AFFIDAVIT OF OSWALD POHL
I, Oswald Pohl, after being duly sworn, state the following:
1. My name is Oswald Pohl. I was born in Duisburg, Germany, on the 30th July 1892. Since 1st February 1934 I was Chief of the Economic and Administration Main Office of the Elite . Guard [Schutzstaffel] (WVHA). I occupied this position permanently until Germany's capitulation.
2. Through my activity as Chief of the WVHA I remember clearly two large business deals between my office and the Reich Ministry of Economics and the Reich Bank of Mr. Walter Funk. One deal concerned textiles from persons killed in concentration camps. In this connection Himmler endeavored to procure through Reich Economics Minister, Walter Funk, a higher allotment for the SS in the uniform material distribution. The other business deal concerned the business connection of my office with the Reich Bank President, Walter Funk, and the Reich Bank with regard to jewelry, rings, gold teeth; foreign exchange and other articles of value from the possessions of people, particularly Jews, who had been killed in concentration camps.
3. The connection of my office with the Reich Bank with regard to textiles of persons who had been killed in concentration camps, was instituted in the year 1941 or 1942. At that time I received the order from the Reich Fuehrer-SS and the German Police, Heinrich Himmler, who was my chief, to get in touch with the Reich Economics Minister, Walter Funk, to obtain a higher allotment of textiles for SS uniforms. Himmler instructed me to demand from Funk that we receive privileged treatment. The Ministry of Economics was receiving from the concentration camps a large amount of textiles delivered. These textiles had been collected in the extermination camp, Auschwitz, and other extermination camps, and then delivered to the proper office for used textiles.
4. As a result of this order received from my superior, Himmler, I visited the Reich Economics Minister, Funk, in his offices.
I waited only a short while in his ante-room and then met him alone in his office. I informed Funk of my instructions that I was to ask him for more textiles for Waffen-SS uniforms, as we could deliver so many old textiles from the actions against Jews.
I told him that we required these textiles for the Waffen-SS. The meeting lasted around ten minutes. It was openly discussed that we earned perhaps privileged treatment on account of the delivery of old clothes of dead Jews. It was a friendly conversation between Funk and myself and he said to me that he would settle
the matter favorable with the gentleman concerned. How the subsequent settlement between Funk and his subordinates and my subordinates was handled in detail I do not know.
5. The second business deal between Walter Funk and the SS concerned the delivery of articles of value of dead Jews to the Reich Bank. It was in the year 1941 or 1942 after larger quantities of articles of value, such as jewelry, gold rings, gold fillings, spectacles, gold watches and such, had been collected in the extermination camps. These articles of value came in packed crates to Berlin to the WVHA. Himmler had ordered us to deliver these things to the Reichsbank. I remember that Himmler explained to me that negotiations concerning this matter had been conducted with the Reichsbank and Mr. Funk. As a result of an agreement which my Chief had made, I discussed with Reichsbank Director Emil Puhl the manner of delivery. In this conversation no doubt remained that the objects to be delivered were the jewelry and valuables of concentration camp inmates, especially of Jews, who had been killed in extermination camps. The objects in question were rings, watches, eye glasses, gold bars, wedding rings, brooches, pins, frames of glasses, foreign currency, and other valuables. Further discussions concerning the delivery of these objects took place between my subordinates and Puhl and other gentlemen of the Reichsbank. It was a giant quantity of valuables, since the delivery continued for months and years.
6. A part of these valuables of people killed in death camps I saw myself when Reichsbank President Funk and Vice-President Puhl invited us to an inspection of the Reichsbank vaults and subsequently to dinner. I don't remember exactly whether this was in 1941 or in 1942, but I do remember that I already knew Funk personally at that time from the textile industry, as I have described above. Vice-President Puhl and several other gentlemen of my staff went to the vaults of the Reichsbank. Puhl himself led us on this occasion and showed us gold bars and other valuable possessions of the Reichsbank. I remember exactly that various trunks of objects from concentration camps were opened. At this time Puhl or Waldhecker, who accompanied him, stated in my presence and in the presence of the gentlemen of my staff that a part of these valuables had been delivered by our office.
7. After we had inspected the various valuables in the vaults of the Reichsbank, we went upstairs to a room in order to have dinner with Reichsbank President Funk; this had been arranged for the time following the inspection. Besides Funk and Puhl the gentlemen of my staff were present; we were about 10 to 12
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persons. I sat beside Funk and we talked among other things about the valuables, which I had seen in his vaults. On this occasion it was clearly stated that a part of the valuables which we had seen came from concentration camps.
Nürnberg, July 15, 1946
Read, approved, signed under oath.
Signed: Oswald Pohl
Witnesses:
Dr. Robert M. W. Kempner Office of U. S. Chief of Counsel Walter H. Rapp Office of U. S. Chief of Counsel Edith Kirchholtes Office of U. S. Chief of Counsel
TRANSLATION-OF DOCUMENT 4048-PS
The Chief of Security Police and SD VCB No. 831/44 gRS
Berlin SW 11, December 30, 1944 Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse 8 Telephone 12 00 40 Express Letter—Secret Reich Matter To: Reichsfuehrer SS
Field Command Office [Feld-Kommandostelle]
For the FS Command Staff Gmund No. 460 and FS intermediate report of December 4, 1944
Reichsfuehrer!
The discussions about the matter in question with the Chief of Prisoner of War matters and the Foreign Office have taken place as ordered and have led to the following proposals:
1. In the course of a transfer of 5 persons in 3 cars with army identifications, the escape incident occurs when the last car has a flat tire, or
2. carbon dioxide is released by the driver into the closed back of the car. The apparatus can be installed with the simplest means and can be removed again immediately. After considerable difficulties a suitable vehicle has now become available.
3. other possibilities such as poisoning of food or drink have been considered but have been discarded again as too unsafe.
Provisions for the completion of the subsequent work in accord-
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ance with plans, such as report, abduction, documentation, and burial, have been made.
Convoy leader and drivers are to be supplied by the RSHA and will appear in army uniform and with pay books delivered to them.
Concerning the notice for the press, contact has been established with Geheimrat Wagner of the Foreign Office. Wagner reports that the Reich Foreign Minister expects to speak with the Reichs-fuehrer about this matter.
In the opinion of the Reich Foreign Minister, this action must be coordinated in every respect.
In the meantime, it has been learned that the name of the man in question has been mentioned in the course of various long distance calls between Fuehrer Headquarters and the Chief of PW Matters; therefore the Chief of PW Matters now proposes the use of another man with the same qualifications. I agree with this and propose that the choice be left to the Chief of Prisoners of War Matters.
Please, instruct me.
Heil Hitler!
Obediently yours, [Signed] : Dr. Kaltenbrunner
Affidavit concerning negotiations between the SS and Walter Funk on the allocation of goods taken from Jews at the extermination camps, including textiles, jewelry, and gold
Authors
Oswald Pohl (Chief of WVHA (SS Econ. and Admin. Main Office); Lt. General Waffen SS)
Oswald Pohl
German SS functionary, head of the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office, convicted war criminal (1892-1951)
- Born: 1892-06-30 (Duisburg)
- Died: 1951-06-07 1951-06-08 (Landsberg Prison)
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: politician
- Member of political party: Nazi Party
- Member of: Schutzstaffel; Sturmabteilung
- Participant in: Nuremberg Medical Trial (role: affiant); Operation Reinhard; Pohl Trial (role: defendant)
- Military rank: Obergruppenführer
Date: 15 July 1946
Literal Title: Affidavit.
Defendant: Walther Funk
Total Pages: 3
Language of Text: English
Source of Text: Nazi conspiracy and aggression (Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.)
Evidence Code: PS-4045
HLSL Item No.: 451521
Notes:PS 4045 (not necessarily this copy) as entered as UK exhibit 549 in the trial.
Trial Issues
Criminal organizations (Gestapo, Leadership Corps, Cabinet, SS, SD, OKW) (… Extermination of the Jews (IMT, NMT 4, 9) Plundering of private property and occupied territories (inc. Reinhardt Ac…
Document Summary
PS-4045: Affidavit, 15 July 1946, by Oswald Pohl, chief of the economic and administrative main office of the Ss (wvha): business relationship between Wvha on the one hand and Funk (reich Ministry for economy and Reichsbank) on the other, on the basis of the transfer to the latter of textiles and valuables belonging to Jews killed in concentration camps; inspection, 1941 or 1942, of the vaults of the Reichsbank together with Funk