Heil Hitler!
Always yours
[Signed] E. MILCH
SS Obergruppenfuehrer Wolff
Berlin SW 11.
TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 343-B-PS
PROSECUTION EXHIBIT 70
LETTER FROM MILCH TO HIMMLER, 31 AUGUST 1942, ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF
REPORTS BY RASCHER AND ROMBERG ON HIGH-ALTITUDE EXPERIMENTS
Field Marshal Milch
Berlin, W 8, 31 Aug. 1942 Leipzigerstrasse 7
Dear Herr Himmler!
I thank you very much for your letter of 25 August. I have read with
great interest the reports of Dr. Rascher and Dr. Romberg. I am informed
about the current experiments. I shall ask the two gentlemen to give a
lecture combined with the showing of motion pictures to my men in the
near future.
Hoping that it will be possible for me to see you on the occasion of my
next visit to Headquarters, I remain with best regards and
Heil Hitler!
Yours,
[Signed] E. MILCH
Reich Leader SS and Chief of the German Police Himmler
Berlin SW 11.
TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT NO-289
PROSECUTION EXHIBIT 72
LETTER FROM HIPPKE TO HIMMLER, 8 OCTOBER 1942, THANKING THE LATTER FOR
HIS ASSISTANCE IN HIGH-ALTITUDE EXPERIMENTS IN DACHAU
Berlin W 8, 8 October 1942 Leipziger Str. 7
Telephone 52 00 24
To the Chief of the German Police, Reich Fuehrer SS Himmler, Berlin SW.
11, Prinz Albrecht Str. 8
Subject: Letter 1309/42 of 25 August 1942 to State Secretary Milch
concerning experiments for rescue from high altitudes.
Very honored Reich Leader SS,
In the name of German research on aviation medical problems, I beg to
thank you very obediently for the great help and all the interest shown
in the Dachau experiments; these experiments form a complement which is,
for us, of great value and importance.
The fact that an atmosphere with so little oxygen can be endured at all
for some time is most encouraging for further research.
It is true that no conclusions as to the practice of parachuting can be
drawn for the time being, as a very important factor, namely cold, has
so far not yet been taken into consideration; it places an extraordinary
excess burden on the entire body and its vital movements, so that the
results in actual practice will very likely prove to be far more
unfavorable than in the present experiments.
In the meantime the supplementary tasks required now have been begun. In
part they will have to be finished only after completion of the new
Research Institute for Aviation Medicine of the Reich Air Ministry in
Tempelhof, whose low-pressure chamber will include all cold generating
apparatus and also an installation for producing conditions at a height
of 30 kilometers.
Freezing experiments in another direction are, in, part, still being
made at Dachau.
When the work will need once more your sympathetic assistance, may I be
allowed to get in touch with you again through Stabsarzt Dr. Rascher?
Heil Hitler
[Signed] PROF. DR. HIPPKE
TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT NO-224
PROSECUTION EXHIBIT 76
NOTE BY ROMBERG ON SHOWING OF FILM IN OFFICE OF STATE SECRETARY MILCH,
AND PROPOSED REPORT TO MILCH, 11 SEPTEMBER 1942
On 11 September 1942, at 9:45 o’clock, Stabsarzt Dr. Rascher and Dr.
Romberg met, according to telephonic and oral agreements with Colonel
Pendele, in the antechamber of the State Secretary. We were informed
that the State Secretary had ordered this conference at the present
stage, in the course of which a report on experiments concerning “rescue
from great heights” was to be made, and the motion picture concerning
these experiments was to be shown. The gentlemen waiting in the
antechamber of the State Secretary and in the corridor (most of them
from the experimental staff) were informed that previous to the
conference a motion picture was to be shown, so that all went to the
projection room on the fifth floor. Here quite a large number of people
were already present, so that 30-40 persons were there in all. Among
them were officers, medical and engineer officers—we know some of them
personally—some whose presence surprised us in view of the top secret
nature of the motion picture and of the experiments. No checking of the
persons present was done, nor was there an attendance list. As, after a
short time of waiting, the State Secretary had not come, the motion
picture was shown, without giving us an opportunity for preliminary or
explanatory remarks. During the intermission between the two parts of
the motion picture, Dr. Rascher referred once more to the strict
obligation of secrecy ordered by the Reich Leader SS. After completion
of the showing of the motion picture—the State Secretary had not come,
as he had been summoned to see the Reich Marshal [Goering]—the persons
present still talked a little while about the motion picture, on which
occasion less interest was shown in the subject itself than in the place
of the experiments and the individuals who had been the subjects. After
this period of time, during which we were neither called upon to make
any statements whatsoever nor were we, considering the great forum and
the absence of the State Secretary, inclined to give any reports the
greater part of those present went back to the development conference,
while Oberstarzt Wuerfler, Oberstarzt Professor Kalk, Stabsarzt Bruehl
and Regierungsrat Benzinger asked us to make a report to a small medical
circle. As, however, the State Secretary had prohibited that any report
be made before the distribution had been decided on, we refused to
disclose the results of the experiments. Oberstarzt Kalk stated that he
was willing to report to the State Secretary our wishes concerning the
distribution of the report and the continuation of the experiments. The
film was handed to Colonel Vorwald.
According to the conference with Obersturmbannfuehrer Sievers, I tried
to get the film back on the same day, but Colonel Vorwald was still at
the development conference. When I telephoned the next day and requested
that the film be handed back, Colonel Vorwald declared that he would
like to keep the film until after Sunday, 13 September, since on this
day the Reich Marshal was coming and might perhaps desire to see the
film. Accordingly, I let Colonel Vorwald keep the film for that day. On
14 September, I went to fetch the film from Colonel Vorwald, and was
informed that it had not been shown. On the same day I spoke with
Stabsarzt Bruehl, who informed me that Oberstarzt Kalk had transmitted,
still on 11 September, our wishes concerning distribution and
confirmation of the experiments to the State Secretary. The State
Secretary had approved the distribution schedule, and said that a
continuation of the experiments was not urgent. A few days later the
distribution schedule accepted by the State Secretary was sent to the
German Aviation Research Institute by Colonel Pendele, and the report
was subsequently transmitted by the Institute to the offices concerned.
Since that time I have not received any news either concerning the film
or concerning the report.
[Signed] DR. ROMBERG
TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1612-PS
PROSECUTION EXHIBIT 79
LETTER FROM RUDOLF BRANDT TO RASCHER, 13 DECEMBER 1942, AND HIMMLER’S
ORDER ASSIGNING RASCHER TO HIGH-ALTITUDE EXPERIMENTS