AFFIDAVIT
Baden-Baden, Germany 3 May 1946
EMIL PUHL, being duly sworn, deposes and says:
1. My name is EMIL PUHL. I was born on 28 August 1889 in Berlin, Germany. I was appointed a member of the Board of Directors of the Reichsbank in 1935 and Vice President of the Reichsbank in 1939, and served in these positions continuously until the surrender of Germany.
2. In summer of 1942, WALTER FUNK, the President of the Reichsbank and the Reich Minister of Economics had a conversation with me and later with Mr. Friedrich Wilhelm, who was a member of the Board of Directors of the Reichsbank. FUNK told me that he had arranged with Reichsfuehrer HIMMLER to have the Reichsbank receive on safe deposit gold and jewels for the SS. Funk directed that I should work out the arrangements with POHL, who, as head of the Economic Section of the SS was in charge of the administration of the economic aspects of the concentration camp program.
3. I asked FUNK what the source was of the gold, jewels, banknotes and other articles to be turned over by the SS. FUNK replied that it was confiscated property from the Eastern occupied territories but that I should ask no further questions. I protested against the Reichsbank handling this material. Funk stated that we were to go ahead with the arrangements for handling the material, and that we were to keep the matter absolutely secret.
4. I arranged subsequently with one of the responsible officials
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in charge of the cash and vault departments for receiving the material, and reported the matter to the Board of Directors of the Reichsbank at its next meeting. POHL of the Economic Section of the SS on the same day telephoned me and asked if I had been advised of the matter. I said I would not discuss it by telephone. He came to see me and reported that the SS had some jewelry on hand for delivery to the Reichsbank for safe keeping. I arranged with him for delivery and from then on deliveries were made from time to time, from August 1942 over the following years. '
5. The material deposited by the SS included jewelry, watches, eye glass frames, dental gold, and other gold items in great abundance taken from Jews, concentration camp victims and other persons by the SS. This was brought to our knowledge by SS personnel who attempted to convert this material into cash and who obtained in this connection the assistance of the Reichsbank personnel with PUNK's approval and knowledge. In addition to jewels and gold and other such items the SS also turned over bank-notes, currency and securities to the Reichsbank to be handled in the usual legal procedure established for such items. As far as the jewelry and gold were concerned, FUNK told me that HIMMLER and von KROSIGK, the Reich Minister of Finance had reached an agreement that the gold and similar material was on deposit for the account of the Reich and that the proceeds resulting from the sale thereof would be credited to the Reich Treasury.
6. From time to time, in the course of my duties, I visited the vaults of the Reichsbank and observed what was in storage. FUNK, in the course of his duties, also visited the vaults from time to time.
7. The Gold Discount Bank, at the direction of FUNK, also established a revolving fund which finally reached 10 to 12 million reichsmarks for the use of the Economic Section of the SS to finance production of materials by concentration camp labor in factories operated by the SS.
I am conversant with the English language and declare that the statements made herein are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Witness: Susan Schaefer, OCC
[signed] Emil Puhl
Sworn and subscribed to before me on the third of May 1946 at Camps d'Altschweier, Baden-Baden. .
DANIEL F. MARGOLIES.
1st Lt„ AUS.
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