Copy Wg 2022
SECRET
Memorandum on conference with Secretary of State von Weizsaecker on the 25th September, p.m. on question of naval warfare.
Present among others:
From the.Foreign Office: Under Secretary of State Pol., Dir.
W., Dg. Law, Pol. I W XII.
From OKM: Rear Admiral Schniewind, Captain Fricke, Com, mander Wagner, Lt. Com. Nebauer, Ministerial
Counsellor Dr. Eckhardt, the Reich Commisar at the Supreme Prize Court Admiral Gladisch and his deputy Vice Admiral von Gagern:
From the Reich Ministry of Economics: Under Secretary of
State von Jagwitz;
From OKW; war economic staff: Colonel Becker,
From the Plenipotentiary for economy: Ministerial Counsellor
von Maass.
The following points from the conference must be stressed:
(1) As from yesterday, the naval war is being waged against France-also in the same way as against Britain, the British Dominions, and Egypt.
(2) Regarding foodstuffs on neutral ships, a special directive has not up to now been sent to the naval forces, not even regarding the listing of conditional contraband goods. According to the documents submitted by W, which are to be put at the disposal of the Navy and of the Commisar at the Prize Court in the original English text if possible, it is considered probable by the legal department also that, regarding the most important types of food under consideration, evidence of national management can be brought in such a way that even a private receiver's address in enemy territory will justify confiscation. The actual clearing up of the question as to how far confiscations by Britain of food destined for Germany on neutral ships have taken place is to be further worked on by the Foreign Office. The order to treat foodstuffs as contraband without regard to the receiving address is at any rate to be deferred for a few more days.
(3) The OKM will submit to the Foreign Office a proposal, as a basis for a communication to the neutral powers, in which those intensifications of naval warfare will be communicated, the ordering of which has already taken place or is impending in the near
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future. This includes particularly a warning not to use wireless on being stopped, not to sail in convoy, and not to black out and if necessary also clarification regarding the list of contraband goods. (The question of the treatment of wood is to be specially discussed tomorrow.)
(4) Before permitting attacks without warning against enemy merchant ships, attacks which are called for and justified because of the fact that they are being armed as a general practice and which in practice come into consideration for the area around the British Isles, material—if possible photographs also—is to be published showing the-arming. Two cases of attacks by armed enemy merchant ships on German U-boats were mentioned.
(5) The OKM was further requested by Secretary of State von Weizsaecker and Under Secretary of State Woermann that, before any further intensification, the intended orders should be submitted to the Foreign Office in order to obtain the Reich Foreign Minister's opinion.
(6) Ministerialdirektor Wiehl pointed out that at present there was no reason to have special regard for individual—for example Nordic—countries, but the situation might soon change. Admiral Schniewind states that the situation in the Baltic and the North Sea might be expected in the near future to permit refraining from sinking neutral ships, and analogous to the British procedure in this matter, taking the ships into German ports and have them unloaded. Colonel Becker pointed out, in this connection, that our most important means of exerting pressure, the German supplies of coal, will only be felt effectively once the supplies of coal from Britain have been actually cut off by our Naval warfare.
A conference with Italy was intended on the subject of how and to what extent imports and exports for Germany could be conducted through Italian ports without the danger of confiscation by the enemy. It would depend on this as to how much consideration could be shown to any possible Italian transports to the enemy countries, particularly food from South America.
(7) Concerning the question of German exports, it was established that, according to the legal position, notwithstanding the treatment of the Italian coal transports and also because of the British regulations about certificates of origin, there was hardly any doubt that Britain would confiscate such transports.
Berlin, 25th September, 1939.
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Record of meeting of Foreign Office, High Command, and economics officials on naval warfare, including instructions to be given to neutral powers on actions necessary to avoid the sinking of their ships, and the sinking without warning of enemy merchant ships near Britain
Authors
Ernst Weizsaecker, von (State Secretary (Foreign Ministry); ambassador)
Ernst von Weizsaecker
German diplomat in the Nazi regime (1882-1951)
- Born: 1882-01-01 1882-05-25 (Stuttgart)
- Died: 1951-08-04 (Lindau)
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: diplomat; politician
- Member of political party: Nazi Party
- Member of: Schutzstaffel
- Military rank: corvette captain
- Military branch: Imperial German Navy
Foreign Office/Ministry of Foreign Affairs (German)
Oberkommando of the Wehrmacht (OKW) (high command and/or general staff)
Date: 25 September 1939
Literal Title: Memorandum on conference with Secretary of State von Weizsaecker on the 25th September, p.m. on question of naval warfare.
Defendant: Erich Raeder
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: D-852
Citation: IMT (page 9986)
HLSL Item No.: 453047