N S D A P Party Chancellory
11 January 1944
Leader of Party Chancellory Fuehrer's Headquarters Announcement 9/44 secret
SECRET
Re: Supply of Bombed Districts
Since the supply of textiles and household goods for the bombed populations is becoming increasingly difficult, the proposition was made repeatedly to effect purchases in the occupied territories in greater proportions. Various district leaders proposed to let these purchases be handled by suitable private merchants who know these districts and have corresponding connections.
I have brought these proposals to the attention of the National Economic Minister and am quoting his reply of 16 December 1943 on account of its fundamental importance: I consider it a specially important task to make use of the economic power of the occupied territories for the Nation. You are aware of the fact that since the occupation of the Western territories the buying out of these countries has been affected in the greatest proportion. Raw materials, semi-finished products and stocks of finished goods have been rolling to Germany for months, valuable machines were sent to our armaments industry. Everything was done at that time to increase our armament potentialities. Later on the shipments of these important economic goods were replaced by the so-called distribution of orders from industry to industry. These measures are running smoothly and with good success for a long time. They were again strengthened these last few months because we were more than ever before forced by the shutting-down of the consumer goods industry in favor of armament to use the economic powers of the Western occupied territories for these German needs.
With the growing volume of the distribution of orders the black-market also lost more ground and the termination of products as to kind, quality and price was taken into our hands much more effectively. In the spring of this year, therefore, the Reichsmarschal was able to decide to prohibit all black-market purchases through German agencies. Since, besides the industrial fabrication from old stocks and from uncontrollable production in the Western occupied territories, certain supplies always exist which are not covered by the industrial displacement, the proper German agencies have received the order from me to get
06I-PS
also these free stocks of finished goods besides securing production for the displacement. In doing so, one must not form a wrong idea of the amount of these stocks. They usually are not as big as they might appear to be in the display window of some cities of the Western territories. These purchases are being made under the control of central purchase agencies and according to the regulations of the national agencies. Moreover, these purchases have already been in the hands of German companies proven in foreign business. Since, in addition to these firms, buyers have recently acted who used to be active in the blackmarket and are not sufficiently competent nor always reliable, I have formed recently for France and Belgium each a common buying office for the companies permitted for certain businesses. It is the task of these offices to purchase the finished goods without disturbing the distribution of orders specially for the supply for air attack losses. These offices represent a coordination of the especially experienced German companies in Belgium and France. Among them are, for instance, also a number of respectable Hamburg firms. The offices are getting general directions from the Reich offices as to which goods are urgently needed for the provision for bombed out people. Besides, it is up to their private economical initiative to develop fully these possibilities, on which I am also putting the greatest importance.
Accordingly, I may assume that your proposals have already been carried out. Difficulties in the delivery of the goods to the Reich are solely due to the present specially strained transport situation. Frequently during the last few weeks it was not possible to bring in even the most important goods destined for the bombed out civilians from the Western occupied territories. Upon an improvement of the transport situation, the provision with these goods will also improve. Special actions, therefore, can also not change this situation. They would only disturb the order of the practice established after many troubles.
Signed M. Bormann
Distribution :
Reichsleiter Gauleiter Verbaendefuehrer Correct [signed] Goerz
Subject index: Household goods—Airwar measures—Textiles —Supplies
106
Message to regional leaders on the program to buy clothing and household goods in the occupied territories in order to provide for Germans who have been bombed
Authors
Martin Bormann (Chief, Party Chancellery, deputy to Hess, then Hitler)
Martin Bormann
German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery (1900-1945)
- Born: 1900-07-17 1900-06-17 (Halberstadt)
- Died: 1945-05-02 (Berlin)
- Country of citizenship: German Empire; Nazi Germany; Weimar Republic
- Occupation: farmer; military personnel; politician
- Member of political party: Nazi Party
- Member of: Schutzstaffel
- Participant in: Aryanization; International Military Tribunal (role: defendant; since: 1945-11-19)
- Military rank: Obergruppenführer; soldier
Date: 11 January 1944
Literal Title: Re: Supply of Bombed Districts
Total Pages: 2
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-061
Citation: IMT (page 2805)
HLSL Item No.: 453137
Notes:A passage referring to raw materials, semi-finished and finished goods, and machines for the armaments industry that "have been rolling to Germany" is highlighted in pencil.
Document Summary
PS-61: Circular letter from Bormann re providing bombed-out Germans with goods from occupied western territories
PS-61: Secret notification from Bormann to the political leaders, 11 January 1944, concerning the transfer of goods from the occupied territories to supply the bombed-out population in the Reich