Mr. Dodd has already introduced into evidence Document 294-PS, now USA Exhibit 185, in connection with the slave labor presentation. This document is a top secret memorandum, dated 5 October 1942, which was found in Defendant Rosenberg's files. It was written by a Mr. Braeutigam, who was a high official in Defendant Rosenberg's ministry for the occupied Eastern territories. I should like to quote two additional passages from this document. I quote from the English text page 1, the first full paragraph, and lines 17 to 20. The German text is at page 1, the first full paragraph, and lines 22 to 25.
"In the East, Germany is carrying on a three-fold war: a war for the destruction of Bolshevism, a war for the destruction of the greater Russian Empire, and finally a war for the acquisition of colonial territory for colonizing purposes and economic exploitation.
"With the inherent instinct of the Eastern peoples the primitive man soon found out also that for Germany the slogan: 'Liberation from Bolshevism' was only a pretext to enslave the Eastern peoples according to her own methods." to the Soviet Union which we propose to introduce at this time. As I mentioned at the outset of this presentation, these exhibits do no disclose all of the conspirators' plan with respect to the occupied countries, out they do, we submit, show a constant pattern, a pattern of ruthless Germanization and destruction. which disclose that German industrialists and financiers aided and abetted Himmler in his relentless program of Germanization, exploitation, oppression and destruction. Exhibit Number 321. This document was found in the vaults of the Stein Bank in Cologn among the files of the banker, Baron Kurt von Schroeder, by a joint British-American team, headed, by Colonel Kellam on the British side and Captain Roth on the American side.
It is a carbon copy of a letter from von Schroeder to Himmler, dated 27 August 1943, and bears von Schroeder's initials. I quote it in its entirety;
"My very honorable Reichsfuehrer:
"With great joy I learn of your appointment as Reichsminister of the Interior and take the liberty to extend my heartiest congratulations to you on assuming your new post.
"A strong hand is now very necessary in the operation of this Department and it is unversally welcomed but especially by your friends that it was you who were chosen for this by the Fuehrer. Please be assured that we will always do everything in our power at all times to assist you in every possible way.
"I am pleased to inform you at this opportunity that your circle of friends has again placed at your disposal this year a sum slightly in excess of RM 1 million for 'special purposes.' An exact list showing the name of the contributors will be sent to you shortly.
"Again all my best wishes - as well as those of my family I remain yours, in old loyalty and esteem.
"Hell Hitler! Yours truly." your Honors -- Document No. EC-453, which is USA Exhibit 322. This document was likewise found in the Stein Bank in Cologne by the abovementioned joint British-American team. It is a carbon copy of a letter from von Schroeder to Himmler, dated 21 September 1943, bearing von Schroeder's initials, with the enclosed list of contributors -
THE PRESIDENT: Captain Harris, on what principle do you suggest that either of these letters can possibly be evidence in this case?
CAPTAIN HARRIS: Your Honors, at the time the motion to postpone the trial as to Gustav Krupp was argued before this Tribunal, the British chief prosecutor specifically stated that if it should be the decision of the Tribunal that Krupp should be dismissed, the evidence as to the part which he, his firm, and other industrialists played in the preparation and conduct of the war would still be given to this Tribunal as forming part of the general conspiracy to which these defendants were involved, with divers other persons not now before the Court.
of the type indicated by Sir Hartley Shawcross. It is evidence which goes to prove the length and breadth of the general conspiracy which is alleged the indictment. Evidence showing contributions as to one of the leading conspiraters, a conspirator who was in the forefront of the unlawful Program to plunder public and private property and to Germanize a large part of the world is itself submitted relevant to this proceeding.
May I continue?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
CAPTAIN HARRIS: I quote the last letter, EC-453, in its entirety:
"Dear Reichsleader:
"I thank you very much for your kind letter of the 14th of this month with which you made me very happy. At the same time, I am enclosing circle of friends and totalling RM 1,000,000. We are very glad indeed to render some assistance to you in your special tasks and to be able to provide some small relief for you in your still further extended sphere of duties.
"Washing you, dear Reichsleader, the best of Luck, I remain in old loyalty and esteem.
"Heil Hitler! Yours very truly." I shall not.
THE PRESIDENT: I don't think it would add to the expedition of the trial, do you?
CAPTAIN HARRIS: Very well, sir. I am exceedingly grateful to your Honors for your Very kind attention.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Colonel Storey.
COLONEL STOREY: Do your Honors want to proceed now before the recess?
THE PRESIDENT: Perhaps we had better adjourn now for ten minutes.
(Whereupon, at 11.45, a short recess was taken.)
COLONEL STOREY: If the Tribunal please, the remainder of the presentation during the week will be concerning the criminal organizations. The first to be presented now is the Leadership Corps, including some of the illustrative crimes against the Churches, against the Jews, against the Trade Unions, and the operation of the Einsatzstab Rosenberg concerning the looting of art treasures. criminality of the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party, it is in point to restate the Prosecution's theory of this case. It is this. The Nazi Party was the central core of the common plan or conspiracy alleged in Count I of the Indictment, a conspiracy which contemplated and embraced the commission of crimes against the peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity as defined and denounced by the Charter. planning, directing and supervising the criminal measures carried into execution by the Nazi Party in furtherance of the conspiracy. More than this, as will be shown, the members of the Leadership Corps themselves actively participated in the commission of illegal measures in aid of the conspiracy. In the light of the evidence to be offered this Tribunal, the Leadership Corps may be fairly described as the brain, the backbone and the directive arms of the Nazi Party. Its responsibilities are more massive and comprehensive than those of the army of followers it led and directed in the assault against the peace loving peoples of this world.
Accordingly, upon the record made in this case and now to be enlarged upon, the Prosecution requests this Tribunal to declare that the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party is a criminal group or organization in accordance with Article 9 of the Charter. Document Book supporting the brief as USA Exhibit V. the recess there was placed upon your bench the Document Book, which has each document marked by tab and each quoted portion embraced by red pencil marks for the assistance of your Honors. In addition, we have passed two documents that have already been introduced in evidence: an enlarged copy of this chart, more detailed, which your Honors have before you, and another chart, in photostatic form, with reference to the Leadership Corps; and both of those will be identified later. the functions, the responsibilities and powers of the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party. First, what was the Leadership Corps-
DR. ROBERT SERVATIUS (Counsel for the Leadership Corps of the NSDAP)--interposing: After the last meeting I received a statement by Justice Jackson in which were proposals about the taking of evidence and the task of the discussion of certain questions which might arise. I cannot understand the scope of these proposals, and must therefore ask that I may at some time speak about these points again, if it is necessary.
THE PRESIDENT: Of course, Counsel will have the opportunity of making a full argument in answer to the argument presented on behalf of the Prosecution.
What I understood from Mr. Justice Jackson on Friday was that he proposed that the evidence on the question of criminal
COLONEL STOREY: First, what was the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party?
What persons made up its membership? What was its size and scope?
refer to Document No. 2903-PS, which is this exhibit on the wall, and which was introduced by Mr. Albrecht at the opening of the trial.
Document 2833-PS, US Exhibit No. 22, which is a chart of the entitled, "The Face of the Party."
It is this little photostatic copy that you have.
Later on we expect to put the big one on the wall.
Corps constituted the sun total of the officials of the Nazi Party. It included the Fuehrer at the top; the Reichsleiter, on the horizontal line; the Reich office holders, immediately below; the five categories of leaders who were area commanders, called the Hoheitstraeger, or "bearers of sovereignty". They are in the red-lettered or red-lined boxes at the bottom. They range all the way from the 40 odd Gauleiter in charge of large districts, down through the intermediate political leaders, the Ortsgruppenleiter, the Zellenleiter, and finally, to the Blockleiter, who were charged with looking after forty to sixty households, and what may be best described as staff officers, attached to each of the five levels of the Hoheitstraeger. as appears from the chart which Your Honors hold in your hands--the principal political leaders on a scale of descending authority were: office holders. officers.
I now offer in evidence Document 1893-PS. That is USA Exhibit No. 323. And this, if your Honors please, is the organization book of the NSDAP, the National Socialist Party. It was edited by the Defendant, Reich Organization Leader of the NSDAP--or the late Defendant-Dr. Robert Ley; and it is the 1943 edition. A large part of the evidence to be offered relating to the composition of the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party will be drawn from this primer of the Nazi organizations, and I shall later quote from it.
And without so requesting the Tribunal each time to take judicial notice, I shall assume, in the absence of question, that it is sc understood. That is Document 1893, the English translation, that we will refer to. of the Reichsleitung of the Leadership Corps, which consisted of the Reichsleiter or Reich Leaders of the Nazi Party--and they are shown on that long horizontal list at the top of the chart--the Hauptaemter (main offices), and the Aemter, or office holders. highest office-holders in the Party hierarchy. All of the Reichsleiter in the main office and office holders within the Reichsleitung were appointed by Hitler and directly responsible to him. You will find it on the left-hand side tab; the first paragraph of page 4 of that Document. I think you will find it embraced in red-pencil marks:
"The Fuehrer appoints the following political directors:
"Reichsleiter and all political directors, to include the Directors of the Womens Leagues, within the Reich Directorate or Reichsleitung." Reichsleitung perfect coordination of the Party and State machinery was guaranteed.
Has Your Honor found it? It is in Document 1893, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I have got it. Go on.
COLONEL STOREY: The Party manual puts it this way-- and I quote from the fourth sentence of the third paragraph of page 20 of that document. You will find the page-number at the bottom, page 20; it is a very short quotation. different, translation in there than what I read from my script. I quote:
"In the Reichsleitung the arteries of the organization of the German people end of the German State merge." translation in that portion in your book. There is a difference in translators.
THE PRESIDENT (Interposing): Just a moment, please. It begins: "It is in the Reich Directorate where the strings of the organization of the German people and of the German State merge." Is that it?
COLONEL STOREY: Yes, sir, that is it. This translation says "the arteries of the organization of the German people and of the German State merge."
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
COLONEL STOREY: To prove teat the Reichsleiter of the Leadership Corps included the most powerful coalition of political overlords in Nazi Germany, it is necessary only to put in evidence their names. The list of Reichsleiter now to be offered into evidence will include the following Defendants now on trial before this Tribunal: late Defendant Robert Ley.
not shown on this chart, if Your Honor please--which carried out a vast program of looting and plunder of art treasures throughout occupied Europe. for the supervision of Nazi ideology and schooling, Rosenberg participated in an aggressive campaign to undermine the Christian churches and to supersede Christianity by a German National Church founded upon a combination of irrationality, pseudo-scientific theories, mysticism, and the discredited cult of the racial state. It will further be shown that the late Defendant Ley, acting as the agent of Hitler and the Leadership Corps, directed the Nazi assault upon the independent labor unions of Germany and that before destroying himself he first destroyed the bastion of republican society, a free and independent labor movement, replacing it by a Nazi organization, the German Labor Front, or the DAF, and employed this organization as a means of exploiting the German labor force in the interests of the conspiracy and to instil Nazi ideology among the ranks of the German workers. of many laws which were designed to promote the conspiracy in its several phases. the officials of the Leadership Corps to the concept of the rule of law by virtue of his efforts to give the color of Law and formal legality to a large volume of Nazi legislation, which was violative of the rights of humanity, such as the Nazi discriminatory legislation designed to degrade, stigmatize, and eliminate the Jewish people of Germany and German occupied Europe. evidence as to his responsibility in directing and furthering the course of the Nazi conspiracy is here and expands with the record in this case. As Chief of the Party Chancellory, right under Hitler, the Defendant Bormann was an extremely important force in directing the activities of the Leadership Corps. As will be shown, a decree of January 16, 1942, provided that the participation of the Party in all important legislation, governmental appointments, and promotions, had to be undertaken exclusively by Bormann.
He took part in the preparation of all laws and decrees issued by the Reich authorities and gave his assent to those of the subordinate governments.
I now refer to Document 2473-PS, USA Exhibit No. 324. You will find the English translation to contain a list of the Reichsleiter of the NSDAP set forth on page 170 of this book. It was edited by the Late Defendant and Reichsleiter for Party Organization, Robert Ley. pages 1 and 2 of Document 2473-PS, which read as follows.
If the Tribunal please, I don't believe I will read all of them, but Will call attention to only certain of them. There were 15; there is shown on the board most of them: faction in the Reichstag, shown on the big chart over at the second box from the end on the right. the same level.
Heinrich Himmler, Reich Leader of the SS; the Deputy of the NSDAP for all questions of Germandom. German Labor Front. all mental and ideological training and education of the NSDAP. National Socialist Party.
of the National Socialist Party. call directors, included the responsibility of carrying out the tasks and missions assigned to them by the Fuehrer or by the Chief of the Party Chancellery, the Defendant Martin Bormann. The Reichsleiter were further charged with insuring that Party policies were being executed in all the subordinate areas of the Reich. They were also responsible for insuring a continual flow of new leadership into the Party. Reichsleiter, I now quote from page 20 of Document No.1893-PS -- you will find the number at the bottom of the page, page 20, of No. 1893-PS.
"The NSDAP represents the political conception, the political conscience, and the political will of the German nation. Political conception, political conscience and political will are embodied in the person of the Fuehrer. Based on his directives and in accordance with the program of the NSDAP, the organs of the Reich Directorate directionally determine the political aims of the German people. It is in the Reich Directorate -- or Reichsleiter -- that the arteries of the organization of the German people and the State merge. It is the task of the separate organs of the Reich Directorate to maintain as close a contact as possible with the life of the nation through their sub-offices in the Gau.
"The structure of the Reich Directorate is thus that the channel from the lowest Party office upwards shows the most minute weaknesses and changes in the mood of the people.
"Another essential task of the Reich Directorate is to assure a good selection of leaders. It is the duty of the Reich Directorate see that there is leadership in all phases of life, a leadership which is firmly tied to National Socialist ideology and which promotes its dissemination with all its energy "It is the supreme task of the Reich Organization Leader to preserve the Party as a well-sharpened sword for the Fuehrer."
of the Leadership Corps was facilitated by a circular decree of the Reich Minister of Justice, dated 17 February 1934, which established equal rank for the offices within the Reichsleitung of the Leadership Corps and the Reich offices of the German Government. In this decree it was expressly provided that "the supreme offices of the Reich Party Directorate are equal in rank to the supreme Reich Government authorities." The Party Manual termed the control exercised ever the machinery of the Government by the Leadership Corps "the permeation of the State apparatus with the political will of the Party." Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party incontestably dominated the German State and Government. The control by the Leadership Corps of the German Government was facilitated by uniting in the same Nazi chieftains both high office within the Reichsleitung and corresponding offices within the apparatus of government. For example, as shown in Document 2903-PS, Goebbels was Reichsleiter in charge of Party propaganda, but he was also a cabinet minister in charge of propaganda and public enlightenment. Main Office for Volkdom -- you will notice the box right below his name -and also was Reichsfuehrer SS. At the same time, Himmler held the governmental position of Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of Germandom, and was the governmental head of the German police system. Leadership Corps and high governmental position in the same Nazi Leaders greatly accommodated the plan of the Leadership Corps to dominate and control the German State and Government.
Hauptamter, or main offices, and about four Amter, or offices. As set forth in the above exhibit, the Hauptamter of the Party included such main organizations as those for personnel, training, technology, which was headed by the Defendant Speer, Volkdom, headed by Himmler, civil servants, communal policy, and the like. The Amter, or offices, of the Party within the Reichsleitung included the Office for Foreign Policy under the Defendant Rosenborg which, the evidence will show, actively participated in plans for the launching of the war of aggression against Norway, the Office for Colonial Policy, the Office for Geneology, and the Office of Racial Policy. Your Honors have, certain of the main offices and offices within the Reichsleitung would appear again within the Gauleitunp, or Gau Party Directorate, and Kreisleitung, or Party County Directorate. It is thus shown that the Reichsleiter and the main office and office holders within the Reichsleitung exercised, through functional channels--that is in this little one, with the dotted lines--running down functional channels, through the subordinate offices on lower regional levels, a total control over the various sectors of the national life of Germany. respect to the Gauleiter within the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party. As will be seen from this organizational chart of the Nazi Party now before the Tribunal as USA Exhibit No. 2, for Party purposes Germany was divided into major administrative regions, Gaue, which in turn were sub-divided into Kreise (Countie Ortsgruppen (local chapters), Zellen (cells), and in Blocks (blocks). Each Gau was in charge by a Gauleiter who was the political leader of the Gau, or district. Each Gauleiter was appointed by and was responsible to Hitler himself. I quote from page 18 of the English translation of Document 1893-PS, the Organization Book of the NSDAP:
"The Gau represents the concentration of a number of Party counties, or Kreise.
The Gauleiter is directly subordinate to the Fuehrer."
Your Honor find it? It is page 18 in the English translation. Document 1893-PS.
"The Gauleiters bear overall responsibility to the Fuehrer for the sector of sovereignty entrusted to him.
The rights, duties, and tives."
End of quotation. or office holders were essentially a political one, namely to insure the authority of the Nazi Party within his area, to coordinate the activities of the Party, and all its affiliated, and supervised organizations, and to enlarge the influence of the Party over people and life in his Gaue generally. Following the outbreak of the war, when it became imperative to coordinate the various phases of the German war effort, the Gauleiter were given additional important responsibilities. The Ministerial Council for the Defense of the Reich, which was a sort of general staff for civil defense, and the mobilization of the German war economy, by a decree of 1 September 1939, 1939 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, page 1565, appointed about sixteen Gauleiter as Reich Defense Commissars, concerning which I ask the Tribunal to take judicial notice. Later, under the impact of mounting military reverses, and an increasingly strained war economy, more and more important administrative functions were put on a Gaue basis. The Party Gaue became the basic defense areas of the Reich, and each Gauleiter became a Reich Defense Commissar. Decree of the Ministerial Council for the Defense of the Reich of 16 November 1942. 1942 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, page 649, which I ask the Tribunal to take judicial notice of. In the course of the war, additional functions were entrusted to the Gauleiter, so that at the end, with the exception of certain special matters, such as police affairs, almost all phases of the German war economy were, coordinated and supervised by them. For instance, regional authority ever price control was put under the Gauleiter as Reich Defense Commissars, and housing administration was placed under the Gauleiter as Gau Housing Commissar. Toward the end of the war, the Gauleiter were charged even with the military and quasi-military tasks. They were made commanders of the as the evacuation of civilian population in the path of the advancing Allied Volkssturm in their areas, and were entrusted with such important functions armies, as well as measures for the destruction of vital installations.
repeated in the lower levels of the Party organization such as the Kreise, Ortsgruppen, Cells, and Blocks. Each of these was headed by a political leader who, subject to the Fuehrer principle, and the orders of superior political leaders, was sovereign within his spere.
The Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party was in effect a "Hierarchy of descending Caesars." Each of the subordinate Party levels, such as Kreise, Ortsgruppen, and so on, was organized into offices, or Amter dealing with the various specialized functions of the Party. But the number of such departments and offices deminished as the Party unit dropped in the Hierarchy, so that, while the Kreise office contained all, or most of the offices in the Gaue (such as the deputy, the staff office leader, an organization leader, school-leader, propaganda leader, press office leader, treasurer, judge of the Party Court, inspector, and the like), the Ortsgruppe had less, and the Zellen and Blocke still fewer.
The Kreisleiter: nomination of the Gauleiter, and directly subordinate to the Gauleiter in the Party Hierarchy. The Kreis usually comprised a single county. The Kreisleiter within the Kreis, had in general the same position, powers, and prerogatives granted the Gauleiter in the Gau. In cities they constituted the very core of Party power and organization. I quote now from page 17 of the English translation, Document 1893-PS. Page 17 of the English translation. Quote:
"The Kreisleiter carries over-all responsibility towards the Leaders, the Party members, as well as the population."
Unquote. The Ortsgruppenleiter, who was the local chapter leader, The area of the Ortsgruppenleiter comprised of one or more communes, or, in a town a certain district. The Ortsgruppe was composed of a combination of blocks and cells and, according to local circumstances, contained up to 1500 households. The Ortsgruppenleiter also had a staff of office leaders to assist him in the various functional activities of the Party. All other political leaders in his area of responsibility were subordinate to and under the direction of the Ortsgruppenleiter. For example, the leaders of the various affiliated organizations of the Party, within his area, such as the German Labor Front, and the Nazi organization for lawyers, students, and civil servants, were all subordinate to the Ortsgruppenleiter.
In accordance with the Fuehrer principle, the Ortsgruppenleiter, or Local Chapter Leaders were appointed by the Gauleiter, and were directly under the subordinate to the Kreisletier. gruppenleiter, and I quote from pages 16 and 17 of Document 1893-PS, previously introduced in evidence, and I quote: "As Hoheitstraeger, Bearer-----" From page 16 and 17, Your Honor please.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
"As Hoheitstraeger (Bearer of Sovereignty) all expressions of the Party wall emanate from the Ortsgruppenleiter; he is responsible "The Ortsgruppenleiter carries the over-all responsibility for regard to an outside political appearance in public."
End of quotation.
The Zellenleiter:
The Zelenleiter was responsible for four to eight blocks. He was the immediate superior of and had control and supervision over the Blockleiter (Block Leader). His mission and duties, according to the Party Manual, corresponded to the missions of the Blockleiter. I quote from the last paragraph of page 15 of the English translation of Document 1893-PS, which is only a line in the same document: "The missions of the cell leader correspond to the missions of the blockleader." Unquote.
The Blockleiter: position to have continuous contact with the German people. The block was the lowest unit in the Party pyramidal organization.
The block of the Party comprised of 40 to 60 households; and was regarded by the Party as the focal point upon which to press the weight of its propaganda. I quote from pages 13 and 14 of this same document:
"The household is the basic community upon which the block and cell system is built.
The household is the organizational roomers, domestic help, etc.
. . The blockleiter has jurisdiction is fully responsible to the Zeilenleiter."
charged with planning, disseminating, and developing a receptivity to the policies of the Nazi Party among the population in his area of responsibility. It was also the expressed duty of the Blockleiter to spy on the population. I quote from pages 14. and 15 of this same document:
"they may be reported to the respective State authorities."
"The Blockleiter must not only be preacher, and defender of the National Socialist ideology towards the members of national and Party entrusted to his political care, but he must also strive to achieve practical collaboration of the Party members within his block zone.
"The Blockleiter shall continuously remind the Party members of their particular duties towards the people and the State. The Blockleiter keeps a list, card file, about the households. In principle, the Blockleiter will settle his official business verbally, and he will receive massages verbally, and pass them on in the same way. Correspondence will only be used, in cases of absolute necessity. The Blockleiter conducts National Socialist propaganda from mouth to mouth. He will eventually awaken the understanding of the eternally dissatisfied as regards the frequently misunderstood, or wrongly interpreted measures and laws of the National Socialist Government. It is not necessary to him to fall in with complaints and gripes about possibly obvious shortcomings of any kind in order to demonstrate solidarity....A condition to gain the confidence of all people is to maintain absolute secrecy in all matters." End of quotation. of these Blockleiters. Large though this figure may appear, there can be no doubt that these officials were in and of the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party. Though they stood at the broad base of the Party pyramid, rather than at its summit, where rested the Reichsleiter, by virtue of this fact, they were stationed at close intervals throughout the German civil population.
THE PRESIDENT: I think also it would be an assistance to the Tribunal if you could tell us, that is, sometime convenient to yourself, approximately how many there were in all of these ranks in the corps.