Affidavit concerning Kaltenbrunner's career and his authority as chief of the security police and SD, and his control over all important decisions

AFFIDAVIT
I, Walter Schellenberg, being first duly sworn, declare:
I was chief of Amt VI of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt [RSHA] from the autumn of 1941 to the end of the war. I first met Ernst Kaltenbrunner in 1938. He was then State Secretary for Security under Seyss-Inquart in Austria. Our first meeting was on the occasion of a gathering of police officials at which Kaltenbrunner spoke. Kaltenbrunner held the position of State Secretary for Security for several months, after which the office was changed into that of Higher SS and Police Leader, which position he held until being appointed Chief of the Security Police and SD [RSHA] on 30 January 1943. On or about 25 January 1943, I went together with Kaltenbrunner to Himmler's headquarters at Loetzen in East Prussia. All of the Amt Chiefs of the RSHA were present at this meeting, and Himmler informed us that Kaltenbrunner was to be appointed Chief of the Security Police and SD as successor to Heydrich. His appointment was effective 30 January 1943.
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I know of no limitation placed on Kaltenbrunner's authority as Chief of the Security Police and SD. He promptly entered upon the duties of the office and assumed direct charge of the office and control over the Amt. All important matters of all Bureaus had to clear through Kaltenbrunner. With regard to the following Bureaus the control and supervision exercised by Kaltenbrunner was as follows:
AMT. 1. All personnel and organizational matters of importance had to be submitted to Kaltenbrunner for approval
AMT. 2. Kaltenbrunner had a particularly strong interest in this office because of the control it had in financial matters. He later placed Spacil, an old friend, into this office as Chief. True Spacil had uhlimited jurisdiction, but because of his limited stature he was looked upon by other Amt Chiefs merely as Kaltenbrunner's paymaster. He had to submit all requests for amounts in excess of RM 50,000 to Kaltenbrunner for his personal approval.
AMT. 3. To my best recollection, all reports of Amt 3 had to be submitted to Kaltenbrunner. Kaltenbrunner worked actively on German internal policy on the basis of these reports. Ohlendorf, Chief of Amt 3, assisted Kaltenbrunner greatly with his reports. Early in his administration Kaltenbrunner considered removing Ohlendorf but by the end of 1943 he was convinced of the value of Ohlendorf's efficient reporting agencies and decided to keep him.
AMT. 4. Mueller, like all other Amt Chiefs, had to submit all important matters to Kaltenbrunner for approval. Mueller had considerable independence in carrying out the routine of Amt 4 because of his long experience as head of the Gestapo. On many occasions I have heard Mueller discussing matters pertaining to Amt 4 with Kaltenbrunner, especially after the daily meetings of the Amt Chiefs. In the beginning Kaltenbrunner was not very close to Mueller, but from the end of 1943 on they were very friendly.
AMT. 5. Kaltenbrunner had little interest in criminal matters of a non-political nature, but as in the case of the other Bureaus, all important matters in Amt 5 wrere submitted to him for approval. Kaltenbrunner did take a personal interest in cases of corruption within the Party.
AMT. 6. Kaltenbrunner exercised direct control over Amt 6 and the Military Bureau. All important matters from Amt 6 had to go through Kaltenbrunner's office, and I had to consult with Kaltenbrunner on such matters on an average of once every three
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or four days. There were numerous telephone calls and memoranda in between. Kaltenbrunner took particular interest in Section VI E (Balkans) under Wanneck and Section VI S (Kommandos) under Skorzeny.
AMT. 7. This was a small Amt of relatively little importance. It handled archives and ideological research and had no field organization. I do not know what authority Kaltenbrunner exercised over this office.
At no time was I informed by Himmler or Kaltenbrunner or anyone else that there was a special limitation on Kaltenbrunner's authority as Chief of the Security Police and SD. His actions and assertions were all to the contrary. He made it very clear in his official relations with all of us who were his Amt chiefs that he was the head of the office exercising full executive powers and deciding all matters of policy. He permitted us to issue directives within the organization in our own names pursuant to fixed policies established by him, but all important matters had to be submitted to him whether he signed them or we signed them. He was constantly informed of all matters of importance which went on in his office.
[signed] Schellenberg.
Subscribed and sworn to before me at Nürnberg, Germany, on the 17 day of November, 1945.
[signed] Whitney R. Harris . Lieutenant, U.S. Naval Reserve