Reich Minister and Chief of the Reich Chancellery, BERLIN.
January 1939.
File No. RK 2222B
[various notations]
To the Reich Fuehrer SS and Chief of the German police in the Reich Ministry of the Interior, Berlin, Prinz-Albrecht-Str. 8,
SW 11
SUBJECT: Sequestration and confiscation of property, of enemies of the people and State in Austria.
Reference to letters of 10 August 1938 - S. V. 1 No. 2358/38 -212 - 23 January 1938 - S. V. 1 No. 2358 IX/38 212 - .
Because of the decree which has been issued in the meantime concerning confiscation of property of enemies of the people and State in Austria of 18 November 1938 the Fuehrer after my presentation limited his personal decision of the use of the property objects confiscated in Austria to the confiscated objects of Arts, and left the decision regarding the other confiscated objects to the offices named in the decree.
On behalf of the Fuehrer I ask to submit the inventory, after completion of the preliminary work, which condenses all objects of Art confiscated so far and of those objects of art only sequestrated as yet the confiscation of which is intended and which is not subject to any legal or other objections. In your earlier letters the objects of Art were for the most part described as only "sequestrated" so that it was not clear if it would be subject to eventual confiscation. The Fuehrer then intends to have the objects of Art inspected by the expert, whom he will name, and to have him and the Reich Statthalter in Austria make proposals on their use in preparation of his decision.
(Signed1 by the Reich Minister)
Letter to Himmler requesting an inventory of artworks that have been sequestered or confiscated in Austria, for Hitler to review and decide on their disposition
Authors
Hans H. Lammers (Dr., Chief of Reich Chancellery)
Hans H. Lammers
German jurist, Nazi politician, and Head of the Reich Chancellery (1879-1962)
- Born: 1879-05-27 (Lubliniec)
- Died: 1962-01-04 (Düsseldorf)
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: judge; jurist; lawyer; politician
- Member of political party: German National People's Party (until: 1932-01-01); Nazi Party
- Member of: Schutzstaffel
- Participant in: Ministries Trial (role: defendant); Nuremberg Medical Trial (role: affiant, witness)
- Significant person: Adolf Hitler (role: superior); Karl Brandt (role: colleague)
Date: January 1939
Literal Title: Subject: Sequestration and confiscation of property, of enemies of the people and State in Austria.
Defendant: Arthur Seyss-Inquart
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: PS-3449
HLSL Item No.: 453277
Notes:For the decree on the confiscation, see PS 3450. This document was apparently not entered as evidence.