A. Hohlfelder was the commanding officer of the X-ray unit, and
Perwitschky was the business manager of the association for combating
tuberculosis.
Q. Did you find out how the rejection of this plan really came about,
and, in particular, do you know that when Greiser’s letter was shown to
him Himmler said that Hitler himself had to decide, and that Hitler
himself actually did decide that this plan was to be rejected for the
reasons which you, Dr. Blome, stated in your letter to Greiser? Did you
hear about that later?
A. At that time I only learned from Professor Hohlfelder and Perwitschky
that the reasons stated in my letter had moved Hitler to withdraw his
order. I only heard of Himmler’s letter here in this courtroom, through
the documents, and I am, therefore, very grateful to the prosecution for
not having withheld this letter from me.
Q. Witness, when you say that this plan of Greiser’s was frustrated
because of you, I must remind you of what the prosecution said here on 9
December in this courtroom. The prosecution said at that time, “We shall
introduce evidence to show that the program was in fact carried out at
the end of 1942 and the beginning of 1943 * * *.” And by that, the
program for the liquidation of the tubercular Poles was meant. Further,
“that as a result of the suggestions made by Blome and Greiser, many
Poles were ruthlessly exterminated and that others were taken to
isolated camps, utterly lacking in medical facilities where thousands of
them died.” These were statements made by prosecution. I must again ask
you very definitely, did you at any time later hear that on the basis of
these proposals tubercular Poles were, in effect, exterminated?
A. No. The assertions of the prosecution are not true. Nothing happened
to one Pole within the framework of this tubercular action in the
Warthegau. On the contrary they received decent medical treatment.
* * * * *
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[89] Trial of the Major War Criminals, vol. I, pp. 247-253, Nuremberg,
1947.
[90] Final plea is recorded in mimeographed transcript, 16 July 47, pp.
10972-10994.
[91] Complete testimony is recorded in mimeographed transcript, 13, 14,
17, 18, 19, 20, 21 March 1947, pp. 4450-4812.
[92] Defendant (in absentia) before International Military Tribunal. See
Trial of the Major War Criminals, Vols. I-XLII, Nuremberg, 1947.