Minutes of a meeting on the responsibilities and powers of the Reich Defense Council to plan and prepare for mobilization, including war economy planning, the need for secrecy in communications, and cooperation with the Gestapo

Berlin, 22 May 1933
TOP SECRET The Reichswehr Minister
T. A. Nr. 421/33 g. Kdos. T 2 111 A:
40 Copies 10th Copy
PROTOCOL
Of the 2nd Session of the Working Committee of the Delegates
for Reich Defense.
Time: 26 April 1933 Start: 1000 hours
End : 1230 hours
Place: Large Conference Room in Reichswehr Ministry Participants:
Reich Ministry:
Dept, of the Field Army [Truppenamt] :
T 2
T 2 Administration T 1 IV
Dept, of Air Raid Protection :
Chief Lt. Gen Adam
Chief Col. Keitel Capt. Schmundt Capt. Prueter Min. Rat. Dr. Weber Major Gercke (ret) Capt. Speidel
Dept, of the Res. Tng. and Repl. Army (Wehrmacht):
Chief of Staff In 6 Chief of Staff In 7 Chief of Staff Ordnance Dept. [Waffenamt] Wa Wi.
Administrative Dept.: [V3] Ministry Office:
W.
Security
Lt. Col. Winzer Lt. Col. Guderian Lt. Col. Fellgiebel Lt. Col. Stud Major Warlimont Min Rat. Reich
Col. von Vietinghoff Capt. Tschache Capt. Wahle
Delegates for Reich Defense from the Reich Ministries:
Foreign Office: Interior : Finance : .
Economics :
Labor:
Postal :
Traffic :
Justice:
Legation Secretary von Buelow
Om. Reg. Rat. Erbe
Gen. Finanzrat Wapenhensch
Min. Rat. Godlewski
Reg. Rat Dr. Barth
Min. Rat Sieler
Min. Rat Delvendahl
Min. Rat Koffka
Min. Rat Koffka
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Food and Agriculture: Air:
Prussian Ministry of the Interior:
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Amtsgerichtsrat Bretschneidner Capt. Belle (ret)
Ob. Reg. Rat Diels
Minutes:
Lt. Gen. Adam: Welcoming of the delegates especially of the representative of the Air Ministry present for the first time.
Information about the decision of the Reich Cabinet of the 4 Apr.il 1933 to form a "Reich Defense Council".
Reference to:
a. Change of the responsibility for the defense of the Reich.
b. The decision to make the activities of the delegates a full-time job, and the necessity for this measure order to master the important and extensive tasks.
With a wish for trustful cooperation in the working committee of the RVR (Reich Defense Council) transfer of the presidency to Col. Keitel (Chief T 2).
Col. Keitel: After welcoming takes up business of the day.
Item 1
Thoughts about a Reich Defense Council
All great European powers which are at freedom to arm, have a RVR. One does not have to refer to history to prove the necessity of this institution. The war has shown conclusively that the cooperation with the various ministries has not been close enough. The consequences did not fail to materialize. The soldier is not in a position to have a say in all matters. The disadvantages of the past system were caused by parallel efforts of the various ministries in matters of the Reich defense. To avoid these mistakes a central agency has been created which occupies itself already in peacetime in the widest sense with the problems of Reich Defense. This working staff will continue its existence in time of war.
In accordance with the cabinet decision of the 4 April 1933 the Reich Defense Council, which until now had been prepared for war emergency, will go into immediate action.
In time of peace its task will be to decide about all measures for the preparation of the defense of the Reich, while surveying and utilizing all powers and means of the nation. To this effect a law placing every German and his personal property at the war service of the nation (Kriegsleistungsgesetz) is being prepared which will be submitted to the committee after its completion.
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Composition of the Reich Defense Council:
President : Reichs Chancellor
Deputy: Reichswehr Minister Permanent Members: Minister of the:
Reichswehr Foreign Affairs Interior Finance
Economic Affairs
Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Air
Chief of the Army Command Staff Chief of the Navy Command Staff Depending on the case: The remaining minister, other personalities, e.g., leading industrialists, etc.
In order to regulate the work it is necessary to determine who will do the drafting of the various tasks and in what manner. The Reich ministries will receive instructions in this regard from the Reichswehr Minister.
Item 2
Full-time Employment of the Delegates
Whether the full-time employment of delegates for the Reich Defense Council necessitates changes of personnel within the permanent committee will have to be decided by the ministries concerned. It is requested to settle this matter with the various ministries and to inform the Reichswehrminister which full-time delegate is slated for the working committee.
Ob. Reg. Rat Erbe (Interior): The solution of this question is rendered more difficult by the fact that each of the delegates has already a large field of work, to which he is deeply attached and which he will part with unwillingly.
Ob. Reg. Rat Diehls (Prussian Ministry of the Interior): Is of the same opinion. He himself is in addition, in charge of the Secret State Police. Remedy: Full time assistants.
Min Rat Godlewski (Economics): Recommends the solution of the Reich Ministry of Economics: The delegate keeps his own field of work with addition of the Reich Defense tasks, which are handled by a special official (at present Rat Dr. Barth) exclusively and as a full time job. This way a higher official retains the direction, without being overburdened with the work.
Lt. Gen. Adam: Agrees with the opinion of Min. Rat Godlewski and proposes a similar solution for the other Reich Ministries.
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Amtsgerichtsrat Bretschneider (Food and Agriculture) : Does not believe that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture will be able to send a special delegate in view of the general overload with work.
Col. Keitel: The amount of work of the Reich Ministry of Food and Agriculture will not decrease. Food supply, however, is of the utmost importance in case of mobilization, so that an intensive cooperation on the part of this ministry is absolutely essential.
Min. Rat Schmidt (Traffic): At the Traffice Ministry hardly any higher officials can be made available for this full time task. A good deal of the work in the realm of the Reich Defense could be done by the H.T.K. .
Lt. Gen. Adam: The tasks will be distributed and it is a matter of the various ministries to take care of same. Best solution: Higher official with full time assistants.
Col. Keitel: Points out once more the urgency of the tasks, since it had been possible to do only very little in this connection during the last years. He asks the delegates to consider the Reich Defense at all times and represent it accordingly at the drafting of new laws. Experiences of the wars are available and are at the disposal of the various ministries: (e.g. Reich Archives, Memorandum of an administrative official about gasoline supply). All these sources must be taken advantage of for the future. The task of the full time delegates is also to bring about a close cooperation of the ministries with each other.
Min Rat Schmidt (Traffic): Requests a complete roster of the committee members.
Col. Keitel: Agrees to that, as soon as the ministries have named their full-time delegates.
Item 3
Nature of Work Plans ,
In the work plans the questions and ideas are laid down, which have come up in the Reichswehr Ministry and must be considered in case of mobilization. Up to the present time the support on the part of other ministries was frequently based only on personal helpfulness since any authority from above was lacking. The following work, plans are finished:
a. Work Plan for the Reichs Ministry of Economics Work Plan for the Reichs Ministry of Food and Agriculture
Work Plan for the Reichs Ministry of Labor
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These three are composed in one work plan for the preparation of a war economy.
b. Work Plan for the Reich Postal Ministry
c. Work Plan for the Reich Traffic Ministry
Request the plans to be worked through carefully by the competent ministries. The plans will be discussed beginning of June, when proposals for improvements may be made. The other ministries which have no work plans yet will receive them later on. The office of air raid protection, will work out a work plan in conjunction with the Reich Commissariat for aviation.
Min. Rat Godlewski (Ministry of Economics) : 1. In case a
completed plan for mobilization is to be created a preparation of requisition orders for the supply of raw materials, creating of war industries and getting in touch with personalities to be charged with these tasks in case of war, is necessary. All this means years of work.
2. What about the financial aspects of this work? Naturally, large sums will be required for it, with which the ministry concerned will be debited. To what extent can this be carried out in practice and to what extent will it remain only paper work once more?
Col. Keitel: Certainly, the working out of these plans requires a long time. The Reichswehr Ministry has worked for years on the principles of Reich Defense, too. The organization of a war economy always requires plenty of money and time. It is just the reason for and the purpose of the working committee of the Reich Defense Council to overcome these difficulties. Proposals and inquiries of the various Reich ministries must be made the subjects of sessions of the Reich Defense Council (Cabinet) by the working committee. It is to be decided there, which tasks have priorities over others and for which purposes means have to be available. Nevertheless, the financing of the various proposals remains a matter of the ministry concerned. The direct influence of the Reich Chancellor on these tasks represents, however, a great progress compared with past times. The various ministries have to submit yearly budget proposals, which are to be approved separately.
Min. Rat Delvendahl (Postal Ministry): Sees an acceleration of the tasks in a direct cooperation with the Wehrmacht experts. Which is the competent agency for that in the Reichswehr Ministry?
Col. Keitel: The Army Organization Department is competent only for the great guiding principles. Technical matters are to be settled with the special offices of the Reichswehr Ministry.
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Inquiries regarding the specialists are to be addressed to the secretary of the Reich Defense Council, Capt. Schmundt.
Min. Rat Delvendahl (Postal Ministry): Who is competent in questions of general nature?
Col. Keitel: Can be decided only from case to case.
Item 4
Secretary and Secrecy
Question has been brought up by the Reich Ministries.
The secrecy of all Reich defense work has to be maintained very carefully. Communications with the outside by messenger service only, has been settled already with the Post Office, Finance Ministry, Prussian Ministry of the Interior and the Reichswehr Ministry. Maim, Principle of security: No document must be lost since otherwise, the enemy propaganda would make use of it. Matters communicated orally cannot be proven, they can be denied by us in Geneva. Therefore, the Reichswehrministry has worked out security directives for the Reich Ministries and the Prussian Ministry of the Interior.
Reading of the Security directives (Rn. M.T.A. Nr. 285/33 g.K. T 2 III A dated 19 April 33), by Capt Schmundt.
Col. Keitel: Under no circumstances communications by mail.
Min. Rat. Delvendahl (Postal Ministry) : Secret but urgent letters can be mailed in locked leather cases wrapped1 in special envelope. He asks for a moderation of the dispatching directives.
Col. Keitel: The main thing is that the mail in the various ministries is opened by the addressee himself and not by the main office or another agency. It is of utmost importance that ways and means are provided to guarantee an absolutely safe transportation.
Min. Rat. Koffka (Ministry of Justice): It is most dangerous to mark the outside of the letters "Secret". Incidentally, up to the present time there is no real protection furnished in the Ministry of Justice. Only one steel safe is available.
Col. Keitel: The need for steel safes grows only slowly. The Reichwehr Ministry has spent a lot of money to obtain a sufficient number of steel safes for itself and the branch offices. Steel safes remain, nevertheless, an urgent requirement. Letters are to be addressed to the recipient personally.
Gen Finanzrat Wapenhensch (Finance Ministry): If letters pertaining to Reich Defense can be written in such a way that in case of their loss their contents cannot be recognized as mobilization measures by enemy news services, express matters must be dispatched by mail.
693260—46—22
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Col. Keitel: The purpose of the directive is not to represent clear unequivocal instructions for all cases, but to point out inherent dangers in case of leakage. Have to be decided separately in every case. Proposals about this matter in June. The purpose, not the form decides.
Item 5
Leaves of absence resp. releases from duty for the purpose of participation in training measures outside the Wehrmacht.
Notices pertaining to this subject have been sent to Ministries already. Reich Cabinet has decided to grant leaves of absence to officials in the services of the Reich, etc., without deducting that time from their recreational leaves. The Reich authorities in the Reich will be informed by the Wehrkreigkommandos. I request the Prussian Ministry of the Interior to state whether this measure is to be in effect in its sphere, as well.
Ob. Reg. Rat Diels (Pr. Min. of the Int.): Agrees for Prussia.
Min. Rat Schmidt (Traffic) : For the RR officials etc. this will be settled by the H.T.K. The authorities will be informed orally, but how is one to go about with the instruction of the laborers. 27,000 workmen at the administration of waterways construction alone? Does that not invite abuses? What about secrecy in that case?
Col. Keitel: Only the authorities are to be informed. The men will be advised by the Wehrmacht agencies themselves. The men volunteer since they are mostly in reserve units. During the training
a. Security
b. Regulation of leaves of absence
will be explained. Unfortunately, the announcement of a leave schedule is not possible. The Ministries need not worry about the orientation of the men. What matters is that the superiors authorized to grant leaves are informed accordingly in advance.
Item 6
Storage of Weapons
a. Renting of state owned lands (e.g. State Forestry areas) must be accomplished without cost.
b. The Finance Ministry has set up a "re-enforced border control service". The value of this organization lies in the distribution of personnel among the customs sectors—equal to border protection sectors. Exchange of personnel rosters between the customs etc., authorities and the Wehrkreise is in effect already. The peace-time maneuvers of the re-enforced border control service are of great importance.
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c. Storage of weapons near the iocation where they will be needed. Unfortunately weapon stores are not always secret any more (Czech newspaper). Secrecy must be maintained to a much greater extent, appeal to the assembled gentlemen.
d. Request to the postal authorities: Protection of Reich mail service to be prepared for the event of mobilization (at present available only in case of domestic disorders). The border protection maneuvers in Breslau have disclosed many deficiencies in communications in case of a Polish invasion of Upper Silesia. Police is not to be made available for such purposes. What has been the mission of the Landsturm in days past will have to be carried out by organizations created by the Reich Ministries themselves.
e. Consideration of the interests of Reich Defense when drafting new laws. (Examples: Construction Industry, electrification of railways). Cooperation by the Ministries is requested. Considerations of thrift alone must not be the determining factor. The interests of Reich Defense must not be forgotten for one moment.
Min. Rat Delvendahl (Postal Ministry): Asks for the text of the cabinet resolution with regard to the Reich Defense Council.
Capt. Tschache (Ministry Office): Reads it.
Col. Keitel: Promises each of the ministries a copy of the decree of the cabinet resolution. A discussion of the work plans in separate sessions is planned for the beginning of June.
Ob. Reg. Diels (Prussian Min. of Int.): Asks the council to deal directly with the Gestapo Department with regard to Reich Defense problems, since furnishes the best guarantee for the secrecy of the problems and tasks and because that office is anyway the competent agency in the Pr. Min. of the Int. to deal with the district registration offices, Control agencies, border protection, etc.
SGD. Keitel
Distribution:
[See list of participants in the first part of the document.]
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