Copy
Chief of the Security Police and the SD—IV D 4—103/42 g — Berlin SW 11, Prinz-Albrecht Street 8, 24 June 1942
SECRET '
To the Chief of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces for the attention of the Oberregierungsrat DOWALDT or his acting deputy. .
Berlin W 35, at Tirpitzufer 72—76
Subject: Prosecution of punishable offences against the Reich or the occupation forces in occupied territories.
Reference: Circular dated 16 April 1942—14 n 16.18 WR (1%) Nr 242/42 g.
By virtue of the above-named edict a considerable number of
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668-PS
persons who were arrested in the occupied district of France have been transferred to camp Hinzert at Trier, pending commencement of the main proceedings before the competent special court in Cologne.
The 67-year old Frenchman, Louis Adolf Rousseau, died here recently of a stroke.
Thus the question has arisen—which has not been settled until now—as to what steps are to be taken in such cases of death.
It is the intent of the general directions of the Fuehrer and supreme commander of the Wehrmaeht concerning prosecution of punishable offences against the Reich or the occupation forces in occupied territories, dated 7 December 1941, to create, for deterrent purposes, Uncertainty about the fate of prisoners among their relatives and acquaintances, through the deportation into Reich territory of persons arrested in occupied areas on account of anti-German activity. This goal would be forfeited if the relatives were to be notified in cases of death. Surrender of the body for burial at home is inadvisable for the same reason, and also because the place of burial could be misused for demonstration purposes.
I therefore propose that the following general rule be decided upon for cases of death: '
a. Notification of relatives is not to take place.
b. The body is buried at the place of death, in the Reich.
c. The place of burial is not made known for the time being.
In the case of the deceased Frenchman Rousseau, I have given orders which accord with the above proposal and I will do likewise in the future pending a decision by you.
pp.
- [signature illegible]
SECRET
Supreme Command of the Armed Forces
Berlin W 35, Tirpitzufer 72—76, July 13, 1942 14 m 16.18 WR (1%), No. 562/42 g To the Chief of the Security Police and Security Service Berlin SW11, Prinz Albrecht Str. 8 [Pencil alteration]
[Pencil note—] E46 E8/46 38/42 Reich Ministry of Justice 16th July 1942 ' ' Section
693256—46—31
477
668-PS
By way of information to:
Supreme Command of the Army Supreme Command of the Navy
Reich Minister of Air Transportation and Commander-inChief of the Air Forces President of the Reich Court Martial Reich Minister of Justice Armed Forces Operations Staff/Headquarters
Subject: Prosecution of punishable offences against the Reich or the occupation forces in the occupied territories.
Reference: — IV D 4 — 103/42 g — of June 24, 1942.
1 enclosure.
The supreme command of the armed forces agrees to the suggested treatment of eases of death. The decree of April 16, 1942, will in due course be supplemented accordingly.
The Chief of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces
Per: Dr. Lehmann
[Handwritten note:—largely undecipherable]
(Stamp.of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces)
Checked: Bachmann, Justizoberinspektor d.Lw.
IV a 863/42 g
[Handwritten note]
1. Note: Procedure in cases of death has already been laid down by IX para. 5 of the draft of a second order for the carrying out of the general directions * * * of decree of the OKW dated 16.4.42.—
In my opinion the case of death quoted in the letter of the Reichfuehrer—SS dated 24.6.42 precludes the necessity of a supplement to the draft, mentioned.
2. Submit to me 3.8.
RM 29.7.
Submitted to OBGK (?) Dr. V. Ammon 3.8.
Message from the chief of the security police to the military high command, stating that the death of a French prisoner (in the Night and Fog program) would be kept secret, in order to maintain the "deterrent" effect of the program
Date: 24 June 1942
Literal Title: Subject: Prosecution of criminal acts against the Reich or the occupation forces in occupied territories
Total Pages: 2
Language of Text: English
Source of Text: Nazi conspiracy and aggression (Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.)
Evidence Code: PS-668
Citation: IMT (page 1948)
HLSL Item No.: 451562
Notes:The author is not named; it may have been Heinrich Mueller.
Trial Issues
Criminal organizations (Gestapo, Leadership Corps, Cabinet, SS, SD, OKW) (… Night and Fog program (IMT, NMT 3)
Document Summary
PS-668: Copy of a letter from the Chief of the SIPO and SD to the OKW re Handling of Death Cases of Defendants
PS-668: Secret letter from the chief of the security police and security service to the chief of the high command of the Wehrmacht, 24 June 1942, to the effect that, as a deterrent measure, the family of a person arrested in the occupied territories and transferred to Germany is to be kept in ignorance of his fate