Transc. Hess even tried to declare himself insane to avoid the merited f 11-30 1945 punishment.
But when Hess convinced himself that such a maneuvre p. 57-58 would not help, he was obliged to tell the Tribunal that he had simulated loss of memory, that it had been a trick of his and he had to admit that he bore full responsibility for all that he had done and signed together with the others.
Thus this clumsy attempt of Hess to avoid the responsibility was fully exposed at the trial and Hess must suffer punishment to the full extent, for his participation in the common plan or conspiracy for committing crimes against peace, war crimes and the most heavy crimes against the world and against humanity, committed by him together with the other defendants.
BORMANN The name of Martin Hermann is closely connected with the setting up of Hitler's regime.
He was one of these who committed the most outrageous crimes, aiming at the annihilation of hundreds of thousands of people.
Together with the defendant Rosenberg, Bormann carried on a propa ganda of racial theories and persecutions of Jews with cruel perseverance Numerous instructions were issued by him aiming at the discrimina tion of Jews in Hitlerite Germany, which afterward had such a fatal effect and resulted in the annihilation of Jews.
By this activity of his, he won the confidence of Hitler, he was "authorized to represent the party in the field of government activity" (regulations and orders of the party chancellory v. II p. 228) and he did represent it.
Thus, as chief of the party chancellory, he directly participated in the annihilation of Jews, Gypsies, Russians, Ukrainians, Poles and Czechoslovaks.
NSDAP under his leadership became a police organization, in close contact with the German secret police and SS.
Bormann not only knew of all the aggressive plans of Hitler's Government, but also took an active part in realizing them.
He made full use of the entire party machinery of NSDAP to realize the aggressive plans of Hitler's Government, and appointed the party Gauleiters as Plenipotentiaries for the Reich defense in the regions of their activity.
The NSDAP party machinery and Bormann personally, took an active part in all treasures of the German military and civil authorities for the inhuman exploitation of war prisoners.
This is proved by the murderous instructions and (directions issued by Bormann.
The materials of the Prosecution and the legal proceedings have now established the scope of the mass annihilation caused by the bestial ill-treatment of the prisoners-of-war.
The party machinery and the defendant Bormann, personally took a direct part in the measures of Hitler's government connected with the de portation of the population of theocccupied territores for slave labor.
The secret deportation of Ukrainian girls to Germany for forced Germanization, was carried out with Bormann's approval.
By Hitler's order of 18th October 1944, Bormann and Himmler were en trusted with the leadership of the "Volkssturm" consisting of all men PS-3018 from 16-60 years of age, capable of wearing, weapons.
On the eve of the sollapse of Hitler's Germany, Bormann headed the under-ground organization "Wehrwolf" for divertionist and subversive activity behind allied lines.
USA-690 Bormann took a direct part in plundering historical treasures and 1690-PS treasures of culture and art in the occupied territories.
In 1945 he made a suggestion to intensify the economic plunder in the USA-692 occupied territories. 061-PS Such are the crimes of the defendant Bormann, Hitler's closest colla borator, who shares the full responsibility for the numerous crimes of Hitler's government and of the Nazi party.
RIBBENTROP Joachim von Ribbentrop was not only one of the principal instigators and leaders of the foreign policy of Hitlerite Germany, but he was also one of the most active participants in the criminal conspiracy.
Having officially entered the Nazi Party in 1932, the defendant however, contributed to the seizure of power by the Nazis, before 2829-PS USA-5 this actually occurred, and he became shortly the official advisor of the Party, inasmuch as he was the "collaborator of the Fuehrer on matters of foreign policy.
Ribbentrop's promotion is indissolubly connected, with the development of the Nazi conspirators' activity which was directed against the interests of peace.
In his testimony, Ribbentrop declared: "He (Hitler) knew that I was Session of his loyal collaborator". That is why on 4 February 1938, Hitler made 2.4.46, transcript the convinced and faithful nazi-Ribbentrop, the official leader of page 19 (evening) foreign policy, a post which was one of the most important levers for the realization of the entire Nazi conspiracy.
However, Ribbentrop did not limit his activities to the field of foreign policy.
As member of the Hitlerite Government, the Reich Defense Council and of the Secret Council, he participated in the solution of all the innumerable problems connected with the prepara tion of aggressive wars.
That is why he, Ribbentrop, although he was Minister for Foreign Affairs, took part in the solution and realization of prlblems, but faintly relevant to foreign policy, such as the Transcript ev.
session utilization of manpower in wratime, the organization of the concentra2.4.46, pp 6-8 tion camps, and so forth, In this connection, it should be noted that USSR-120 Ribbentrop signed a special, large-scale agreement with Himmler on the organization of a common intelligence service.
Ribbentrop became Reich Foreign Minister precisely at the outset of the realization of the plans of aggression, which visualised the submission of Europe to Germany.
This coincidence is no accident, Ribbentrop was considered, not without reason, as the most adequate person for the realization of this criminal conspiracy, he was pre ferred even to such an expert in matters of foreign provacation as Rosenberg, upon which the latter made an official complaint, not with out some reason.
And Hitler was not mistaken in his choice, for Ribbentrop fully justified his confidence.
As early as 12 February 1938, a week after his nomination, Ribben trop - together with Hitler and the defendant Papen, who for a long time prior to this date had been directing the diversionist activity of the of the Nazi agencies in Austria, participated in a conference at the Obersalzberg.
At this meeting he addressed an ultimatum punctuated by threats, to the Austrian Chancellor Schussnigg and the latter's Foreign Minister Schmidt, demanding their agreement to sacrificing the independence of Austria, and this object was attained.
As Minister, Ribbentrop was present at the conference of 28 May 1938, during which a decision was made for the execution of plan "Gruen -- the plan for aggression against Czechoslovakia.
In conformity to the Nazi tactics of weakening their future victim by striking at the home front, Ribbentrop constantly kept a close contact with and gave material assistance first to the German Sudeten party, and then to the Slovak nationalists, with the object of attain ing an internal split and fratricidal war in Czechoslovakia.
Having seized Czechoslovakia, the Nazi conspirators, and Ribbentrop amongst them, began to make preparations for and to realize the next aggressive act, which had already been outlined by them in their criminal plan against peace, -- the attack on Poland.
Being compelled -- because of the recently realized annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia, to conceal temporarily the further inten tions of Germany, Ribbentrop personally, and through the agaency of his diplomats, endeavoured to allay the vigilance of the European states, by making hypocritical declarations to the effect that Germany had no further territorial demands.
Doc. On 26 January 1939, in Warsaw, the Foreign Minister of fascist 2530-PS GB-36. Germany, Ribbentrop declared: "that the consolidation of friendly reTranscript Morn.sess- lations between Germany and Poland on the basis of existing agreements, ion.6.12.45 Pages 6-7 constituted the most important factor of German's foreign policy".
A very short time elapsed, and Poland experienced the value of these assuranges of Ribbentrop.
I will not dwell here on the perfidious part played by the defend ant Ribbentrop in the German aggression against Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, for my colleagues have already dealt with this matter convincingly enough.
..
The defendant Ribbentrop personally participated in the commission of aggression against Jugoslavia and Greece.
Reverting to his favourite method of riving false guarantees in order to conceal the future aggression, defendant Ribbentrop assured Jugoslavia in April, 1938, that after the Anschluss Germany's frontiers with Jugoslavia were considered as final and unalterable.
719-PS At that time manifold preparations for aggression were being B-58 Transcrips) carried out with the assistance of the defendant Ribbentrop.
on 12 and *.12.4-5 afternoon 13 August 1939 at the conference of Hitler and Ribbentrop with Ciano session . 6. at Salzburg an agreement was reached concerning the liquidation of the neutrals one after the other.
With the direct and immediate assistance of the defendant Ribben trop the Nazi conspirators planned, prepared and carried out the treacherous attack on the USSR on the 22nd of June 1941.
SA-135, PS-447 The defendant Ribbentrop himself admitted here, in the Court room SA-31, PS-446SSR-263 that at the end fo August and the beginning of September 1940, i.e. at SSR-149 SSR-156 the time when the elaborate plans of the plan "Barbarossa" was being carried out as it is evident from the dpositions of General Varlimont, General Mueller and Fieldmarshal Paulus the defendant Keitel was dis cussing with him the question of attacking USSR.
The activity of the defendant and the ministry directed by him, played a primary part in the organization of war against the USSR with the participation of Finland.
2896-PS Already after the beginning of the aggression of Germany against USA-155 the Soviet Union the defendant Ribbentrop continued to apply his effort to attract new accomplices to Germany's side.
Thus in a telegram to the German Ambassador in Tokio of 10th July 1941 he waid:
I beg you to try all means at your disposal to influence Matzuoka in order to make Japan start war against Russia as soon as possible.
The sooner -
the better. The final aim should be that Japan and we shake hands on the Siberian railway before winter comes on."
As it has been established at this trial Ribbentrop together with the other defendants was preparing the policy of extermination and plunder, planned by the Hitlerites and then applied it in the temporarily occupied territories of Soviet Union.
The defendant, Rosenberg who was elaborating the plans of exploitation of the occupied territories in Eastern Europe, held a conference on this question with OKW, the Ministry of Economics, Ministry of the Interior.
1039-PS In his "Report about preparatory work on the Eastern-
US-146 European question" he wrote: "As a result of the negoTranscript tiations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 10.12.45 latter appointed General Consul Mr. Brotigham as their morn.sess. representative to Rosenberg. Defendant Rosenberg's p.38 Office.
Thus it is indisputable that Ribbentrop not only knew about the preparation for the military attack on USSR, but that he, together with the other conspirators, had planned before hand the colonization of the territory of the Soviet Union, the enslavement and extermination of the Soviet citizens.
Transcript The defendant was compelled to admit that he had known 2.4.46. the notes of the Public Commissar of Foreign Affaris W.M. afternoon Molotiv concerning the atrocities of the Hitlerites in the sess. temporarily occupied territories of the Soviet Union. He, p.13 as well as the other conspirators, had also known the other declarations of the Chief's of the Allied Governments concerning the responsibility imposed upon the Nazi Govern ment for committing the monstrous atrocities in the occupied countries.
Tr.27.3.46 von Ribbentrop, as the witness for the defense the former morn.sess. Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conpp.53-54. firmed, had been one of the initiators and was intended to be nominated honorary member of the International Anti-Jew ish Congress which the Germans supposed to convene in July 1944 in Cracow.
Tr.2.4.46 Ribbentrop himself admitted at the Trial that he had negomorn.sess tiated with the Governments of European countries about the p.6 banishment of the Jews. (3688-PS According the record of Ribbentrop's conversation with Horty RF-502) "The Minister of Foreign Affairs declared to Horty that the Jews should be either exterminated or sent to concentration camps.
There could be no other decision".
This sufficiently confirms the fact that Ribbentrop was aware of the existence of the concentration camps through he tried hard to prove the contrary.
Ribbentrop lent his support to other Nazi leaders and above all, to the defendant Suackel, in deporting the inhabitants of the occupied territories for forces labor in Germany.
Besides, defendant Ribbentrop, by carrying out the common plan of conspiracy including the destruction of the national culture of the peoples of the occupied territories, took a most active part in plundering treasures of culture, which are the common property of all nations.
In order to carry out this task, and on Ribbentrop's instructions, a "Battalion of Special Service" had been created at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which, during the whole war, followed the advance units, requisitioned and deported to Germany all kinds of treasures of culture from the occupied territories in the East, according to the directives of Ribbentrop.
Thus the deifendant Ribbentrop took part in the seizure of power by the Nazis, played a leading role in planning, preparing and waging aggressive plundering wars; together with the other conspirators, he participated, according to the Fascist plans in the leadership, when committing most heavy crimes against the nations, whose territories had been termporarily occupied by the Hitlerite invadors.
THE MILITARY GROUP Several of the defendants in the dock at this major War Criminals Trial may be said to form a military group.
If we do not include Goe ring who represents a peculiar figure, uniting in one person - politi cian, administrator, and soldier, there remains Keitel, Jodl, Doenitz and Taedar.
In the course of these proceedings not only have all the counts of the indictment against them been sustained, but as a result, even more incriminating evidence has been brought to light.
The documentary evidence, the testimony given by the witnesses, including those applied for by the Defense, could not but tip the scales in favor of the Prosecution.
The Counsel for the defense tried to convince the Tribunal that their clients had become involved in this sinister tragedy by a whim of fate in spite of themselves.
The defendants themselves - Keitel, Jodl, Doenitz and Raeder here in court, try to appear in the role of noble simpletons. We must do the defense justice: it did its best to aid them in this attempt. We have heard a great deal about the soldier's honot, military discipline, fidelity to duty and oath of allegiance - all making obligatory, therefore, the fulfillment of Hitler's orders, including those which aroused their doubts and direct protest. Such a view of their position completely distorts the actual state of affairs. Before passing to the question of the guilt of Keitel, Jodl, Doenitz and Raeder, I deem it necessary to put the following 4 questions, and to answer them:
1) Did these defendants know that Hitlerite Germany, in violation of its international obligations had prepared a series of aggres sive and predatory wars?
2) Did they take an active part in planning, preparing, unleashing and waging of these wars?
3) Are they guilty of cynically trampling down the laws and customs of warfare?
4) Are they responsible for the atrocities and extermination of the peaceful population, for the sinking of passenger and hospital ships, for the towns and villages destroyed by the Hitlerite Reich military machine?
It seems to me that after this investigation which has so carefully gone into all the details of this case, unless one remains blind to the facts, it is impossible to give other than an affirmative answer to these questions.
The documentary evidence submitted to the' Tribunal has fully proved that the military group of criminals is guilty of the heaviest crimes and that they have actively participated in the planning and execution of the common criminal conspiracy.
The fact that these crimes were committed by men in uniform not only does not serve to mitigate their responsibility, but, on the contrary, only heightens it.
How can they try to acquit themselves by referring to "a soldier's duty", "an officer's honor", and the "obligation of fulfilling orders". Since when has "soldier's duty" and "officer's honor" become compatible with shooting without trial and branding as prisoners, extermination of women, children and aged people.
The only true and correct explanation of the amazing fact that these generals and admirals were committing what in substance were capital crimes, lies in the fact that they were generals and admirals of Hitler's making. These are men of special metal. They are fascists in uniform, bound body and soul to the Nazi regime.
This is the only reason why Hitler gathered those men about him and collaborated with them for so long a period of time. This is the only way to explain why they collaborated with Hitler in committing such crimes unprecedented in history. They fitted and understood one another to perfection.
KEITEL It is only natural that in speaking of the military group I would naturally begin with defendant Keitel.
Keitel held the leading post Speech Dr. Nelte in Hitler's military machine from the very first years of its concep p. 58 tion.
Keitel's counsel adults that : -the decree (of February 4th 1938) gave Keitel the wonder title for his position - Chief of the OKW". Further he goes on to say :"....the factual significance of Keitel's activities was immense.
It was a monstruous extremely ungrateful job and its miserly remu neration was a brilliant position in the immediate proximity to the head of the state."
In the light subsequent events it may be taken for granted that Speech Dr. Nelte the primary stage of all the future wars of aggression included p. 100 everything connected, with the secret rearmament of Germany after the Versailles treaty.
It is difficult to minimize the significance of all that was done at the time by Colonel Keitel in the Committee of Experts which painstakingly and consecutively sought and found means of circum venting or violating the treaty.
It was none other than Colonel Keitel in particular who gave instruc tions to the effect that in Geneva it was possible to say what one pleased but care must be taken not to leave anything behind on paper.
This Cynical statement fully tallies with the role played by Keitel in the subsequent preparation and execution of agrresive wars.
During the negotiations between Hitler and Schuschnigg the living C-102 reminder of Germany's preparadeness to resort to arms was the USA-74 person of Keitel.
Keitel issued orders for troops to cross ever into Czechoslovakia at the time when president Hacha was so treacherously called to Berlin :"for continuing negotiations."
It was the OKW and no other organization which was fully prepared the 388-PS through /ABWEHR'S department to provoke an incident with Czechoslo USA 26 Jodl's vakia in order to justify the invasion by the German hordes, ready notes to "Fall to fall upon Czechoslovakia.
Green" In his strictly confidential memorandum Keitel demanded that Hess and Himmler advise the OKW in advance of all measures taken by party organizations or police which were not included in the case Green "Fall Green".The declarations alleging that after the seizure of Czechoslovakia Germany had no more territorial aspirations in Europe were downright lies.
This was but a link in the chain of aggressive wars.
I wish to emphasize the leading role of the OKW in the preparation and carrying out of aggression.
The directive regarding the waging of war and invasion of Poland is known to us as Keitel's and Hitler's directive of 10 May 1939.
It was forwarded to the command of the Air Forces, Navy and Land Forces.
How is it possible after this to maintain that the OKW was not the driving power behind the armed forces of the fascist Reich ?If we once more peruse the documents pertaining to German aggression against Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia and Greece we again come across the name of Keitel.
He appears as a participant of the most important events as author if secret orders 443-PS GB-118 addressed to Raeder, Goering and the General Staff.
We find the initials of Keitel and Jodl entered In their own hand on the secret directive signed by Hitler regarding the "Operation Mariza".Much has been said here of the "Plan Barbarossa" and its authors.
At present it is important to stress that this document took shape in the depths of the OKW at its own initiative and that the planned methods of a treacherous attack on the USSR were also the work of the OKW.
The significance of a military specialists visa on a document is clear to everybody.
Some of the defendants attempted to portray the attack on the USSR as preventive war.
This contention is to such a degree unconvincing and contradictory to the irrefutable evidence presented in court (German documents) that I see no need for occupying the Tribunal's time.
Keitel's defense counsel stated that the defense of this defendant is based on the point of view that Keitel -"is fighting not for his head but to save his face."
P. 23 I wish to aid the Tribunal in seeing the true face of Keitel. For Final Speech this I shall have to remind you of a number of Keitel's directives Counsel Dr. Nelte which may well lay claim to being among the foremost of all the infamous documents pointing to the barbarity of the German military clique, its baseness and extreme scorn for all conceptions of rules and customs of warfare.
Let us consider the documents dealing with the shooting of Political Officers.
Keitel, the soldier, as he likes to call himself, ignoring his oath, shamelessly lied to the representatives of the American Prosecution at his preliminary investigation by avowing that to begin with this order was in the nature of a counter reprisal and that the political officers were separated from the other prisoners of war at the request of the prisoners themselves.
At the trial he was unmasked.
Exhibit No. RF (v) -351 884-PS proved that this directive had been issued before the war had broken out.
We also submitted a document under Exhibit No. USSR-62 (the text of a letter of German Prisoners of War.)
This document makes it clear that even before the attack on the USSR the army in the field had been instruc ted to absolutely exterminate Soviet women in military service as well as political officers.
And what can he said of the following statement dreadful in its unlimited cynicism : RF-271 " Human life in these countries concerned us absolutely of no account R-98 PS-389 ... a terrifying influence can be achieved, only through unheard of brutality."
C-50 And what can be said of the directive of 13 May 1945 introducing cour USA-554 martial in the Barbarossa region ? And of the order of 16 September 1941 calling for the execution of 80-100 communists for each German killed ? L-90 What could Keitel say about the document known as "Nacht and Nebel"? USA-503 These are sanguinary documents.
No one can compute how many thou-
sands of prisoners of war -soldiers and officers of the Red Army had USSR-52 been killed and tortured in the camps of fascist Germany.
You re member how on 21 January 1946 at the evening session witness Lamp testified that for the amusement of Himmler the shooting of 50 Soviet officers was organized in the Mauthausen camp.
You remember witness Blacha testifying that in the spring of 1944, 94 Soviet senior mili tary officers were tortured and then killed for refusing to give military information.
transcript I wish to mention the testimony of SS man Paul Waldman regarding the 11 January 1946 afternoon slaughter of 840 Russian prisoners of war. You remember the testimopp. 22-23 ny of witness Kivelsh regarding the endless chain of torture and suffering to which Russians, taken prisoner by the German, were subjected to : transcript 2 February It is impossible to pass by Keitel's directive calling for the 1946, morning p. 22-23 branding of Soviet prisoners of war.
afternoon One cannot forget the Keitel directive of the 16 December 1942. It p. 2-4 USSR-16 is entitled "measure to be taken against bands". Under the word transcript 14-2-1946 "bands" defendant Keitel understood any resistance movement and dep. 13 USSR-343 manded that his troops revert to harsh methods, stopping at nothing even in regards to woemn and children.
The Soviet Prosecution submitted the testimony Lecurt under transcript 15 Feb. 1946. Exhibit No. USSR-162. Lecurt states that he shot and burnt Soviet morning p. 1-2 citizens, razing their houses, He alone had shot over 1,200 persons and for this achievement he was promoted to the rank of Obergefreiter and awarded the medal for service in the East.
He acted in accor dance with the directives of Keitel.
Keitel's directive instituting court martials in the "Barbarossa" C-50 USA-554 region freed such persons of all responsibility. Keitel's hands are stained with the blood of the victims of Lecourt and his like.
It was in carrying out Keitel's directive stating that life in the Eastern regions was of no value, that the soldiers and officers of Hitlerite Germany committed their atrocities Exhibit number USSR-51 submitted by the prosecution shows how, on the 28 August 1941, attacking German troops drove a group of women, children and old men before their formations.
In the vil lage of Kolpino the fascists shot the peasants who had been forced into digging:
trenches and bridges for them. USSR-261 In Yugoslavia mass shootings of hostages became a daily feature USSR-391 USSR-392 with the military command and military administration.
In a secret report dated 15.II.1940 submitted to Goering the OKW justifies the practice of taking hostages.
1585-PS I wish to conclude with document USSR-336 (EC-338), which your RF-278 honors, of course, remember.
In this document Admiral Canaris informs Keitel of the unbridled cruelty in the prisoner-of-war camps, of the hunger, and mass shootings of Soviet prisoners of war.
Even the out and out fascist spy Canaris, fearing eventual responsibility could not ignore such unbridled curelty an flagrant violation of accepted laws and customs of warfare.
You will remember Keitel's notation on this report :
"I approve of and back these measures".
On April 7, 1946, during the cross examination, I put the following question to Keitel :"You, Defendant Keitel, known as fieldmarshal, repeatedly referred to yourself as a soldier before this Tribunal, and you, by your sanguinary notation, approved of and sanctioned the murder in cold blood of thousands of soldiers who had fallen prisoner.
Do you confirm this ?"
Keitel was forced to admit this fact.
This one resolution alone unveils the true and real face of Field Marshal Keitel.
The highly involved arguments of the defense can not absolve Keitel of his responsibility for the bloodshed and innumerable human lives torn short by the hand of the fascist mili tary machine in carrying out orders and directives signed by his han The defendant Alfred Jodl bears equal responsibility together with defendant Keitel as his assistant and as closest military adviser of Hitler's All that is connected with preparation and execution of the aggressive plans of Hitlerite Germany is inseparably linked with the name of Jodl as well as with that of Keitel.
There is no need to repeat anew all those aggressive acts of Hitler's Germany which are already facts of common knowledge, each of which had been planned and executed with the direct participation of defendant Jodl. As the representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, I should like to emphasize once more that the criminal plan of the perfidious attack on the Soviet Union, ceded by the Hitler's gang under the name of the illfated conqueror Fredireck Barbaross, is signed not only by Hitler and Keitel but by Jodl as well. But this is more than a mere signature.
As early as the summer of 1940 in Reichenhall, Jodl held the first conference of his staff-officers, at which the question of the possibility of an attack by Hitler Germany on Soviet Russia was discussed. It was no one else but defendant Jodl who even before the attack against the USSR actually was carried out issued his well-known "Instructions on the use propaganda in the region of 'Barbarossa". In these instructions it is unequivocally stated that "asyet propaganda aimed at the partition of the Soviet Union should not be carried on." Thus, defendant Jodl knew beforehand of the actual aims of Germany's attack on the USSR, knew of the piratical and predatory nature of the war which called for the dismembering of the Soviet Union.
It was Jodl who took part in the preparation and organization of the provocative incident on the Czech Slovak border with the aim of justifying this aggressive act of Hitler Germany against this peace loving nation. It was Jodl who signed the order of the 23 September 1938 regarding the use of the so-called Hiemlein Corps in case the "Case Green" was realized. How full of mockery sound the defendant Jodl's words of "soldiers honor" after reading his order on the destruction of Leningrad Moscow and other cities. of the Soviet Union. It was this very same Jodl who with inimitable cynicism declared at a confe rence with Hitler on the 1 December 1941 that German troops could with impu-nity "hang, hang by the feet and quarter" Soviet patriots.
As the closest military adviser of Hitler's, having personally participated in the preparation and execution of all the sanguinary aggressive plans of Hitlerites Germany -defendant Jodl has been justly included in the ranks of the major German War Criminals. My British colleague has proved the guilt of defendants Carl Doenitz and Erich Raeder so convincingly and thoroughly that I see no need to dwell especially on these Grossadmirals of Hitlerite Germany, who have disgraced thei admirals' uniforms with such infamous crimes.
In the course of his cross-examination Doenitz told the Soviet Prosecutor that he as unaware of the reasons for which Hitler nominated him as his successor. I don't think that Doenitz was quite sincere in making this statement. One has but to refer to the transcripts of the sessions beginning with the 8th May, in order to understand without his acknowledging it, why he became Hitler's successor, when the Hitlerite Reich went to the bottom. The important point is not the fact that an Admiral was needed at a moment like this, but the fact that only the nazi Grossadmiral Doenitz, in the opinion of Hitler who was about to fade from the picture, could do anything to save the sinking ship.
Under Hitler, Doenitz commanded the submarine weapon of the German Reich We know the role which the German U-boats played in this war. In this connection it is worthy of emphasis what Doenitz was proud of being the author of the so-called "wolf-pack tactics". Soviet people have not forgotten new Doenitz's submarines sunk in the Baltic and Black Seas hospital ships and steamers evacuating peaceful citizens -women and children. The last head of the Hitlerite government should be one of the first to pay for all these crimes which led to the trial of the major war criminals before the International Military Tribunal.
The name of Raeder is linked with the sacrilegious directive for the destruction of Leningrad.
At the trial Raeder tried to play the part of an "honest soldier". But the mere fact that it was he, together with Hitler and Keitel, who conspired to "wipe Leningrad off the face of the earth" and to exterminate more than three million population of that great city, whose very name is indissolubly connected with the development of the culture and history of mankind, makes Raeder one of the major war criminals.
Raeder took part in working out all the most important plans of aggression of German fascism. This participant in the criminal fascist conspiracy must therefore bear punishment together with his associates. The defendant Ernst Kaltenbrunner was considered by Himmler to be the most deserving successor to that henchman, Heidrich, executed by Czech patriots. On 30 January 1943, he was appointed Head of the Reich Main Security Office and Chief of the SD. Numerous documents, and especially orders signed by Kaltenbrunner, for the mass deportation of people into concentration camps, the testimonies of his subordinates, including the depositions of Walter Schellenberg, the former Chief of the Interior, Security Service, fully convict Kaltenbrunner of heinous crimes. At the session of 12 April 1946 in the course of Kaltenbrunner's examination the testimonies of Johann Kandutor, ex-prisoner of Mauthausen, were read into the record. In his depositions, Kandutor describes as follows Kaltenbrunner's pass-time during one of his visits to the camp:
"Laughing, Kaltenbrunner entered the gaz chambers; then the prisoners were led from the barracks to the execution and all the three methods of execution were demonstrated -hanging, shooting into the nape and asphyxiation by gas." I shall not dwell upon the numerous proofs which are available, as they have been sufficiently clarified before the Tribunal. There is only one point of the accusation against Kaltenbrunner, on which I deem it necessary to dwell. Together with other RSHA organizations, Kaltenbrunner took over from Heidrich five "Einsatzgruppen". The citizens of the Soviet Union remember well these criminal organizations of the German fascism, headed by Kaltenbrunner.
The "Einsatzgruppe A" reacted the approaches to Leningrad. It created the "Fort of Death #9" near Kaunas, the secret points for mass extermination of human beings in Panarai; it carried out the executions by shooting in the woods of Salaspinsk and Bikerneksk near Riga; it erected gallows in the pares of one of Leningrad's suburbs -the Pushkino.
The "einsatzgruppe B" settled down in the vicinity of Smolensk. It burnt alive the peasants of Byelorussia; it shot down the victims of the awful Pinsk "action"; it drowned thousands of Byelorussian women and children in the Mosyr marshes; it operated with murder vans in Minsk; it liquidated the ghetto in the Upper Gardens district of Smolensk.