Note Fueh. 25/43. Secret State Matter.
Notes Secret Reich Matter.
On the discussion between the Fuehrer and the Hungarian Recent Horthy in Klessheim Castle on the morning of the 17th April
1943.
*******
The Fuehrer then described to Horthy the German rationing measures which were carried out with perfect orderliness. There
D-736
was no black market in Germany, and the peasants willingly delivered the quotas fixed for them. For produce which they placed at the Government's disposal over and above these quotas they were paid considerably higher prices by government offices in some cases even double the price, so that the peasants also had the possibility of getting hold of some money in this way. Horthy remarked to this that these problems were very difficult for Hungary. He had so far been unable to master the black market. The Fuehrer replied that it was the fault of the Jews who considered hoarding and profiteering as their main sphere of activity even during a world war, in exactly the same way as in England sentences for rationing offenses and the like now chiefly concerned Jews. To Horthy's counter-question as to what he should do with the Jews now that he had deprived them of almost all possibilities of livelihood, he could not kill them off—the Reich Foreign Minister declared that the Jews must either be exterminated or taken to concentration camps. There was no other possibility. To Horthy's remark that it was easier for Germany in this respect, because she did not possess so many Jews, the Fuehrer quoted figures which showed the extraordinarily great predominance of Jews in certain professions. Horthy replied that he had not known this at all. In this connection the Fuehrer came to speak of the town of Nürnberg, which had not tolerated any Jews within its walls for 400 years, while Furth admitted Jews. The result was that Nürnberg flourished greatly and Furth degenerated completely. The Jews did not even possess organizational value. In spite of the fears which he (the Fuehrer) had heard repeatedly in Germany also every thing continued to go its normal way without the Jews too. Where the Jews were left to themselves, as for instance in Poland, the most terrible misery and decay prevailed. They are just pure parasites. In Poland this state of affairs had been fundamentally cleared,up. If the Jews there did not want to work, they were shot. If they could not work, they had to succumb. They had to be treated like tuberculosis bacillae, with which a healthy body may become infected. This was not cruel, if one remembered that even innocent creatures of nature, such as hares and deer, have to be killed, so that no harm is caused by them. Why should the beasts who wanted to bring us Bolshevism be spared more ? Nations which did not rid themselves of Jews, perished. One of the most famous examples of this was the downfall of a people who were once so proud—the Persians, who now lead a pitiful existence as Armenians. * * * Salzburg, the 18th April 1943.
(SCHMIDT)
Extract from record of a meeting of Hitler, Horthy, and Ribbentrop, on the treatment of Jews as "pure parasites" to be eliminated
Authors
Adolf Hitler (Fuehrer, Reich Chancellor, Supeme Commander of Wehrmacht)
Adolf Hitler
Austrian nationalized German politician, leader of the National Socialist party and dictator of Germany (1889-1945)
- Born: 1889-01-01 1889-04-20 (Braunau am Inn) (country: Austria-Hungary; located in the administrative territorial entity: Archduchy of Austria above the Enns; statement is subject of: Adolf-Hitler-Geburtshaus)
- Died: 1945-04-30 (Berlin Führerbunker) (country: Nazi Germany; located in the administrative territorial entity: Berlin; statement is subject of: death of Adolf Hitler)
- Country of citizenship: Cisleithania (period: 1889-04-20 through 1918-11-11); First Republic of Austria (period: 1919-01-01 through 1925-04-30); Nazi Germany (end cause: death of Adolf Hitler; period: 1933-01-30 through 1945-04-30); Republic of German-Austria (period: 1918-01-01 through 1919-01-01)
- Occupation: painter (statement is subject of: paintings by Adolf Hitler); political writer; politician (reason for preferred rank: generally used form); soldier
- Member of political party: German Workers' Party (period: 1919-09-12 through 1921-07-11); Nazi Party (series ordinal: 556)
- Member of: Nazi Party
- Participant in: Aktion T4; Beer Hall Putsch; The Holocaust; ethnic cleansing
- Significant person: Albert Speer; Benito Mussolini; Eva Braun; Joseph Stalin
Miklos Horthy (admiral, Hungarian regent)
Miklos Horthy
Regent of Hungary from 1920 to 1944
- Born: 1868-06-18 (Kenderes)
- Died: 1957-02-09 (Estoril)
- Country of citizenship: Kingdom of Hungary
- Occupation: diplomat; military officer; politician
- Military rank: vice admiral
- Military branch: Austro-Hungarian Navy (period: 1896-01-01 through 1918-01-01)
- Position held: Minister of Defence of Hungary (period: 1919-05-31 through 1919-07-12; replaced by: Ferenc Schnetzer; replaces: Zoltán Szabó); Regent of Hungary (period: 1920-03-01 through 1944-10-15; replaced by: Ferenc Szálasi; replaces: Károly Huszár)
- Educated at: Reformed College of Debrecen (period: 1876-01-01 through 1878-01-01)
Joachim Ribbentrop, von (Minister for Foreign Affairs (1938-45))
Joachim von Ribbentrop
German Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany (1893–1946)
- Born: 1893-04-30 (Wesel)
- Died: 1946-10-16 (Nuremberg)
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: diplomat; politician
- Member of political party: Nazi Party
- Member of: Schutzstaffel; Travellers Club
- Participant in: International Military Tribunal (role: defendant)
- Military rank: Oberleutnant
Date: 17 April 1943
Literal Title: Notes on the discussion between the Fuhrer and the Hungarian Regent Horthy in Klessheim Castle on the morning of the 17th April 1943.
Defendants: Hermann Wilhelm Goering, Joachim Ribbentrop, von
Total Pages: 1
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: D-736
Citations: IMT (page 6301), IMT (page 6603)
HLSL Item No.: 452347
Notes:This document was entered as UK exhibit 283.