Most honored Obersturmbannfuehrer!
First of all I want to thank you very much for “Das glaeserne Meer”
(“The Glass Ocean”). My wife and myself are very happy to possess now a
complete set of these books. I have already read the book with great
interest.
The Reich Leader SS wants to be informed of the state of the
experiments. I can announce that the experiments have been concluded,
with the exception of those on warming with body heat. The final report
will be ready in about 5 days. Professor Holzloehner, for reasons that I
cannot fathom, does not himself want to make the report to the Reich
Leader Himmler and has asked me to attend to it. This report must be
made before 20 October, because the great Luftwaffe conference on
freezing takes place in Nuernberg on 25 October. The report on the
results of our research _must_ be made there, to assure that they be
used in time for the troops. May I ask you to arrange for a decision
from the Reich Leader regarding the final report to him, and the
submission to him of the relevant material?
Today I received your letter of 22 September 1942, in which the Reich
Leader orders that the experiments on warming through body heat must
absolutely be conducted. Because of incomplete address it was delayed.
Today I asked Obersturmbannfuehrer Sievers to send a telegram to the
camp commander immediately, to the effect that four gypsy women be
procured at once from another camp. Moreover, I asked SS
Obersturmbannfuehrer Sievers to take steps to have the low-pressure
chamber made ready for use.
The report to Field Marshal Milch planned for 11 September could not be
made, as you have discovered, because he was prevented from attending,
and no representative was commissioned to receive it. As the Reich
Leader had not empowered me to report to anyone in the Reich Air
Ministry (RLM), I abstained from making the report, which rather nettled
the gentlemen of the Medical Inspectorate [Sanitaetsinspektion]. I
immediately informed Obersturmbannfuehrer Sievers. For the time being
the report is being held as a military secret at the German Aviation
Research Institute (DVL) together with a distribution list prepared by
the Reich Air Ministry. The distribution of the copies, however, has not
yet taken place, because, as I said, the report has not yet been made to
Milch. I assume that you were informed of this whole business long ago.
What shall we do now?
I wish to enclose a letter of thanks to the Reich Leader from the former
prisoner Neff. At the same time I should like to thank you very much for
your efforts; and let me beg you, should opportunity offer, to convey to
the Reich Leader my most sincere thanks for his granting of this
request. I did not write to the Reich Leader in person, in order not to
make any further demands on his valuable time.
With best wishes and
Heil Hitler!
Yours most sincerely
[Signed] S. RASCHER.
PARTIAL TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1619-PS
PROSECUTION EXHIBIT 87
TELETYPE FROM COMMANDANT OF DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP TO RUDOLF BRANDT,
7 OCTOBER 1942, STATING THAT FOUR WOMEN WOULD BE AVAILABLE FROM
RAVENSBRUECK CONCENTRATION CAMP FOR RASCHER’S EXPERIMENTS