS │Memorandum of oral report by Lyser to │ │
│Rosenberg, 30 June 1943, on situation │ │
│in district Shitomir. (USA 191) │ III │ 234
│ │ │
*290-PS │Letter from Rosenberg Ministry, 12 │ │
│November 1943, concerning burning of │ │
│houses in Mueller’s district. (USA │ │
│189) │ III │ 240
│ │ │
*294-PS │Top secret memorandum signed by │ │
│Brautigam, 25 October 1942, concerning│ │
│conditions in Russia. (USA 185) │ III │ 242
│ │ │
*327-PS │Letter of Rosenberg to Bormann, 17 │ │
│October 1944, concerning liquidation │ │
│of property in Eastern Occupied │ │
│Territories. (USA 338) │ III │ 257
│ │ │
342-PS │Decree, 13 October 1941, concerning │ │
│confiscation of Jewish property. │ III │ 264
│ │ │
*789-PS │Speech of the Fuehrer at a conference,│ │
│23 November 1939, to which all Supreme│ │
│Commanders were ordered. (USA 23) │ III │ 572
│ │ │
*865-PS │Correspondence between Keitel, │ │
│Rosenberg and Lammers, April 1941, │ │
│concerning appointment of Jodl and │ │
│Warlimont as OKW representatives with │ │
│Rosenberg. (USA 143) │ III │ 621
│ │ │
*957-PS │Rosenberg’s letter to Ribbentrop, 24 │ │
│February 1940. (GB 139) │ III │ 641
│ │ │
1015-B-PS │Report on activities of Special Staff │ │
│for Pictorial Art, October 1940 to │ │
│July 1944. │ III │ 666
│ │ │
*1017-PS │Memorandum entitled “Memorial No. 1 │ │
│regarding USSR”, 2 April 1941, found │ │
│in Rosenberg’s “Russia File”. (USA │ │
│142) │ III │ 674
│ │ │
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
│ │ │
*1029-PS │Paper entitled “Instructions for a │ │
│Reich Commissar in the Baltic States”,│ │
│8 May 1941, found in Rosenberg’s │ │
│“Russia File”. (USA 145) │ III │ 690
│ │ │
*1030-PS │General instructions for all Reich │ │
│Commissars in the Occupied Eastern │ │
│Territories, 8 May 1941, found in │ │
│Rosenberg file. (USA 144) │ III │ 692
│ │ │
*1039-PS │Report concerning preparatory work │ │
│regarding problems in Eastern │ │
│Territories, 28 June 1941, found in │ │
│Rosenberg’s “Russia File”. (USA 146) │ III │ 695
│ │ │
*1056-PS │Directives concerning administration │ │
│of Occupied Eastern Territories (Brown│ │
│Folder). (USA 605) │ III │ 701
│ │ │
*1058-PS │Excerpt from a speech, 20 June 1941, │ │
│by Rosenberg before people most │ │
│intimately concerned with Eastern │ │
│Problem, found in his “Russia File”. │ │
│(USA 147) │ III │ 716
│ │ │
*1104-PS │Memorandum, 21 November 1941, │ │
│enclosing copies of report concerning │ │
│anti-Jewish action in Minsk. (USA 483)│ III │ 783
│ │ │
1188-PS │Decree of Fuehrer concerning economy │ │
│in newly Occupied Eastern Territories,│ │
│20 May 1941, and attached comment. │ III │ 832
│ │ │
1199-PS │Conference memorandum, 4 July 1941, │ │
│concerning utilization of Soviet PW’s │ │
│for forced labor in Reich. (USA 604) │ III │ 840
│ │ │
*1752-PS │Preparation for International │ │
│Anti-Jewish Congress, 15 June 1944. │ │
│(GB 159) │ IV │ 280
│ │ │
*1997-PS │Decree of the Fuehrer, 17 July 1941, │ │
│concerning administration of Newly │ │
│Occupied Eastern Territories. (USA │ │
│319) │ IV │ 634
│ │ │
*2319-PS │Extracts from Organization Book of │ │
│NSDAP, 4th edition, 1937. (USA 602) │ IV │ 1009
│ │ │
*2349-PS │Extracts from “The Myth of 20th │ │
│Century” by Alfred Rosenberg, 1941. │ │
│(USA 352) │ IV │ 1069
│ │ │
*2433-PS │Extracts from “Nature, Foundation and │ │
│Aims of NSDAP” by Rosenberg, 1934. │ │
│(USA 596) │ V │ 93
│ │ │
*2523-PS │Account of conversations between │ │
│Goering and Bunjes. (USA 783) │ V │ 258
│ │ │
*2777-PS │Article: Space Policy by Rosenberg, │ │
│published in National Socialist │ │
│Monthly, May 1932, p. 199. (USA 594) │ V │ 418
│ │ │
*2886-PS │Excerpt from “The Work of Alfred │ │
│Rosenberg”—a bibliography. (USA 591) │ V │ 551
│ │ │
*2889-PS │The Jew Question as World Problem, │ │
│speech by Rosenberg, published in │ │
│Voelkischer Beobachter, Munich │ │
│edition, 29 March 1941. (USA 595) │ V │ 554
│ │ │
2891-PS │Extracts from Rosenberg’s “Myth of the│ │
│20th Century”. │ V │ 558
│ │ │
*3000-PS │Report, from Chief of Main Office III │ │
│with the High Command in Minsk to │ │
│Reicke, 28 June 1943, on experiences │ │
│in political and economic problems in │ │
│the East, particularly White Ruthenia.│ │
│(USA 192) │ V │ 726
│ │ │
3054-PS │“The Nazi Plan”, script of a motion │ │
│picture composed of captured German │ │
│film. (USA 167) │ V │ 801
│ │ │
*3428-PS │Letter from Kube, 31 July 1942, │ │
│concerning combatting of Partisans and│ │
│action against Jews in White Ruthenia.│ │
│(USA 827) │ VI │ 131
│ │ │
*3528-PS │Extract concerning NSDAP community │ │
│schools, from The Third Reich, 1934. │ │
│(USA 599) │ VI │ 213
│ │ │
*3529-PS │Extract concerning Adolf Hitler │ │
│Schools, from Documents of German │ │
│Politics. (USA 365) │ VI │ 214
│ │ │
*3530-PS │Extract containing biographical data │ │
│of Alfred Rosenberg, from The German │ │
│Leader Lexicon, 1934-35. (USA 593) │ VI │ 214
│ │ │
*3531-PS │Extract from the National Socialist │ │
│Yearbook, 1938, concerning Rosenberg’s│ │
│office for ideological training. (USA │ │
│597) │ VI │ 215
│ │ │
*3532-PS │Extract from The Educational Letter, │ │
│March 1934, concerning importance of │ │
│ideological training. (USA 598) │ VI │ 216
│ │ │
*3552-PS │Education in the Ordensburg, from The │ │
│Third Reich. (USA 577) │ VI │ 240
│ │ │
*3553-PS │Extract from The Myth of the 20th │ │
│Century. (USA 352) │ VI │ 240
│ │ │
*3554-PS │Extracts from The Myth of the 20th │ │
│Century, published in Book News, No. │ │
│11, November 1942. (USA 601) │ VI │ 242
│ │ │
*3557-PS │Extracts from Dates in History of │ │
│NSDAP, 1939, pp. 4-5. (USA 592). │ VI │ 243
│ │ │
3559-PS │Award of German National Prize, from │ │
│Alfred Rosenberg’s The Man and His │ │
│Work. (USA 600) │ VI │ 243
│ │ │
3766-PS │Report prepared by the German Army in │ │
│France 1942 concerning removal of │ │
│French art objects through the German │ │
│Embassy and the Einsatzstab Rosenberg │ │
│in France. │ VI │ 646
│ │ │
*3780-PS │Record of Fuehrer’s conference with │ │
│Oshima, 27 May 1944, concerning │ │
│Japanese treatment of American terror │ │
│pilots. (GB 293) │ VI │ 655
│ │ │
*C-64 │Raeder’s report, 12 December 1939, on │ │
│meeting of Naval Staff with Fuehrer. │ │
│(GB 86) │ VI │ 884
│ │ │
*C-65 │Notes of Rosenberg to Raeder │ │
│concerning visit of Quisling. (GB 85) │ VI │ 885
│ │ │
*C-66 │Memorandum from Raeder to Assman, 10 │ │
│January 1944, concerning “Barbarossa” │ │
│and “Weseruebung”. (GB 81) │ VI │ 887
│ │ │
*EC-347 │Directives for operation of the │ │
│Economy in Occupied Eastern │ │
│Territories. (USA 320) │ VII │ 421
│ │ │
*L-188 │Report of 8 August 1944, on │ │
│confiscation up to 31 July 1944. (USA │ │
│386) │ VII │ 1022
│ │ │
*L-221 │Bormann report on conference of 16 │ │
│July 1941, concerning treatment of │ │
│Eastern populations and territories. │ │
│(USA 317) │ VII │ 1086
│ │ │
*M-153 │Year Book of the Ausland (Foreign) │ │
│Organization of the NSDAP for 1942. │ │
│(GB 284) │ VIII │ 48
│ │ │
*M-156 │Year Book of the Ausland (Foreign) │ │
│Organization of the NSDAP for 1942. │ │
│(GB 284) │ VIII │ 49
│ │ │
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
│ │ │
*Chart No. 1 │National Socialist German Workers’ │ │
│Party. (2903-PS; USA 2) │ VIII │ 770
│ │ │
*Chart No. 17 │Foreign Organization of the NSDAP. │
│(2354-PS; USA 430) │ End of VIII
8. HANS FRANK
A. _FRANK HELD A POSITION OF LEADERSHIP IN THE NATIONALSOZIALISTISCHE
DEUTSCHE ARBEITERPARTEI (NSDAP) AND IN THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT._
Frank held the following positions in the NSDAP and the German
Government:
(1) Member of NSDAP, 1928-1945.
(2) Member of the Reichstag, 1930-1945.
(3) Reich Minister Without Portfolio, 1934-1945.
(4) Reich Commissar for the Coordination of the State Administration of
Justice and for Reformation of the Law (_Reichskommisar fuer die
Gleichschaltung der Justiz in der Landern und fuer Erneuerung der
Rechtsordnung_), April 1933-December 1934, in the Ministry of Justice.
(5) President, International Chamber of Law, 1941-42.
(6) President, Academy of German Law (_Praesident der Akademie fuer
Deutsches Recht_), 1933-1942.
(7) Governor-General of the Occupied Polish Territories (_General
Gouverneur fuer die besetzten polnischen Gebiete_), October 1939-1945.
(8) Bavarian State Minister of Justice, March 1933-December 1934.
(9) Reichsleiter of NSDAP, 1933-1942.
(10) Leader of the National Socialist Lawyers League (_Bund
Nationalsozialistischer deutscher Juristen_), 1933-1942.
(11) Editor or author of the following between 1930 and 1942:
(_a_) “_Deutsches Recht_” (Magazine of National Socialist Jurist League)
(_b_) Magazine of the Academy of German Law.
(_c_) National Socialist Handbook for Law and Legislation. (_2979-PS_)
B. _FRANK PROMOTED THE SEIZURE OF POWER BY THE NAZI CONSPIRATORS. AS THE
LEADING NAZI JURIST, HE FURTHERED THE REALIZATION OF THE CONSPIRATORS’
PROGRAM IN THE FIELD OF LAW._
Frank himself described his role in the Nazi struggle for power in the
following words in August 1942:
“I have since 1920 continually dedicated my work to the NSDAP. *
* * As National Socialist I was a participant in the events of
November 1923, for which I received the _Blutorden_. After the
resurrection of the movement in the year 1925, my real greater
activity in the movement began, which made me, first gradually,
later almost exclusively, the legal advisor of the Fuehrer and
of the Reich leadership of the NSDAP. I thus was the
representative of legal interests of the growing Third Reich in
a legal ideological as well as practical legal way. * * * The
culmination of this work I see in the big Leipzig Army Trial in
which I succeeded in having the Fuehrer admitted to the famous
oath of legality, a circumstance which gave the Movement the
legal grounds to expand generously. The Fuehrer indeed
recognized this achievement and in 1926 made me leader of the
National Socialist Lawyers League; in 1929 Reich Leader of the
Reich Legal Office of the NSDAP; in 1933 Bavarian Minister of
Justice; in the same year Reich Commissioner of Justice; in 1934
President of the Academy of German Law founded by me; in
December 1934 Reich Minister Without Portfolio; and in 1939 I
was finally appointed to Governor General for the occupied
Polish territories.
“So I was, am and will remain the representative jurist of the
struggle period of National Socialism. * * *
“I profess myself now, and always, as a National Socialist and a
faithful follower of the Fuehrer Adolf Hitler, whom I have now
served since 1919.” (_2233-X-PS_)
Frank’s Diary, from which this quotation is taken, to which frequent
reference is made in this section, is the official journal, kept at
Frank’s direction, of his administration in the General Government. It
consists of 38 volumes in which are recorded the official texts of
speeches, transcripts of conferences, minutes of cabinet sessions, etc.
The volumes are divided into several concurrent series (_Tagebuch,
Abteilungsleitersitzungen_ etc.) which cover the several aspects of the
official business of the administration.
As the “representative jurist of the struggle period of National
Socialism” and in the various juridical capacities listed in the
preceding section, Frank was between 1933 and 1939 the most prominent
policy-maker in the field of German legal theory.
In 1934 Frank founded the Academy of German Law, of which he was
president until 1942. The statute defining the functions of the Academy
conferred on it wide power to coordinate juridical policies:
“It is the task of the Academy for German Law to further the
rejuvenation of the Law in Germany. Closely connected with the
agencies competent for legislation, it shall further the
realization of the National Socialist Program in the realm of
Law. This task shall be carried out through well-fixed
scientific methods.
“The Academy’s task shall cover primarily:
“1. The composition, the initiation, judging and preparing of
drafts of law.
“2. The collaboration in rejuvenating and unifying the training
in jurisprudence and political science.
“3. The editing and supporting of scientific publications.
“4. The financial assistance for research and work in specific
fields of Law and Political Economy.
“5. The organization of scientific meetings and the organization
of courses.
“6. The cultivation of connections to similar institutions in
foreign countries”. (_1391-PS_)
What Frank as policy-maker in the field of law conceived as his task he
explained in a radio address on 20 March 1934:
“The first task was that of establishing a unified German State.
It was an outstanding historical and juristic—political
accomplishment on the part of our Fuehrer that he reached boldly
into the development of history and thereby eliminated the
sovereignty of the various German states. . . .
“The second fundamental law of the Hitler Reich is racial
legislation. The National Socialists were the first ones in the
entire history of human law to elevate the concept of race to
the status of a legal term. The German nation, unified racially
and nationally, will in the future be legally protected against
any further disintegration of the German race stock. . . .
“The sixth fundamental law was the legal elimination of those
political organizations which within the state, during the
period of the reconstruction of the people and the Reich, were
once able to place their selfish aims ahead of the common good
of the nation. This elimination has taken place entirely
legally. It is not the coming to the fore of despotic tendencies
but it was the necessary legal consequence of a clear political
result, of the 14 years’ struggle of the NSDAP.
“In accordance with these unified legal aims in all spheres,
particular efforts have for months now been made as regards the
work of the great reform of the entire field of German law. * *
*” (_2536-PS_)
Frank concluded his remarks by pointing out that the outward forms of
legality could be preserved in building the Nazi state:
“As a leader of the German Jurists I am convinced that together
with all strata of the German people, we shall be able to
construct the legal state of Adolf Hitler in every respect and
to such an extent that no one in the world will at any time be
able to attack this legal state as regards its laws”.
(_2536-PS_)
In his speech at the Congress of the Reich Group of University
Professors of the National Socialist Jurists’ League on 3 October 1936,
Frank explained the necessity for excluding Jews from the legal field:
“* * * this topic embraces all that which in our opinion will
contribute to establishing National Socialism in the field of
jurisprudence, thus eliminating any alien racial spirit
therefrom. * * *
“We National Socialists have started with anti-Semitism in our
fight to free the German people, to re-establish a German Reich
and to build our entire German spiritual, cultural and social
life on the indestructible foundation of our race. We started a
gigantic battle in 1919 * * * It took all the self-confidence of
German manhood to withstand and to triumph—in this fight to
substitute the German spirit for Jewish corruption over the
concerted attacks of powerful world groups of which Jewry is a
representative.
“Particularly we National Socialist Jurists have a mission of
our own to accomplish in this battle. We construct German law on
the foundations of old and vital elements of the German people.
* * *
“It is so obvious that it hardly needs mentioning that any
participation whatsoever of the Jew in German law—be it in a
creative, interpretative, educational or critical capacity—is
impossible. The elimination of the Jews from German
jurisprudence is in no way due to hatred or envy but to the
understanding that the influence of the Jew on German life is
essentially a pernicious and harmful one and that in the
interests of the German people and to protect its future an
unequivocal boundary must be drawn between us and the Jews.”
(_2536-PS_)
As the leading Nazi jurist, Frank accepted and promoted the system of
concentration camps and of arrest without warrant. In an article on
“Legislation and Judiciary in the Third Reich” published in the Journal
of the Academy of German Law in 1936, Frank explained:
“To the world we are blamed again and again because of the
concentration camps. We are asked, ‘Why do you arrest without a
warrant of arrest?’ I say, put yourselves into the position of
our nation. Don’t forget that the very great and still untouched
world of Bolshevism cannot forget that we have made final
victory for them impossible in Europe, right here on German
soil.” (_2533-PS_)
Just as the other conspirators mobilized the military, economic, and
diplomatic resources of Germany for war, Frank, in the field of legal
policy, geared the German juridical machine for a war of aggression,
which, as he explained in 1942 to the NSDAP District _Standortsfuehrung_
Galicia at a mass meeting in Lemberg, had for its purpose:
“* * * to expand the living space for our people in a natural
manner”. (_2233-S-PS_)
Frank was proud of this accomplishment. In a speech before the Academy
of German Law in November 1939, he stated:
“Today we are proud to have formulated our legal principles from
the very beginning in such a way that they need not be changed
in the case of war. For the rule, that right is that which is
useful to the nation, and wrong is that which harms it, which
stood at the beginning of our legal work, and which established
this collective term of nation as the only standard of value of
the law—this rule dominates also the law of these times.”
(_3445-PS_)
C. _THROUGH USE OF HIS OFFICE AS GOVERNOR GENERAL, FRANK PARTICIPATED IN
THE CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN THE
TERRITORY OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT OF POLAND._
Certain of the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the
Nazi conspirators, and in particular by Frank in the General Government
of Poland are discussed in Chapter X on the Slave Labor Program, Chapter
XI on Concentration Camps, Chapter XII on Persecution of the Jews, and
Chapter XIII on Germanization and Spoliation. This section will attempt
to trace Frank’s special responsibility, as Governor General, for the
policies underlying the crimes committed in the General Government
during the period of his administration.
Frank was appointed Governor General of the Occupied Polish Territories
by a Hitler decree dated 12 October 1939. The scope of his executive
power was defined as follows:
“Section 1. The territories occupied by German troops shall be
subject to the authority of the Governor General of the occupied
Polish territories, except insofar as they are incorporated
within the German Reich.
“Section 2. (1) I appoint Reich Minister Dr. Frank as Governor
General of the occupied Polish territories. (2) As Deputy
Governor General I appoint Reich Minister Dr. Seyss-Inquart.
“Section 3. (1) The Governor General shall be directly
responsible to me. (2) All branches of the administration shall
be directed by the Governor General * * *.”(_2537-PS_)
The jurisdiction and functions of Frank in the General Government are
described by him in several passages of his diary. For example at a
meeting of Department Heads of the General Government on 8 March 1940 in
the _Bergakademie_, Frank clarified his status as follows:
“One thing is certain. The authority of General Government as
the representative of the Fuehrer and the will of the Reich in
this territory is certainly strong, and I have always emphasized
that I would not tolerate the misuse of this authority. I have
allowed this to be known anew at every office in Berlin,
especially after Herr Field Marshall Goering on 12.2.1940 from
Karin-hall had forbidden all Administrative Offices of the
Reich, including the Police and even the _Wehrmacht_, to
interfere in administrative matters of the General Government *
* *.
“There is no authority here in the General Government which is
higher as to rank, influence, and authority than that of the
Governor General. Even the _Wehrmacht_ has no governmental or
official functions of any kind in this connection; it has only
security functions and general military duties—it has no
political power whatsoever. The same applies here to the Police
and SS. There is here no state within a state but we are the
representatives of the Fuehrer and of the Reich. In final
conclusion, this applies also to the Party which has here no
far-reaching influence except for the fact that very old members
of the National Socialist Party and loyal veterans of the
Fuehrer take care of general matters.” (_2233-M-PS_)
At a conference of the District _Standartenfuehrer_ of the NSDAP in
Cracow on 18 March 1942, Frank explained the relationship between his
administration and Himmler:
“As you know I am a fanatic as to unity in administration. * * *
It is therefore clear that the Higher SS and Police Officer is
subordinated to me, that the Police is a component of the
government, that the SS and Police Officer in the district is
subordinated to the Governor, and that the _Kreis_ [district]
chief has the authority of command over the gendarmerie in his
_Kreis_ [district]. This the Reichsfuehrer SS has recognized; in
the written agreement all these points are mentioned word for
word and signed. It is also self-evident that we cannot set up a
closed shop here which can be treated in the traditional manner
of small states. It would, for instance, be ridiculous if we
would build up here a security policy of our own against our
Poles in the country, while knowing that the Polacks in West
Prussia, in Posen, in Wartheland and in Silesia have one and the
same movement of resistance. The Reichsfuehrer SS and Chief of
the German Police thus must be able to carry out with the aid of
his agencies his police measures concerning the interests of the
Reich as a whole. This, however, will be done in such a way that
the measures to be adopted will first be submitted to me and
carried out only when I give my consent. In the General
Government, the Police is the Armed Forces. As a result of this,
the leader of the Police system will be called by me into the
government of the General Government; he is subordinate to me,
or to my deputy, as a State Secretary for the Security Systems.”
(_2233-R-PS_)
D. _THE PROTOCOL UNDER WHICH THE PURPOSES OF FRANK’S ADMINISTRATION OF
THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT WERE DEFINED CONSTITUTES IN ITSELF A CRIMINAL
PLAN OR CONSPIRACY._
The protocol of the conversation between Keitel and Hitler, which was
dated 20 October 1939 and initialed by General Warlimont, regarding “The
Future Shape of Polish Relations with Germany” provided in part as
follows:
“(1) The Armed Forces will welcome it if they can dispose of
Administrative questions in Poland.
“On principle there cannot be two administrations.”
* * * * * *
“(3) It is not the task of the Administration to make Poland
into a model province or a model state of the German order or to
put her economically or financially on a sound basis.
“The Polish intelligentsia must be prevented from forming a
ruling class. The standard of living in the country is to remain
low; we only want to draw labor forces from there. Poles are
also to be used for the administration of the country. However
the forming of national political groups may not be allowed.
“(4) The administration has to work on its own responsibility
and must not be dependent on Berlin. We don’t want to do there
what we do in the Reich. The responsibility does not rest with
the Berlin Ministries since there is no German administrative
unit concerned.
“The accomplishment of this task will involve a hard racial
struggle [_Volkstumskampf_] which will not allow any legal
restrictions. The methods will be incompatible with the
principles otherwise adhered to by us.
“The Governor General is to give the Polish nation only bare
living conditions and is to maintain the basis for military
security.”
* * * * * *
“(6) * * * Any tendencies towards the consolidation of
conditions in Poland are to be suppressed. The ‘Polish muddle’
[_polnische Wirtschaft_] must be allowed to develop. The
government of the territory must make it possible for us to
purify the _Reich territory_ from Jews and Polacks, too.
Collaboration with new Reich provinces (Posen and West Prussia)
only for _resettlements_ (Compare Mission Himmler).
“_Purpose_: Shrewdness and severity must be the maxims in this
racial struggle in order to spare us from going to battle on
account of this country again.” (_864-PS_)
Frank’s own statements regarding the purposes of his administration in
Poland should be considered in connection with the foregoing document.
The economic and political responsibilities which had been conferred on
Frank by Hitler, and according to which he “_intended to administer
Poland_”, were explained by Frank as follows in an interview that took
place on 3 October 1939:
“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.’” (_EC-344-16 & 17_)
The Hitler-Keitel protocol should also be construed in the light of
various passages in Frank’s diary relating to German policy in Poland.
Illegality had been made in effect a canon of administration by the
protocol, which provided that Frank’s task involved “a hard racial
struggle which will not allow any legal restrictions.” Frank emphasized
this point to his Department Heads at a conference on 19 December 1940:
“* * * In this country the force of a determined leadership must
rule. The Pole must feel here that we are not building him a
legal state, but that for him there is only one duty, namely, to
work and to behave himself. It is clear that this leads
sometimes to difficulties, but you must, in your own interest,
see that all measures are ruthlessly carried out in order to
become master of the situation. You can rely on me absolutely in
this.” (_2233-O-PS_)
It was the German purpose from the beginning to administer the General
Government as colonial territory in total disregard of the duties
imposed by International Law on an occupying power, and Frank’s
administrative policies were shaped in accordance with this policy. At
the first conference with Department Heads of the General Government on
2 December 1939, Frank stated:
“Decisive in the administrative activities of the General
Government is the will of the Fuehrer that this area shall be
the first colonial territory of the German nation.”
(_2233-K-PS_)
The “hard racial struggle” which Keitel and Hitler agreed could be
solved only if attacked without “legal restrictions,” developed into the
struggle which had as its ultimate purpose the Germanization of the
General Government.
Frank’s adherence to the conspirators’ Germanization policy was clearly
expressed by him at an official meeting of political leaders of the
NSDAP in Cracow on 5 August 1942. Frank explained on that occasion:
“The situation in regard to Poland is unique insofar as on the
one hand—I speak quite openly—we must expand Germanism in such
a manner that the area of the General Government becomes pure
German colonized land at some decades to come; and, on the other
hand under the present war conditions we have to allow foreign
racial groups to perform here the work which must be carried out
in the service of Greater Germany.” (_2233-V-PS_)
Expediency, and expediency only, tempered Frank’s treatment of the
nonGerman population of the General Government in the “hard racial
struggle” he was charged with administering. The General Government was
destined to become “pure German colonized land”, the valley of the
Vistula to be as “German as the valley of the Rhine.” (_2233-H-PS_)
As for the Poles and Ukrainians, Frank’s attitude was clear. They were
to be permitted to work for the German economy as long as the war
emergency continued. Once the war was won, he told the District
_Standortfuehrung_ and Political Leaders at a conference at Cracow on 14
January 1944:
“* * * then, for all I care, mincemeat [_Hackfleisch_] can be
made of the Poles and the Ukrainians and all the others who run
around here—it does not matter what happens.” (_2233-BB-PS_)
E. _FRANK ADVOCATED AND ADMINISTERED A PROGRAM OF EXTERMINATING JEWS OF
POLISH NATIONALITY WITHIN THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT._
Frank’s diary makes it clear that the complete annihilation of Jews, in
accordance with the racial program of the Nazi conspirators, was one of
the objectives of his administration as Governor General. In the fall of
1940 Frank urged German soldiers to reassure their families in Germany
with regard to the hardships of life in the General Government:
“In all these weeks, they [i.e., your families] will be thinking
of you, saying to themselves: My God, there he sits in Poland
where there are so many lice and Jews, perhaps he is hungry and
cold, perhaps he is afraid to write. * * * It would not be a bad
idea then to send our dear ones back home a picture, and tell
them: well now, there are not so many lice and Jews any more,
and conditions here in the Government General have changed and
improved somewhat already. Of course, I could not eliminate all
lice and Jews in only one year’s time (public amused). But in
the course of time, and above all, if you help me, this end will
be attained. After all, it is not necessary for us to accomplish
everything within a year and right away, for what would
otherwise be left for those who follow us to do?” (_2233-C-PS_).
A year later at a Cabinet Session of 16 December 1941 Frank restated the
official policy of his administration with respect to Jews:
“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 * * *.
“Gentlemen, I must ask you to rid yourselves of all feeling of
pity. We must annihilate the Jews, wherever we find them and
wherever it is possible, in order to maintain here 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 out-dated 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_)
An earlier passage in the report of this session of the Cabinet explains
the references to Dr. Hummel. Hummel had complained that legal
formalities were obstructing the process of liquidation:
“In Warsaw, in spite of the setting up of a third court chamber,
we have been able to decree only 45 death sentences, only 8 of
which have been carried out, since in each individual case, the
Pardon Commission [_Gnadenkommission_] in Cracow has to make the
final decision. A further 600 sentences were demanded and are
under consideration. An effective isolation of the ghetto is not
possible by way of the Special Court Procedure. The procedure to
be followed up to the liquidation takes too much time; it is
burdened with too many formalities and must be simplified.”
(_2233-Q-PS_)
Frank himself ordered that every Jew seen outside the Ghetto should be
executed:
“Severe measures must and will be adopted against Jews leaving
the Ghettos. Death sentences pending against Jews for this
reason must be carried out as quickly as possible. This order
according to which every Jew found outside the Ghetto is to be
executed, must be carried out without fail.” (_2233-Q-PS_)
When ways and means of meeting the food deficit in the General
Government created by the increase in quotas to be requisitioned for
export to Germany were discussed in August 1942, Frank approved a
program which provided in part as follows:
“The feeding of a Jewish population, estimated heretofore at 1.5
million, drops off to an estimated total of 300,000 Jews, who
still work for German interests as craftsmen or otherwise. For
these the Jewish rations, including certain special allotments
which have proved necessary for the maintenance of working
capacity, will be retained. The other Jews, a total of 1.2
million, will no longer be provided with foodstuffs.”
(_2233-E-PS_)
Frank’s concurrence was expressed in the following terms:
“That we sentence 1.2 million Jews to die of hunger should be
noted only marginally. It is a matter of course that should the
Jews not starve it would, we hope, result in speeding up
anti-Jewish measures.” (_2233-E-PS_)
At an official meeting of the political leaders of the NSDAP on 5 August
1942, Frank made the following progress report:
“What a dirty people made up of Jews swaggered around here
before 1939! And where are the Jews today? You scarcely see
them. If you see them they are working.” (_2233-V-PS_)
In December 1941, Frank had pointed out that his administration could
not shoot or poison all the three and a half million Jews in the General
Government. He had promised, however, that he would be able to devise
measures which would lead to their annihilation. Two years later, at a
special press conference in January 1944, he was able to report that his
mission was almost accomplished.
“At the present time we have still in the General Government
perhaps 100,000 Jews.” (_2233-F-PS_)
F. _FRANK IMPOSED UPON THE POPULATION OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT A REIGN
OF TERROR, OPPRESSION, IMPOVERISHMENT, AND STARVATION._
What had happened in the General Government in the first three and a
half years of Frank’s administration was summarized by Frank in a report
to Hitler on the situation in Poland, dated 19 June 1943:
“In the course of time, a series of measures or of consequences
of the German rule have led to a substantial _deterioration of
the attitude_ of the entire Polish people in the German
Government. These measures have affected either individual
professions or the entire population and frequently also—often
with crushing severity—the fate of individuals.
“Among these are in particular:
“1—The entirely insufficient nourishment of the population,
mainly of the working classes in the cities, whose majority is
working for German interests.
“Until the war of 1939, its food supplies, though not varied,
were sufficient and generally secure, due to the agrarian
surplus of the former Polish state and in spite of the
negligence on the part of their former political leadership.
“2—The confiscation of a great part of the Polish estates and
the expropriation without compensation and resettlement of
Polish peasants from manoeuvre areas and from German
settlements.
“3—Encroachments and confiscations in the industries, in
commerce and trade and in the field of private property.
“4—Mass arrests and mass shootings by the German police who
applied the system of collective responsibility.
“5—The rigorous methods of recruiting workers.
“6—The extensive paralyzation of cultural life.
“7—The closing of high schools, junior colleges, and
universities.
“8—The limitation, indeed the complete elimination of Polish
influence from all spheres of State administration.
“9—Curtailment of the influence of the Catholic Church,
limiting its extensive influence—an undoubtedly necessary
move—and, in addition, until quite recently, the closing and
confiscation of monasteries, schools and charitable
institutions.” (_437-PS_)
In order to illustrate how completely Frank as Governor General is
identified with the criminal policies whose execution is reported in the
foregoing document, and the extent to which they were the official
policies of his administration, it is proposed to annotate several of
the items with passages from Frank’s own diary.
(1) _Undernourishment of Polish population._ The extent of the
undernourishment of the Polish population was reported to Frank in
September 1941 by _Obermedizinalrat_ Dr. Walbaum:
“_Obermedizinalrat_ Dr. Walbaum expresses his opinion of the
_health condition_ of the Polish population. Investigations
which were carried out by his department proved that the
majority of Poles eat only about 600 calories, whereas the
normal requirement for a human being is 2,200 calories. The
Polish population was enfeebled to such an extent that it would
fall an easy prey to _spotted fever_. The number of diseased
Poles amounted today already to 40%. During the last week alone
1000 new spotted fever cases have been officially recorded. * *
* If the food rations were to be diminished again, an enormous
increase of the number of illnesses could be predicted.”
(_2233-P-PS_)
It was clear from this report that starvation was prevalent in the
General Government. Nevertheless, in August 1942, Frank approved a new
plan which called for much larger contributions of foodstuffs to Germany
at the expense of the nonGerman population of the General Government.
Methods of meeting the new quotas out of the already grossly inadequate
rations of the General Government, and the impact of the new quotas on
the economy of the country were discussed at a Cabinet meeting of the
General Government, on 18 August 1942 in terms which leave no doubt that
not only was the proposed requisition far beyond the resources of the
country, but its impact was to be distributed on a discriminatory basis.
Frank’s opening remarks at this meeting defined the scope of the problem
and its solution:
“Before the German people are to experience starvation, the
occupied territories and their people shall be exposed to
starvation. In this moment therefore we here in the General
Government must also have the iron determination to help the
Great German people, our Fatherland. . . . The General
Government therefore must do the following: The General
Government has taken on the obligation to send 500,000 tons
bread grains to the Fatherland in addition to the foodstuffs
already being delivered for the relief of Germany or consumed
here by troops of the armed forces, Police or SS. If you compare
this with our contributions of last year you can see that this
means a six fold increase over that of last year’s contribution
of the General Government. The new demand will be fulfilled
exclusively at _the expense of the foreign population_. It must
be done cold-bloodedly and without pity; * * *” (_2233-E-PS_).
President of the Main Department for Food and Agriculture Naumann
(apparently an official of the General Government) then described how
the reduced quantity of food available for feeding the population of the
General Government should be distributed:
“The feeding of a _Jewish population_, estimated heretofore at
1.5 million, drops off to an estimated total of 300,000 Jews,
who still work for German interests as craftsmen or otherwise.
For these the Jewish rations, including certain special
allotments which have proved necessary for the maintenance of
working capacity, will be retained. The other Jews, a total of
1.2 million, will no longer be provided with foodstuffs.
“_Non-German normal consumers_ will receive, from 1 January 1943
to 1 March 1943, instead of 4.2 kg. bread per month, 2.8 kg;
from 1 March 1943 to 30 July 1943 the total bread ration for
these non-German normal consumers will be cancelled.
“_Those entitled to be supplied_ [_Versorgungsberechtigten_] are
composed as follows. We estimate that 3 million persons come
into consideration as war workers, the A- and B-card holders and
their kin, and that somewhat more than 3 million persons are
non-German normal consumers, who do not work directly or
indirectly in the interests of Germany. The war workers, A- and
B-card holders and their families, about 3 million persons, will
however continue to be supplied, up to the harvest of 1943, at
the prevailing rates.” (_2233-E-PS_)
Naumann goes on to discuss the difficulties that may be encountered in
the process of requisition:
“_The securing of all depots and food processing plants_, as
well as their transport facilities must be assured, as otherwise
irreplaceable losses result which mean a further burdening of
the food budget. I have had maps made of all districts
[_Kreise_] on which the depots have all been drawn in. I request
that the necessary measures be taken on the part of the police
and these depots, which are in the eye of the hungering masses,
above all at times when the restrictions are carried out, should
be strictly guarded, so that the meager supplies which we have
until the new harvest should not be destroyed by sabotage or
arson. . . . Finally it must be determined at the beginning of
November whether the _martial law for the harvest period_, which
has been proclaimed up to 30 November, must be extended to 30
December. Martial law for the harvest period has been extended
to all products which are to be seized. The planned quota
increase and reduction of ration quantities must be kept secret
under all circumstances and may be published only at that time
which the Main Department for Food and Agriculture considers
proper. Should the reduction of ration quantities and the
increase of quotas become known earlier, extremely noticeable
disturbances in the seizure would take place. The mass of the
Polish population would then go to the land and would become a
supplementary competitor of our requisitioning agencies.”
(_2233-E-PS_)
Frank’s concluding remarks summarized the position as follows:
“I must point out that some sectors of the administration will
feel this very keenly. In the first place the _police_ will feel
this, for it will have to deal, if I may say so, with an
increased activity of the black market and a neglect of food
customs. I will gladly give the police extraordinary powers so
that they can overcome these difficulties.
“The economy will feel it. The decrease of work rendered will
become felt in all sectors, branches and regions. I also assume
that our _transport system_ will feel it too. In view of the
worsening living conditions an extraordinary hardship will set
in for railroad workers and other categories; as the previous
quantities of food were already not enough. The monopolies will
feel it through a decrease of their incomes, as the amounts of
potatoes available for the production of vodka will be less.
“The _Germans_ in this area shall not feel it. We wish in spite
of this new plan to see to it that the supplies for Germans will
be maintained. Also the _Wehrmacht_ and other encamped units in
this area shall not feel it. We hope that it will be possible
for us to keep up the whole quotas here.
“To help in this necessity there is a corresponding measure,
namely that the supervision of persons traveling from the
General Government to the Reich, above all of military
personnel, in order to see whether they are _taking food out_ of
the General Government, should be suspended. This means that in
addition to all that which we must now extract from the land
economically, there must take place a complete removal of
control over that which is dragged out of the land by thousands
upon thousands—doubtless illegally and against our government
measures.” (_2233-E-PS_)
The extent of the General Government’s food contribution to the Reich,
and its significance in terms of rations within Germany were described
by Frank at a meeting of political leaders of the NSDAP in December 1942
at Cracow:
“I will endeavor to get out of the reservoir of this territory
everything that is yet to be got out of it. When you consider
that it was possible for me to deliver to the Reich 600,000 tons
of bread grain, and in addition 180,000 tons to the Armed Forces
stationed here; further an abundance amounting to many thousands
of tons of other commodities such as seed, fats, vegetables,
besides the delivery to the Reich of 300 million eggs, etc.—you
can estimate the significance of the consignment from the
General Government of 600,000 tons of bread grain; you are
referred to the fact that the General Government by this
achievement alone covers the raising of the bread ration in the
Greater German Reich by two-thirds during the present rationing
period. This enormous achievement can rightfully be claimed by
us.” (_2233-Z-PS_)
(2) _Resettlement projects._ Although Himmler was given general
authority in connection with the conspirators’ program to resettle
various districts in the conquered Eastern territories with racial
Germans, projects relating to resettling districts in the General
Government were submitted to and approved by Frank. On 4 August 1942,
for example, the plan to resettle Zamosc and Lublin was reported to him
by State Secretary Krueger:
“State Secretary Krueger then continues, saying that the Reichsfuehrer’s
next immediate plan until the end of the following year would be to
settle the following German racial groups in the two districts (Zamosc
and Lublin): 1000 peasant settlements (1 settlement per family of about
6) for Bosnian Germans; 1200 other kinds of settlements; 1000
settlements for Bessarabian Germans; 200 for Serbian Germans; 2000 for
Leningrad Germans; 4000 for Baltic Germans; 500 for Wolhynia Germans;
and 200 settlements for Flemish, Danish and Dutch Germans: in all 10,000
settlements for 50,000 persons” (_2233-T-PS_). Frank directed that:
“* * * the resettlement plan is to be discussed cooperatively by
the competent authorities and declared his willingness to
approve the final plan by the end of September after
satisfactory arrangements had been made concerning all the
questions appertaining thereto (in particular the guaranteeing
of peace and order) so that by the middle of November, as the
most favorable time, the resettlement can begin.” (_2233-T-PS_)
The way in which the resettlement at Zamosc was carried out was
described to Frank at a meeting at Warsaw on 25 January 1943 by State
Secretary Krueger:
“When we settled about the first 4000 in Kreis Zamosc shortly
before Christmas I had an opportunity to speak to these people.
* * * It is understandable that in resettling this area . . . we
did not make friends of the Poles. * * * In colonizing this
territory with racial Germans, we are forced to chase out the
Poles. * * * We are removing those who constitute a burden in
this new colonization territory. Actually, they are the asocial
and inferior elements. They are being deported, first brought to
a concentration camp, and then sent as labor to the Reich. From
a Polish propaganda standpoint this entire first action has had
an unfavorable effect. For the Poles say: After the Jews have
been destroyed then they will employ the same methods to get the
Poles out of this territory and liquidate them just like the
Jews.” (_2233-AA-PS_)
Although the illegality of this dispossession of Poles to make room for
German settlers was clear, and although the fact that the Poles were not
only being dispossessed but taken off to concentration camps was drawn
to Frank’s attention at this time, he merely directed that individual
cases of resettlement should in future be discussed in the same manner
as in the case of Zamosc. (_2233-AA-PS_)
(3) _Encroachments and confiscations in the industries and in the field
of private property._
Frank explained his policy in respect to Polish property to his
Department Heads in the following terms in December 1939:
“Principally it can be said regarding the administration of the
General Government: This territory in its entirety is booty of
the German Reich, and it thus cannot be permitted that this
territory shall be exploited in its individual parts but that
the territory in its entirety shall be economically used and its
entire economic worth redound to the benefit of the German
people.” (_2233-K-PS_)
Whatever encroachments there were on private property rights in the
General Government fell squarely within the policy which Frank in an
interview on 3 October 1939 stated he intended to administer as General
Governor:
“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. * * * [It was
Frank’s opinion] that the war would be a short one and that it
was most important now to make available as soon as possible raw
materials, machines and workers to the German industry, which
was short in all of these. Most important, however, in Frank’s
opinion, was the fact that 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 basic decree under which property in the General Government was
sequestered was promulgated by Frank on 24 January 1940. This decree
authorized sequestration in connection with the “performance of tasks
serving the public interest,” the seizure of “abandoned property,” and
the liquidation of “antisocial or financially unremunerative property.”
It permitted the Higher S.S. and Police Chief to order sequestrations
“with the object of increasing the striking power of the units of the
uniformed police and armed S.S.” No legal recourse was granted for
losses arising from the enforcement of the decree, compensation being
solely in the discretion of an official of the General Government. It is
clear that the undefined criteria of this decree empowered Nazi
officials in the General Government to engage in wholesale seizure of
property. (_2540-PS_)
(4) _Principle of collective responsibility._ It was no part of Frank’s
policy in administering the General Government that reprisals should be
commensurate with the gravity of the offense. Frank was, on the
contrary, an advocate of drastic measures in dealing with the Polish
people. At a conference of Department Heads of the General Government on
19 January 1940, he explained:
“My relationship with the Poles is like the relationship between
ant and plant louse. When I treat the Poles in a helpful way, so
to speak tickle them in a friendly manner, then I do it in the
expectation that their work performance redounds to my benefit.
This is not a political but a purely tactical-technical problem.
* * * In cases where in spite of all these measures the
performance does not increase, or where the slightest act gives
me occasion to step in, I would not even hesitate to take the
most draconic action.” (_2233-L-PS_)