I, Oberregierungsrat and Kriminalrat, Willy Litzenberg, born in November 1900 in Liebenwalde, late chief of Dept. IV A lb in the RSHA Berlin, declare under oath:
The right of summary taking into protective custody belongs to the directors of the state police H.Q.'s or state police offices; previously for a period of 21 days, later I think, for a period of 56 days. Custody exceeding this time had to be sanctioned by the competent office for protective custody in the RSHA. The regulations for protective custody or the signing of the protective custody order could only be issued through the director of the RSHA as chief of the SIPO and SD. All regulations and protective custody orders that I have seen bore a facsimile stamp of Heyd-rich or Kaltenbrunner. As far as I can remember I have never seen a document of this kind with another name as signature. How far and to whom the Chief of the SIPO and SD possibly gave authority for the use of his facsimile stamp, I do not know. Perhaps the chief of Amt IV possessed a similar authority.
The greater part of the protective custody office was transferred to Prague. Only one staff remained in Berlin.
WILLY LITZENBERG
Signed and sworn before me on 4 November 1945 in Nürnberg, Germany.
WHITNEY R. HARRIS.
Lt. USNR.
229
Affidavit concerning the orders for protective custody issued by Heydrich and Kaltenbrunner
Authors
Willy Litzenberg (legal officer in RSHA)
Willy Litzenberg
German police officer (1900-1964)
- Born: 1900-11-27 (Liebenwalde)
- Died: 1964-01-01 (Würzburg)
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: police officer
- Member of political party: Nazi Party
- Member of: Schutzstaffel
- Military rank: Obersturmbannführer
Date: 04 November 1945
Defendant: Ernst Kaltenbrunner
Total Pages: 1
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-2477
HLSL Item No.: 451617
Document Summary
PS-2477: Sworn statement by Wily Listsenberg, German government official and member of RSHA on the powers of the RSHA, SIPC and SD
PS-2477: Sworn statement by Willy Litzenberg, formerly department chief in the Rsha, 4 November 1945, on the authorities and persons responsible for ordering protective custody