Memoranda and letter on the management of Jewish laborers in Latvia, including conflicts between military, civil, and police authorities

Weimar, 5 January 1943
The District Commissar in Riga—Employment Office Section [Fachgebiet] 2 (Commitment of work)
Riga, 6 July 1942
File note
Subject: Commitment of Jews.
here: cooperation with the administration offices of the . armed forces.
For the last 10 days Jews have been picked up almost daily for commitment in the peat industry by units of the armed forces. While doing so, very considerable difficulties arose because the members of the armed forces who get the Jews from the ghetto daily do not want to comply with the regulations which are issued by the man responsible for work commitment.
It is agreed that the soldiers take over the Jews in columns at the exit of the ghetto. Actually, however, several soldiers enter the fenced-in ghetto and pick up the Jews in question without any permission. During the last week, government inspector Rottenberger and the undersigned were present, at an early hour, during the dispatching of the Jews. Some soldiers also did not follow the instructions of the Reich German workers, entered the ghetto, and themselves got the men who had worked so far for
444
the units in question. It was pointed out to them that manpower had to be committed for specialiy urgent measures. These instructions were not followed by the soldiers, but they shouted around in the presence of more than 1000 Jews, and simply took the men away in spite of the order forbidding it. In one instance a soldier arrived the next morning in a steel helmet and again did not follow the instructions of the Reich-German manpower. A German police sergeant was charged with banishing the soldiers from the ghetto. The sergeant had hardly turned around when the soldier entered the ghetto again and again got Jews whom he was not supposed to get, and took them away. In another case, the undersigned was just in time to prevent a pfc. of the air force from beating a Jewish policeman. The Jewish policeman beat a Jew who did not want to report for a certain work. The Jewish police is doing well with the daily commitment of about 4000 Jews. Therefore it must be prevented that Germans attack Jewish policemen in the presence of thousands of Jews.
As soon as German soldiers who pick up the Jewish manpower daily from the ghetto, follow the instructions of the Reich-German man power and, above all, keep discipline, it will be possible to get the Jewish manpower ready for work considerably faster every day. According to my opinion it is at least necessary that one German policeman who can prevent the illegal seizures by the German soldiers, be placed at the entrance of the ghetto daily from 0530 to 0800 hours.
For information:
. signed Lippmann.
The District Commissar in Riga The Chief of 'The Employment Office Riga Azsargu Iela 29/31
Riga, 10 February 1942
Department..................
File No.....................
To the Reich Commissar for the Baltic states -Work policies and social administration - Riga, through the Commissar general in Riga. 1
Subject: Transport of Jews from Kauen.
Ref.: Your letter of 6 February 1942.
The transport of Jews from Kauen arrived' here on 8 February 1942. However, instead of the requested 500 males only,
693256—46—29
445
579-PS
222 males and 1B7 females
were sent.
Due to the fact that there exists a considerable need of Jewish manpower for transport and construction work, I am requesting an additional 1000 Jewish males from Kauen.
I was informed by the transport leader that the Jews in Kauen, as far as their commitment for work is concerned, are not under the jurisdiction of the employment office, but that the Jewish manpower is distributed by the German police.
For:
[signature illegible] (Oberregierungsrat)
[ink note:]
To the Commissar General [Initials illegible]
Command of Economic Affairs [Wirtschaftskommando] for the Territory of the former Latvia Department of Work
Riga, 21 July 1941
Subject: Work commitment of Jews.
File note
According to the Group Agriculture there is a considerable shortage of workers for farming in Latvia, which endangers especially the beet harvest. According to my findings and also those of the economy office North (Wi.-In. Nord) no prisoners of war are at present available for farming. It should be examined, therefore, to which extent and under which conditions other possibilities of commitment are available.
To clarify the possibility of committing Jews, a conference took place today between the economy office North and the chief war administration advisor (O.K.V.R.) Ellroth, from the department of work. Together with Mr. Ellroth we went to the SS and conferred with the leader of the SD, Sturmbannfuehrer Batz, as well as his deputy, Hauptsturmfuehrer Kirsten. Our proposal to earmark the Jews, to put them together in a ghetto, then to establish a council for Jews, and to effect with it the extensive commitment of Jews for work, was favorably accepted. It was also agreed upon that the commitment of Jews for irork should be effected only through the special offices for commitment to be created by the employment office resp. offices, in order to make sure of leadership according to the necessities for war and state policies. The SS reserves only the right of the decision of political problems and the execution of political tasks. The ear-
446
579-PS
marking of the Jews and their collection in a ghetto is being done. It was furthermore announced that conferences had already taken place between the SS - SD on the one hand and the military administration headquarters (Feldkommandatur) on the other hand, with the result that a registration of the Jews at the police precincts, a daily report of the Jews there, and the establishment of a special office should be instituted for the execution of the commitment of Jews for work through the military administration headquarters.
After that a conference with the war administration council [Kriegsverwaltungsrat] Nachtigall took also place at the military administration headquarters, which had the same result. The military administration headquarters (Fk.) agrees also that the commitment of Jews for work is done by the employment office after the registration of the Jews. While registering, a special index card can be put aside for this commitment of work.
The discussions at the Fk. resulted furthermore in the issuing by the commander of the rear army district of a decree on ceiling prices and wages, already last Wednesday, because it is his opinion that he alone can issue official decrees with effective penalties. Furthermore, the locally customary prices and wages are already established.
[signature illegible] O.K.V.R.
Distribution : .
Wi.-In. Nord, Dept, for work Commandant
SS.-SD.
Fk.