AI cannot remember what agency carried out those examinations.
QWitness, under cross-examination you said that the Main Staff Office mainly, if not exclusively, collaborated with the racial office of RuSHA. Are you able to give me the names of the person or the persons in the race office of RuSHA?
AThe name of Schulz and Harders I remember.
QI am now coming to the last questions which were put to you on direct examination. You spoke of a beautiful, blond blue-eyed child from Poland, who is supposed to have been taken away from her foster mother. You further stated that in that connection there was a letter written by the foster mother to your office and that you had forwarded it to the race office of RuSHA. Now, I want to ask you whether you can remember the name of the man in that office to whom you forwarded the letter in question?
AProbably I did not forward the letter to any definite person but to RuSHA as such. I believe I can remember that I previously had to discuss that case with Harders.
QI am now coming to my last question, witness. Was RuSHA, within the whole sphere of work for the Reich Commissioner for the strengthening of Germanism? Did it within that framework work with its own initiative or did RuSHA act less by its own initiative and more at the instructions of the Reich Commissioner for the Strengthening of Germanism.
AI have to say that the persons at the Race Office whom I got to know in so-called racial matters displayed a certain amount of initiative of their own.
QThank you, I have no further questions to ask.
CROSS-EXAMINATION BY DR. SCHMIDT (for the defendant Tesch and also deputizing for the defense counsel of the Defendant Sollmann):
Q.- Witness, from the statements you have made so far I believe I can gather that concerning the organization of the Main Staff Office you are informed very accurately. Therefore, I want to ask you was there in the Staff Main Office an office "L", Lebensborn?
A.- I didn't hear about it. Nor can I say that concerning the organization of the Main Staff Office I was very accurately informed.
Q.- Witness, were these Staff Main Offices in a position to issue any orders or directives to Lebensborn?
A.- I am of the opinion that the Main Staff Office was not in a position to issue instructions to this organization which was independent.
Q.- Now, my last question and I want to refer to a question which was asked by my colleague Dr. Heim and which concernes the event which you mentioned in connection with aletter from a foster mother in which she complained. That letter you passed on to RuSHA. Was that incident in any way connected with Lebensborn? I am asking you that question because yesterday on direct the Prosecutor mentioned that case in connection with Lebensborn.
A.- I cannot remember that the name Lebensborn was mentioned in that letter but I cannot know whether Lebensborn had anything to do with that case.
Q.- I have no further questions.
THE PRESIDENT:Any further questions on the part of the defense? Anything further for the Prosecution?
MR. SCHWENK:Yes, Your Honor.
THE PRESIDENT:Limit your examinations strictly to rebuttal.
MR. SCHWENK:Yes, Your Honor.
REDIRECT-EXAMINATION BY MR. SCHWENK:
Q.- Witness, did the term "Volksdeutscher" mean persons of foreign citizenship but of German descent of German volkstum?
A.- Yes.
Q.- Did those volksdeutsche obtain German citizenship as a result of EWZ procedure?
A.- Yes.
Q.- Witness, did the main Staff Office have any influence on their classification as O or A cases?
A.- Yes.
Q.- Witness, could the Main Staff Office change this classification under certain circumstances?
A.- Yes.
Q.- Witness, did the Main Staff Office make any payments to EWZ, Einwandererzentrale?
A.- I believe I heard that EWZ was financed by the Main Staff Office from Reich funds.
Q.- Did the Main Staff Office Amt V make any payments to EWZ?
A.- I don't know.
Q.- Did the Main Staff Office, Amt V make any payments to UWZ Umwandererzentrale?
A.- I don't know.
Q.- Witness, did the Main Staff Office make any payments to the representatives of the Reich Commissar for the advancing of Germanism?
A.- Yes, to the representatives, the delegates.
Q.- I meant the representatives.
A.- Yes.
Q.- Witness, have you ever heard of a camp Hinzert as a concentration camp for people to be Germanized?
A.- The name of Hinzert Camp I did hear but I don't know what it is all about.
Q.- Have you heard of Camp Hinzert:
THE PRESIDENT:He just told you he heard about it. BY MR. SCHWENK:
Q.- Did the Main Staff Office have anything to do with this concentration camp?
A.- I don't know.
Q.- Witness, was the Central Office, Zentralamt, under the defendant Creutz?
A.- Yes.
Q.- Pardon me, I haven't finished my sentence. Was the Central Office under defendant Creutz in charge of statistical surveys?
A.- Yes.
Q.- Was defendant Creutz, therefore, concerned with statistics regarding manpower, allocation, resettlement, registration, seizure and confiscation of property, procurement of furniture and household goods?
A.- I don't know.
Q.- Witness, was the defendant Creutz your superior?
A.- Yes.
Q.- Were you personally in charge of the treatment of all legal questions within the scope of the office of the Reich Commissar for Strengthening of Germanism?
THE PRESIDENT:You went very thoroughly into that on the main examination. Don't go over it again. BY MR. SCHWENK:
Q.- Was your superior informed about the functions which you carried out as Chief of the Legal Department?
A.- Not, in detail.
Q.- Were you so informed as to essential things, essential functions about your essential activities?
A.- In broad outlines, yes.
Q.- Did the jurisdiction of the Central Office under the defendant Creutz include treatment of problems of foreign volkstum from the legal point of view?
A.- Creutz in his superior position concerning the legal department took effect from a factual point of view only during the periods when he acted as deputy.
Q.- Did the jurisdiction of the central office, under the defendant Creutz include exchange of destroyed property in Germany for the property in the incorporated territories.
THE PRESIDENT:I remember very well you went over that in detail in your main examination. Don't ask questions that you have already asked and cover territory that you have already covered. This is a rebuttal examination and rebuttal only.
MR. SCHWENK:Your Honor when I asked the question on direct examination. I did not relate that question to defendant Creutz.
THE PRESIDENT:The Tribunal has ruled. Don't argue after the Tribunal has ruled. BY MR. SCHWENK:
Q.- Witness, did the jurisdiction of the Central Office of the defendant Creutz include the giving of notices to be placed in public land registers, in regard to seized property?
A.- I beg your pardon: I am afraid I didn't get that question.
Q.- was part of the jurisdiction of the Central Office to deal with so-called sperrvermerke, to be placed in public land registers?
A.- I believe that that came within the sphere of work of the main department of wiedergutmachung, for compensation.
QWitness, you said in cross examination that you did not see the defendant Meyer-Hetling in Schweikelberg after the Main Staff Office moved there.
Was that due to the fact that the office of defendant Meyer-Hetling did not move to Schweikelberg butr remained in Berlin?
AI believe that first I have to make it clear that I did see Meyer-Hetling in Schweikelberg as least once. The fact that MeyerHetling didn't go to Schweikelberg more frequently is due to the fact that his main office probably was not evacuated to Schweikelberg but remained in Berlin.
QWitness, you said in cross examination that the defendant Meyer-Hetling was not chief of the Central Land Office. Do you know where the Central Land Office was located in Berlin?
AThe Central Land Office was in the northern part of Berlin, in Neue Friedrichstrasse, if I am not mistaken.
QHave you ever been to Neue Friedrichstrasse, the building of Central Land Office after Mundt resigned as chief of the Central Land Office?
AI don't think so.
QCan you therefore say with certainty that the defendant Meyer-Hetling was not in charge of the Central Land Office after Mundt resigned?
AI think I recall with almost certainty that Mundt was replaced by a man whose name was Bebert, who took the direction of the Central Land Office from him, but it is possible that I am mistaken.
QWitness, could a Polish person whose property was seized dispose of this property?
AHe could as far as public planning and economics allowed him to do so; he could sell produce, etc; however, he could not make legal dispositions concerning the real estate register.
QAre you familiar with Section IV of the Polish Vermoegensordnung?
THE PRESIDENT:What difference does it make whether he is familiar with it or not.
MR. SCHENK:Your Honor, I wanted to clarify his asnwer because his answer was not clear to me.
THE PRESIDENT:Well, I do not think whether he is familiar with this decree or statute will illustrate anything to the Court. You can talk to the Court about that. BY MR. SCHWENK:
QWitness, have you ever seen the form, the form which was used by the local land office for the seizure of Polish or Jewish property?
AYes.
QIs it correct that this form was used in individual cases for the seizure and confiscation of property for the seizure of that property first?
AYes.
QWas this form served on those Poles or Jews whose property was seized?
ANo, not generally speaking.
QIn other words, if I understand correctly, was the property seized without giving any notice?
AThere were public posters put up instead of informing people directly.
QWitness, have you over seem the form was used by the local land office for the confiscation of Polish property or Jewish property?
AYes.
QWas this form served on those Poles or Jews whose property was confiscated?
AYes.
QWitness, was there a decree or an order issued by the Main Staff Office providing that seizure of property of Poles or Jews who claimed to be American citizens should not be cancelled because their documents should be considered as invalid?
THE PRESIDENT:Now you are asking him about the contents of the decree that I have ruled time and time and time again the Defense could not do. If you have any decree you can introduce it in evidence.
MR. SCHWENK:Your Honor, the decree, the decree I an referring to was as far as I recall issued by the foreign office, and turned over to the Main Staff Office. I would like to find out whether the Main Staff Office received that decree.
THE PRESIDENT:You can show him the decree and ask him if they received any such decree without going into the contents. BY MR. SCHWENK:
QWitness, did the Main Staff Office ever receive a decree providing that seizure of Poles who claimed to be American-
THE PRESIDENT:Just a minute. You are doing just exactly what I told you you could not do.
MR. SCHWENK:Your Honor, I don't have the decree present at the moment, and I therefore thought that I couldask the question and the witness in general could answer whether this decree was received by the legal department of the Main Staff Office.
THE PRESIDENT:If you had any such decree you can offer it in evidence. It is manifestly unfair to go into the contents of soemthing by this witness that is not even before you. BY MR. SCHWENK:
QWitness, were any payments received by defendant Schwarzenberger as rent from properties in the incorporated territories?
AYes.
QWitness, was the defendant Schwarzenberger in charge of the financing of all administrative offices, not only of the Main Staff Office but also of the branch of ice of the RuSHA?
THE PRESIDENT:Just a minute. You are covering the identical territory that you covered in the main examination. Please don't continue to go over things that have already been proved. BY MR. SCHWENK:
QWitness, did the defendant Schwarzenberger have any jurisdiction ever procurements.
AYes, possibly.
QDo you know whether he had anything to do with the procurement of clothing?
AI don't know.
QDid the defendant Schwarzenberger, according to your knowledge make any payments to Lebensborn for the execution of the kidnapping program?
AI don't know.
QWitness, did the defendant Schwarzenberger receive any payments from properties confiscated in connection with the expulsion of Slovenes, Luxombourgians, Alsacians and Lorrainians?
AI don't know.
QWitness, were any persons resettled from countries with which no treaties or agreements existed in regard to resettlement?
AYes.
QWitness, did the treaties between the German Government and foreign governments provide that the ethnic Germans were to be resettled in the incorporated territories on property taken away from Poles and Jews?
AI don't know.
Q.Witness, did VOMI, assume the supervision of Poles taken to Germany for re-Germanization?
THE PRESIDENT:I remember very distinctly that you vent into that in the main examination. The truth about it is that all of these questions that you are now propounding have to do with the general set-up that you went very much into detail in the main examination. If you didn't bring these things out then, you should have; and they are not in the nature of rebuttal. BY MR. SCHWENK:
Q.Witness, you said in the cross examination, and that is the reason why I want to put to you a preceding question, in order to refresh your memory, that the office celled Voelkische Schute Arbeit, was part of the VDA for Verein Deutschtum in Ausland. Do you know what connections existed between the VDA and VOMI?
THE PRESIDENT:That question I know was asked on the main examination. You are just following track by track your proof on the main examination. Please do not cover territory that has already been covered. BY MR. SCHWENK:
Q.Witness, do you know who represented RuSHA in the sessions of the Oberste Pruefungshof, the supreme court for racial Questions?
A.I didn't quite get the abbreviation for the office.
Q.The SS Race and Settlement Office.
A.Race and Settlement Office, RuSHA. The chief representatives of RuSHA as the supreme court for racial matters, as far as I remember, were the defendant Hofmann and later the defendant Hildebrandt; or, may be vice versa.
MR. SCHWENK:Your Honor, I have no further questions.
THE PRESIDENT:Any other questions by the Defense? All right; let the witness retire from the stand.
MR. SHILLER:Your Honors, the Prosecution would now like to call Erich von Bach-Zelewski as a witness.
THE PRESIDENT:Go ahead.
ERICH VONBACH-ZELEWSKI, a witness, took the stand and testified as follows: BY THE PRESIDENT:
You will raise your right hand and repeat after me the following oath: I swear by God, the Almighty and Omniscient, that I will speak the pure truth and will withhold and add nothing.
(The witness repeated the oath)
DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. SHILLER:
Q.Witness, what is your name?
A.Erich von Bach-Zelewski.
Q.When were you born,; and where?
A.I was born on the 1st of March, 1899, in Lahnburg, in Pommerania.
Q.What education did you have?
A.I attended the Humanist Grammar School; and afterwards I took an examination.
Q.Witness, were you a member of the SS?
A.Yes, I was.
Q.When did you join the SS?
A.In 1930.
Q.What was the last rank that you held in the SS?
A.The last rank I held was SS-Obergruppenfuehrer General of the Waffen SS and Police.
Q.Witness, were you ever a higher SS and police leader?
A.Yes, I was from 1939, that is to say from the time when higher police SS leaders were appointed at all first of all in upper Silesia, when the war with Russia broke out until in the middle of 1942 I was sent to Russia.
Q.As higher SS and police leader, were you also a representative of the RKFDV?
A.Yes, I was. In 1940, I cannot remember the exact date, I was entrusted by Himmler with the position of representative of the Commissioner for the Strengthening of Germanism in upper Silesia as long as the Oberpresident and Gauleiter Wagner was in Silesia, and -
THE PRESIDENT:Just a minute. I caution the witness that for reason of the fact that your language has to be translated, speak one sentence, pause; sneak another sentence in order to give the translator an opportunity to keen up with you.
A.In 1940 I became the representative of the Reich Commissioner for the Strengthening of Germanism for upper Silesia. When the portions of upper Silesia became independent provinces, and when Bracht took the place of Wegner as Gauletier of upper Silesia, the representative of the Reich Commissioner for the Strengthening of Germanism, that position then was given to Gauleiter Bracht and I became his deputy.
Q.Witness, did you have a branch chief of the RKFDV on your staff as higher SS and police leader?
A.I am sorry, I didn't get that question.
Q.As higher SS and police leader you had a staff of officials, did you not?
A.Yes. The Stabsfuehrer, to begin with, was the SS Stabsfurhrer Mueller-Altenau; and later on under Gauleiter Bracht it was Gauamtsleiter Alt; that is as far as I can remember.
Q.Will you please tell the Tribunal briefly what were the functions of this branch chief of the RKFDV; who was on your staff?
A.The work he did was this. At the instructions from the Ober Gruppenfuehrer, I think at that time it was Ober Gruppenfuehrer Greifelt, a labor staff was set up in upper Silesia in Kattowitz; that labor staff was in accordance with Greifelt's instructions. And it was Altenau who was in charge of the labor staff and later on Alt was in charge. The directives were received from Greifelt.
Q.Very well, witness. Did you know the defendant Greifelt personally?
A.Yes, I did.
Q.Will you please point out and identify the defendant Greifelt in the dock?
A.He is the first person to the left, looking at the dock from my corner of the courtroom.
Q.Thank you, witness. What was the defendant Greifelt's position in connection with the RKFDV so far as you could tell from your position as higher SS and police leader?
A.That agency of the Reich Commissioner for the Strengthening of Germanism, naturally I only knew in its beginning; as far as I was able to observe matters in that short period, Greifelt in that sphere was Himmler's deputy who at the instructions of and deputizing for Himmler issued orders concerning all expulsion and evacuation matters and concerning all the plans for such campaigns.
Q.Just a moment, witness. Please answer the questions briefly and to the point. I shall bring out different matters as we come to them. Why was the defendant Greifelt chosen for this position by Himmler?
A.Greifelt in the circles of higher police leaders was well known and had been known for some time as Himmler's expert on economics. He once held a lecture in Berlin at the house Der Fliegerrabout the Four Year Plan and similar questions of economics, and we all were present at that lecture. In our circles he was considered an expert on subjects which were alien to us as soldiers.
Q.Witness, in your capacity as a representative of the RKFDV, did Greifelt have any authority over you?
A.No, he was not my superior; my immediate superior was Himmler, but he was the chief of that sphere, the agency, which passed on Himmler's orders.
Court No. I, Case No. VIII.
Q.Witness, did you receive orders, directives, or other instructions from the defendant Greifelt or the Main Staff Office?
A.Would you please repeat that question? I didn't understand it.
Q.Witness, in your capacity as higher-SS and police leader, did you receive any orders, directives, or instructions from the defendant Greifelt or the Main Staff Office?
A.Yes. I received quite a number of basic orders, and Greifelt quite frequently came himself to Upper Silesia, and with the use of planning charts he issued directives as to the execution of the resettlement campaign.
Q.Witness, did all the orders which you received from the RKFDV come from the defendant Greifelt?
A.Yes, only from that agency. I never received any orders from Himmler himself in that connection.
Q.And will you please repeat very briefly in what capacity did Greifelt issue these orders?
A.Greifelt, on orders of the Reich Fuehrer, in his capacity as Chief of the Main Staff Office, or something like that -- I can no longer remember the exact designation of his office -- but it was in his capacity as Deputy for the Reich Fuehrer, in that sphere of work.
Q.Witness, was any one else in a position to issue orders which carried the same authority as the defendant Greifelt's in connection with the RKFDV?
A.Yes, his position was the same as that of the other Hauptamts--the other chiefs of the main offices; for instance, Chief of RSHA, chief of RuSHA, Chief of the regular uniform police. Greifelt's position was more or less on the same level.
Q.Witness, did Greifelt also have authority to issue orders to Gauleiters or Reich Governors, in so far as they were representatives of the RKFDV?
A.Yes. In his capacity as Himmler's representative, he could issue directives to the Gauleiters in their capacity as representatives of the Reich Commissar. He could issue orders and directives for them.
Q.Witness, do you know whether Greifelt's orders could be disobeyed by a Gauleiter or a Reich Governor?
A.Yes, considering the anarchy which prevailed among all the other higher leaders of the Party, it was quite possible that a Gauleiter, on account of special relations--for example, with Himmler--simply did not carry out? orders and protested against them.
Q.But a Gauleiter without special personal connections with Hitler would have to obey the defendant Greifelt's orders, is that correct?
A.Yes.
Q.Were there many Gauleiters who had special connections with Hitler and could therefore disobey the defendant Greifelt's orders?
A.The Gauleiter of whom we are specking, that is to say, the Gauleiters in the eastern provinces, rather varied in their position concerning. Party Policy. Thus, for example, the Gauleiters Greiser of Wartheland and the Gauleiter Bracht of Upper-Silesia were very closely connected with Himmler from the Political point of view and from other points of view, and probably there were no troubles with them. But, on the other hand, I know for example in West Prussia there were great differences of opinion between the Gauleiter Forster and Himmler, as that there, opposition was possible.
Q.Witness, did Himmler always agree with the defendant Greifelt's orders?
A.Naturally, Himmler always agreed with Greifelt. He was not only the man who passed on his orders, but as far us we--or rather I--could look into matters, he was also the person who shared Himmler's ideas.
Q.Witness, in connection with the evacuation from the countryside of Poles and Jews, who first determined the area to be cleared?
A.May I ask you whether you are referring to the province, or what are you referring to?
Q.I am referring to the evacuation action in Danzig, West Prussia.
A.Yes, I see. I think the first evacuations occurred from the Warthegau, and afterwards from West Prussia, But the evacuations took place on a much smaller scale from West Prussia than the Warthegau.
Q.Yes, but witness, may I repeat the question. My question is not where the evacuations took place nor on what scale; my question is: Who first determined what area in Warthegau or Danzig, West Prussia, or some other district should be cleared of Poles and Jews?
A.That evacuation occurred according to a plan. I remember that the defendant Greifelt gave me a chart showing the exact plan, and on that chart you could see the whole eastern area, far into Russia, and that area was divided up into so-called, settlement areas by which the Slav area was to be split up. A start was to be made with the provinces of West Prussia and Warthegau, and then on a smaller scale, Upper Silesia was to be evacuated.
Q.Witness, would you say then that the evacuation program was planned in the Main Staff Office?
A.Yes, that plan was worked out at the Main Staff Office by Greifelt.
Q.Witness, do you know on what grounds or with what ideas the Main Staff Office made the determinations for this plan?
A.There were so many groups of interests; that is to say, there were the ministries, and there were agencies who participated in the execution of the plan, that the execution was only possible if all those various agencies in some way collected together, and that concentration was performed by Greifelt end his Main Staff Office--his own organization. I should like to put it like this: his was the roof organization under which the other branches had to work, and he had to work for one uniform aim.
Q.Witness, I am referring now not to any specific action but to evacuation actions in general. In general, who executed the orders of the Main Staff Office with respect to evacuations?
A.That was Greifelt.
Q.Witness, did you ever personally see an evacuation action or a resettlement action being carried out?
A.Yes. When that settlement started in UpperSilesia and was first working under Gauleiter Wagner, that is to say, when I was the representative--and that was at the time when they were dealing with more theoretical matters and planning--at that time, that is to say, shortly before I went to Russia, I say such evacuation action being carried out in Upper-Silesia--an action which was organized by Greifelt. It was supposed to be an example for all agencies in Upper-Silesia which dealt with such matters, and to show them how such resettlement actions were to take place. I can't remember the exact name of the place out it was somewhere near Saibusch.
Q.Witness, would you state approximately where Saibusch is and the approximate date of this action?
A.That action took place either in the autumn of 1940 or the beginning of 1941. It's rather a long time ago, and a great many things have happened to me since then; therefore I can't give you the exact day. Saibusch is in the southern region of Upper-Silesia, on the fringe of the mountains. The resettlement staff itself had offices in the court of Saibusch, and I can remember that Breifelt took me around himself and he and Gauleiter Bracht told me about the workings of their machinery in the presence of other people. There were a great many Landraete among them--heads of rural administration. Subsequently, people were evacuated from the village, and the next day the Germanw were settled there.
Q.Witness, do I understand you correctly that the defendant Greifelt directed this evacuation and resettlement action with you, witness?
A.Yes. All who participated in that action were laymen, and the idea was to show them how in practive such resettlement was to be performed; that is to say, all preparations, all measuring out of land, and all that, had been layed down by Greifelt down to the very detail; for instance, he had laid down how many farms were to be put together so as to get one farm which would work. The entire organization of the settlement village had been determined by Greifelt down to details, and according to that, Greifelt, himself, carried out the evacuation.
Q.Witness, who were these people who were evacuated?
THE PRESIDENT:The Tribunal will recess until onethirty.
(A recess was taken until 1330 hours.)
24 Oct 1947_A_MSD_13_1_Gaylord_Simha AFTERNOON SESSION (The hearing reconvened at 1330 hours, 24 Oct.
1947.)
MR. SHILLER:Your Honor, before I resume the examination of this defendant, I would like the record to show that the witness, Bach Zelewski, correctly identified the defendant Greifelt this morning in court.
THE PRESIDENT:I preseume the record does show that.
MR. SHILLER:Your Honor, the witness stated that the defendant Greifelt was the first man on the left, but I am afraid the record does not have a picture to show that that was correct.
THE PRESIDENT:I think the record discloses that he was identified.
MR. SHILLER:Very well, Your Honor.
ERICK von BACH-ZELEWSKI - Resumed DIRECT EXAMINATION - Continued
BY MR. SHILLER:
QWitness, before we adjourned this morning, I had asked you a question which you did not have time to answer.
I will not repeat that question:
Who were the people who were evacuated from these rural areas?
APeople were evacuated who either pretended or actually themselves stated to be Poles, or those who, by virtue of the racial examination, were declared to be racially inferior.
QWitness, who examined these people to determine whether they were racially inferior or not?
AA special examination commission decided on that, which existed with every immigration staff.
Those were men and leaders of RuSHA--the se called RNS leaders-- who according to the directions of the RuSHA had to examine the population and select them and put them in special categories.
QWitness, I should like to ask you some questions as to the details of the evacuati n of these people.
For instance, how much warning, that is how far ahead of time were these people told that they were going to be evacuated?
24 Oct 1947_A_MSD_13_2_Gaylord (Simha)
AAs the regulations stated that the period of time for that should be as brief as possible, depending on the camp, it varied. It either happened two hours ahead of time or a day ahead of time, but in any case they weren't giving them more time, in order not to enable them to take along any movables which could be turned over to the resettlers, and so that they couldn't sell them.
QWitness, what were these people allowed to take with them?
AIt was stated in the regulation that they were permitted to take along as much as they could possibly carry themselves, or that it could be taken along in small carts.
QWho determined what these people could take with them?
AThe settlement staff also decided on that: that was the organization Greifelt--which means that as far as I know and as far as I saw, the remaining movables were distributed amongst the German resettlers without leaving anything behind.
QWitness, you have said the remaining movables were distributed amongst the German resettlers. What happened to the land?
AThe land had already been distributed according to plans in advance. It had been distributed in agricultural plots according to the regulations of the Reichs Fuehrer, according to their size. The farmers were to remain in a position to take care of themselves, and that was the reason that the size was prescribed in advance and exactly. The result was that several agricultural plots were put together and converted into one big piece. That large agricultural plot then received the entire German resettler's family.
QWitness, I should like to make it clear: do you mean that the rural areas given to farmers were given to ethnic German farmers from elsewhere?
AYes, indeed. In that particular area where I had an insight, it was given to esthnic Germans; but I know, for instance, that in the Wartheland, also larger areas were turned over to so-called Baltic Germans.
QWitness, what happened to evacuated Poles? Where were they taken to?