Minutes of meetings of the Council of Ministers for the Defense of the Reich on economic issues, foreign policy, price controls, food supply, occupied Poland, the transfer of Jews from Germany, Polish POWs, and other issues

Minutes of the meeting of the Council of Ministers for Reich Defense of 1 September 1939.
Present were the permanent members of the Council of Ministers for Reich Defense:
The Chairman: General fieldmarshal Goering
The Deputy of the Fuehrer: The Plenipotentiary for Reich Hess [Crossed out]
Administration: Dr. Frick
The Plenipotentiary for Economy: The Reich Minister and Chief of the Funk
Reich Chancellory: Dr. Lammers
Chief of the High Command of the -Armed Forces: Keitel (Represented by
Also: . Generalmajor Thomas)
Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture: Darré
State Secretaries: Korner
State Secretaries: Neumann
State Secretaries: Stuckart
State Secretaries: Posse
State Secretaries: Landfried
State Secretaries: Backe
State Secretaries: Syrup
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) : Gritzbach
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Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) : Kritzinger Responsible for the Protocol:
Department Chief:
Kritzinger
The council thoroughly discussed the decrees for temporary supply of the vital necessities of the German nation dated 27 August, 1939, and the uniform regulation of consumption introduced by them, as well as other questions of economic policies. The Council ratified the following decrees:
1. Decree for War Economy. (RGB1, page 1609).
2. Decree about the release from citizenship. (RGB1. I, page 1656).
3. Decree about measures in the field of the civil service law. (RGB1., page 1639).
4. Decree about the change of the military service law. (RGB1. I, page 1639).
5. Decree for the organization of the market for grain legu-mens and fodder. (RGB1. I, page 1566).
6. Decree about the organization of the administration and about the German safety police in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. (RGB1. I, page 1681).
7. Decree about personal damages. (RGB1. I, page 1623).
8. Decrees about measures in the field of civil court procedure, foreclosures, bankruptcy, and civil law. (RGB1., page 1656).
9. Decree about measures in the field of court constitution and application of law. (RGB1., page 1658).
10. Decree about the appointment of Reich Defense Commissars
(RGB1. I, page 1565).
11. Decree about the guarantee for the service, of debts of the Konversionskasse for German debts abroad. (Photostatic copy enclosed).
12. Decree for the change of the directives about commitment of labor and help for the unemployed. (RGB1., page 1662).
13. Decree about changes and supplements of directives in the field of labor laws. (RGB1., page 1683).
14. Decree about job freezing. (RGB1., page 1685).
The Plenipotentiary for the Reich Administration pointed out that the Reidh Minister for Enlightenment and Propaganda intended to propose a law which decreed punishment for any listening to foreign broadcasts and for disseminating the news of foreign stations, and he considered to decree the surrender of all receiving sets. '
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The members of the Council agreed that such extreme measures, in particular the surrendering of radio receiving sets, had better not be considered. . .
signed: Kritzinger. Director in the Ministry.
Minutes of the meeting of the Council of Ministers for the Reich Defense, 4 September 1939.
Those present were the permanent members of the Council of Ministers for the Reich Defense:
The Chairman: General fieldmarshal Goering
The Deputy of the Fuehrer: Hess (Represented by
MD Sommer).
The plenipotentiary tor Reich Administration : Dr. Frick
The Plenipotentiary for Ecpnomy: Funk
The Reichsminister and Chief of the Reich
Chancellory:
The Chief of the OKW:
Also:
The Reich Minister for Finances:
Dr. Lammers (Represented by Kritzinger) Keitel (Represented by Generalmajor Thomas)
Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
The Reich Minister for Food and
Agriculture :
State Secretary:
State Secretary :
State Secretary:
State Secretary :
State Secretary :
State Secretary:
State Secretary :
State Secretary:
State Secretary :
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) :
Colonel
Responsible for the Protocol:
The Chairman of the Council, Generalfieldmarshal Goering, first gave a general review of the foreign political and military situation. '
Darré
Korner
Neumann
Pfundtner
Stuckart
Posse
Landfried
Reinhardt
Backe
Syrup
Gritzbach
Gause
MD Kritzinger
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The Council then discussed political and political-economical questions, in particular, the problem of barter with neutral foreign countries and the organization of the Commitment of Labor.
The Council ratified the following decrees :
1. The decree against people detrimental to the nation. (RGBI1, Page 1679).
2. Decree about extraordinary measures concerning the radio. (RGBI1, Page 1683).
3. Decrees about measures in the field of the law of private corporations and trade and economic co-operatives (RGBI I, Page 1694).
4. Decree about the change of the law about the liquidation of the circulation of Renten currency notes and the law about the German Reichsbank. (RGB1 I, Page 1694).
5. Decree about the execution of the Reich labor duty for the female youth. (RGBI I, Page 1693).
6. Decree about the naturalization of volunteers for the armed
services. (RGBI, Page 1741). .
For the record:
Minutes of the meeting of the Council of Ministers for the Reich Defense dated 8 September 1939
Present were the permanent members of the Council of Ministers for the Reich Defense. '
Signed : Kritzinger Director of the Ministry
Chairman, Generalfieldmarshal The Deputy of the Fuehrer The GBV The GBW
The Reich Minister and Chief of the
Goering
Hess
Dr. Frick Funk
Reich Chancellory The Chief of the OKW
Dr. Lammers Keitel (Represented by Generalmajor Thomas)
Also:
The Reich Minister for Food and
Agriculture State Minister State Secretary State Secretary
Darré
Popitz
Korner
Neumann
Milch
State Secretary Generaloberst
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State Secretary Pfundtner
State Secretary Stuckart
State Secretary Posse
State Secretary Landfried
State Secretary Syrup
State Secretary Backe
SS Gruppenfuehrer Heydrich
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) Sommer
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) Kritzinger
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) Lehmann
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) As well as the Defense Commissars Gutterer
Responsible for the Protocol: MD Kritzinger
The Chairman of the Council of the Ministers for the Reich Defense gave a general survey about the military and political situation and then discussed the missions of the Reich Defense Commissars, whom he gave general points and directives regarding their duties. The problem of price regulation received special consideration. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers for the Reich Defense directed that the measures planned in this respect would be subjected to an immediate investigation of a special commission.
The Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture reported about the situation of food supply. The Council of Ministers for the Reich Defense ratified the decree for the change of the labor service law which had already been passed as law by the Reich Cabinet, (RGB1., I, Page 1744).
For the record:
* Signed: Kritzinger
' Director of'the Ministry
Minutes of the meeting of the Council of the Reich Defense dated 19 September 1939.
Of the permanent members of the Council and Ministers for the Reich Defense the following were present:
The Chairman, Generalfieldmarshal The Deputy of the Fuehrer The GBV The GBW Also:
The Reich Minister for Finance
Goering
Hess
Frick
Funk
Count Schwerin von Krosigk
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The Reich Minister for Food and
Agriculture
Darré
The Reich Minister for Enlightenment and Propaganda
Dr. Goebbels
Dr. fopitz
Pfundtner
Stuckart
Kleinmann
Neumann
Backe
Landfried
Syrup
Posse
von Hanneken
Kritzinger
Gritzbach
Heydrich
Dal liege
Thomas
Dr. Willuhn
State Minister State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary
Under Secretary of State
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor)
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor)
S. S. Gruppenfuehrer
General of the Police (Ordnungspolizei)
Major General
Responsible for the Protocol :
Reich Cabinet Counsel
The Chairman of the Council, Generalfieldmarshal Goering, made comments regarding the structure of civil administration in the occupied Polish territory. He expressed his intentions regarding the economic evacuation measures in this territory. Then the questions of decreasing wages and the questions of working hours and the support of members of families of inducted workers were discussed. On the basis of the report of the Reichs-fuehrer SS the following matters were discussed: Distribution of foreign newspapers in Germany, the demarcation of the activities of the Red Cross, the NSV and the Women's League, the supply of Catholic priests to the occupied territories, the execution of evacuation in the West, shelter for refugees, the consideration of economic viewpoints with regard to induction into the military service, procedure of ration card issue, distribution of food, blackout measures, radio publications, Hitler youth service, replacements for police, war-time graduation at schools, dances, transportation of goods out of Berlin, war income tax.
The chairman directed that all members of the council regularly receive the situation reports of the Reichsfuehrer-SS. Then the question of the population of the future Polish Protectorate was discussed and the placement of Jews living in Germany. The chairman discùssed the shipment of mineral oils out of Rumania.
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In this connection, the under state secretary, von Hanneken and state secretary Kleinmann reported about boat space and transport possibilities. The latter pointed out the importance of the railway connection Czernowitz/Lemberg for traffic between Rumania and Germany.
The decree proposed by the Plenipotentiary (GBV) for the Reich administration regarding the commitment of the older school youth was ratified. (RGB1., 1939, page 1867).
The GBV announced that a regulation of working hours in the public administration was being prepared. It was intended to introduce uninterrupted working hours.
For the record
signed : Willuhn Reich Cabinet Counselor [Reichskabinettsrat]
Minutes of the meeting of the Council of the Ministers for the Reich Defense, dated 16 October 1939.
Of the permanent members of the Council the following were present:
Chairman, Generalfieldmarshal Goering
Deputy of the Fuehrer Hess
The GBV (Plenipotentiary for the Reich
Administration) Dr. Frick
The GBW (Plenipotentiary for the
Economy) Funk
The Reich Minister and Chief of the Reich
Chancellory
Also:
The Reich Minister of Finances
The Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture
Reich Minister for Enlightenment and Propaganda
The Prussian Minister of Finance
Generalcolonel
Reichsleiter
Reichsfuehrer-SS
State Secretary
State Secretary
Dr. Lammers
Count Schwerin von Krosigk
Darré
Dr. Goebbels
Dr. Popitz
Keitel
Dr. Ley
Himmler
Korner
Landfried
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Under State Secretary-Under State Secretary Director of Ministry Director of Ministry Gauleiter
Counselor of the Reich Cabinet
State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary State Secretary
Under State Secretary
Dr. Posse
Dr. Syrup
Kleinmann
Esser
Backe
Neumann
Stuckart
Pfundtner
Conti
Gen. Major von Hanneken
Gen. Major Thomas Gen. Major Loeb Dr. Moritz Gramsch Terboven Dr. Willuhn
Representatives of Army and Navy superintendents.
Minutes of the meeting of the Council of Ministers for the Reich Defense, 15 November 1939.
Those present of the permanent members of the Council were :
The Chairman, General Fieldmarshal Goering Deputy of the Fuehrer Hess
The GBV (Plenipotentiary for the Reich . Administration) Dr. Frick
Reich Minister and Chief of the Reich
Chancellory Dr. Lammers
Also :
Reich Minister of Finance Schwerin von Krosigk
Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture Darré
Reich Minister for Enlightenment and
Propaganda Dr. Goebbels
The Prussian Minister of Finance Dr. Popitz
Reichsleiter Dr. Ley
Reichsleiter Bouhler
Reichsfuehrer SS, Chief of German police
in the Reichsministry of Interior Himmler
The Reich Labor Service Leader Hierl
State Secretary Korner
State Secretary Neumann
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State Secretary Pfundtner
State Secretary Dr. Stuckart
State Secretary Landfried
State Secretary Posse
State Secretary Backe
State Secretary The Reich Commissioner for Price Dr. Syrup
Control Wagner
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) Sommer
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) Gritzbach
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) Gramsch
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) Kritzinger
Department Chief (Ministerialdirektor) Manager in the Ministry Mansfeld
(Ministerialdirigent) Best
Generalmajor Bodenschatz
Generalmajor Thomas
Lieut. Colonel Bohme
As well as experts [Sachbearbeiter] of the German Labor Front and of the Reich Labor Service * * *
The Cabinet Council for the Defense of the Reich (Ministerrat fur die Reichsverteidigung) further discussed a series of questions the majority of which have been raised by reports and complaints received. Following are the essential matters concerned : Food supply for the diplomatic corps, improvement of the motor fuel supply (Betriebsstoffage) for the agriculture, fight against epidemics, improvement of the situation of the people supplying themselves (Selbstversorger), measures against increased prices in restaurants, supply of fish, cultivation of agricultural soil in Poland, supply of the leather needed for shoes, war contributions (Kriegs abgaben) by municipalities and churches, municipal plannings, introduction of summer time, treatment of Polish prisoners of war, measures against the lack of care (Verwahrlosung) of the youth, treatment and guidance (Fuehrung) of the youths employed in agriculture.
The chairman of the cabinet council gave detailed directives and orders on the further treatment of these questions.
* * * * * * *
For the record:
Signed : Kritzinger
Department Chief [Ministerialdirektor]
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