“They destroyed the State Art Gallery and carried away to
Germany paintings and sculptures by Russian and Bielorussian
masters. . . . They plundered the Bielorussian State Theater of
Opera and Ballet, the First Bielorussian Dramatic Theater, the
House of National Creative Art, together with the houses of the
unions of writers, artists, and composers.
“In Minsk the fascists destroyed 47 schools, 24 kindergarten
schools, the Palace of the Pioneers, 2 lying-in hospitals, 3
children’s hospitals, 5 municipal polyclinics, 27 nurseries, and
4 children’s welfare centers; the Institution of Infant and
Maternity Welfare was reduced to a heap of ruins.”
The Prosecution has at its disposal Document Number 076-PS which is a
report entitled, “On Minsk Libraries,” by a German private first class,
Abel. This private had investigated all the libraries in Minsk and
stated in his report that nearly all of them had been destroyed.
I present this report as Exhibit Number USSR-375 (Document Number
USSR-375). I consider, Mr. President, that it will be quite sufficient
to read into the record individual excerpts from this report. There is
no need to read the report in its entirety. It is stated, on Page 75 of
my report, that:
“The Lenin library was the central library of Bielorussia. It is
difficult to estimate the number of volumes, but the number of
books is approximately 5 millions. . . . The depositories for
storing books present a desolate picture. . . .”