Buchenwald Works, Auschwitz Works, Lublin Works are referred to.
I might say that there is no one in the dock from Amt W-IV, but it is the position of the Prosecution that this Amt was under the supervision of Staff W: Hohberg, Baier, and Volk, as well as the chief of the WVHA, Oswald Pohl, and his deputies, Frank and Georg Loerner.
The next document, NO-1034 -
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Robbins, will you explain about DAW? Has that the holding company?
MR. ROBBINS: No, the DWB is the holding company. That, I think, is shown on the first document in book 14. That long list of industries.
THE PRESIDENT: Very well. We are trying to get these alphabetical designations straightened out in our minds. DWB was the holding company?
MR. ROBBINS: DWB was the holding company under Staff W, and the DAW was under -- or a subsidiary -- the DWB.
THE PRESIDENT: All right.
JUDGE PHILLIPS: Mr. Robbins, I notice, page 8 of the English Document book, of this document, a note down at the bottom which says that the prisoners worked on an average of 9 hours per day. "The Office for Budget and Construction charges RM -.30 per day for each prisoner." That is 30 pfennigs, I take it?
MR. ROBBINS: Yes.
JUDGE PHILLIPS: Now, to whom did that money go?
MR. ROBBINS: It went to Staff W, and it was the only obligation of Staff W, to turn that money over to the Reich treasury.
JUDGE PHILLIPS: Well, now, in case these prisoners were employed by somebody who didn't belong to this organization, would the camp commander still charge the same amount and put the money back into the same fund?
MR. ROBBINS: The pay in that case went to Ant D, and in turn to the Reich Treasury.
JUDGE TREASURY: Thank you.
MR. ROBBINS: The second document, NO-1034, I offer as Exhibit 444. This consists of two letters -- three letters. The first is from the defendant Hohberg to the defendant Pohl. The first paragraph reads: "By your letter of 31/1/40 addressed to the Standartenfuehrer Dr. Salpeter, you have given instructions to the transfer of the Economic Enterprises Dachau to the German Equipment Works" this is the DAW -- "on the basis of the former's balance sheet of 31 December 1939."
"...Maurer guarantees the assets on the balance sheet of the Economic Enterprises not to be over-estimated.."
The third letter, dated 11 September 1940, is signed by Hohberg and addressed to the Plenipotentiary for the Governor General of the Occupied Polish Territories, and reads as follows:
"With reference to the telephone conversation with Maurer and chartered accountant Dr. Hohberg, we herewith inform you that the SS is endeavoring at present to expand the basis for the production of household furniture."
"You kindly undertook to locate furniture factories situated in the Governmental General and to endeavor if possible to arrange for such factories to be transferred to the SS. We already know that a good-sized furniture factory at Radom (750 workmen) is available."
DR. BELZER (Counsel for the defendant Sommer): May I draw the Court's attention to the fact that the documents submitted here are, with the exception of the last two, documents which date from the time prior to the first of April 1942.
The prosecution, with regards to Exhibit 443, and as regards the Exhibit 444, pointed out that the name Maurer is mentioned in these documents, and they have drawn the conclusion that there is a close connection between Amtsgruppen D and D-W of the WVHA. The Office Group D of the WVHA was formed on the first of April, 1942.
MR. ROBBINS: It is true that Maurer was not a member of Amtsgruppe D because Amtsgruppe D had not been formed ---it was formed at a subsequent date. However, be was a member of Amt-III, I believe, at that time, which was a part of the WVHA. That is an argumentative statement on my part and I withdraw the statement.
THE PRESIDENT: We will bear your comment in mind.
MR. ROBBINS: The third document in the book at page 15, NO-548, I offer as Exhibit 445. This is a monthly report on the activities of Amt 3C of the WVHA, which was a precursor of Amtsgruppe W. It states on page 3 that at Dachau 650 prisoners are employed, at Sachsenhausen, 230. At paragraph 7, sub-paragraph C, is stated "Workshops are also being erected at Auschwitz concentration camp and will supply work for 500 prisoners. Completion of the workshops and the erection of machinery will be effected in about six weeks." This is signed by Mauer and it is addressed to Pohl.
Document NO-552 is not included in the English Document Book. I should like to reserve the Exhibit Number 446 for that document.
I now introduce Document NO-549 as Exhibit 447, at page 19. This is a monthly report for September, October, and November, 1942, of the DWB, or, rather, the DAW. The number of prisoners employed as of that date are given in the report. At page 24 of the English Document Book paragraph C, sub-paragraph 6, it is stated that 9,129 prisoners are employed. At page 28, it is stated that 8,350 are employed, November 1942. At page 31, the last page of the document, it is stated that 9,129 prisoners are employed.
At page 32, I offer Document NO-554 as Exhibit 448.
JUDGE MUSMANNO: I notice of Page 19, the repair order for skies of the Wehrmacht has been completed.
MR. ROBBINS: That is skis. I think it is a typographical error in the English translation.
JUDGE MUSMANNO: Yes, yes, "s-k-i-s."
MR. ROBBINS: Exhibit 448 is a memorandum giving the loans to the SS industries and on page 33 of the English book, page 2 of the original document, it is stated there has been a loan from the Reinhart fund and it will be explained in Books 18, 19, and 20 just what the Reinhart fund consisted of.
The first page, page 32 of the English book -
JUDGE PHILLIPS: Mr. Robbins, I notice on page 33, Document NO-554, that the second paragraph "Direct loans to the Red Cross amounting to one-million Reichmarks," have you any records, or evidence, showing that the Red Cross loaned to industry?
MR. ROBBINS: Yes, I think that is shown at various places in the document, not only at this point.
JUDGE PHILLIPS: Any of them ever repaid?
JUDGE MUSMANNO: I notice that they use a different proposition in an item below that. They say "to the Red Cross", above that they say of the Red Cross. Which direction was this loan travelling?
MR. ROBBINS: I think it is shown from other documents that the money was going from the Red Cross to the WVHA. Pohl, I believe, was treasurer of the Red Cross as well as Chief of the WVHA, and there was a rather close financial relationship between the two works.
JUDGE MUSMANNO: Is that the International Red Cross?
MR. ROBBINS: No, this is the German Red Cross.
This letter of the first page of the document is signed by Dr. Wenner. It has already been explained in a previous document that he is a member of the DWB.
JUDGE PHILLIPS: Doctor, who?
MR. ROBBINS: Dr. Wenner, W-e-n-n-e-r.
The second letter is also signed by Dr. Wenner. The other letter of the document is signed by Dr. Wenner, as well as the letter at Page 37, and 38, 39, and 40. The letter at page 41 is signed by Hohberg.
This is a letter dated 5 June 1943, "Subject, Conversion of credits concerning grated by third-party creditors."
At a number of places, the signatures are indicated as being illegible. I will submit to the court a chart of all the documents, before we finish the case, which will give the signatures of all the documents where the signature is indicated as being illegible.
The following document at page 60, NO-1282, I offer as Exhibit 449. It is headed "Total Turnover Statistics of Office W-IV, including the DAW.
DR. SEIDL: (Attorney for the Defendant Oswald Pohl) May it please the court, the document mentioned here is not in our document book. I would like the prosecution to supply us the document before it rests its case.
MR. ROBBINS: In that event, we will offer this document conditionally. I think the figures speak for themselves as to the turnover of the various industries.
The following document has already been offered in evidence, At page 86, that is, Document NO-1036, which has been offered as Exhibit 66 in Book 3.
JUDGE SPEIGHT: What page is it in this?
MR. ROBBINS: That is page 80. I an sorry. I am sorry. I have skipped Document NO-063 at page 80, which should be Prosecution Exhibit 450. This is a memorandum giving the total orders on hand for the industries in the SS labor camp district of Lublin. It is signed by Globocnik. Globocnik's position will also be made clear in Books 18, 19, and 20.
At page 81 of the English Document Book page 3 of the original document it is stated that "Aryan supervisors directed 5,445 Jewish laborers, who in the first ten months of 1943 performed, 1,115,000 work days with a balance of cash on hand and in the bank of 31,000,000 Zloty.
At page 84, page 5 of the original, page 6 of original, it is stated "by operation 'Reinhardt' Lublin the Greater German Reich received in the period from 1 April 1942 to 15 December 1943, inclusive,"
THE PRESIDENT: Page 85.
MR. ROBBINS: I guess my pages are numbered differently from yours. "1 April 1942 to 15 December 1943, inclusive, the following currency goods:" and then the various currencies and goods are listed there.
THE PRESIDENT: Will we learn what "Operation Reinhardt" means.
MR. ROBBINS: Yes, that is taken up in Books 18, 19, and 20.
The last entry on page 84 of my book, I imagine it is 85 of the court's, states "General expenditures (approximately 40% of which for transports of Jews)" amounts to 11,765,552.62 Reichmarks.
DR. HEIM: (Attorney for the defendant Hohberg) May it please the court, Document NO-1036, Exhibit 450, suggests is on its first page on page 62 of the German book, that this document is attached to something else and it would be very interesting to us if the prosecution would show us the original letter which belongs to it so that one could see to whom this goes, or, that is to say, where the letter is directed.
THE PRESIDENT: Did you finish, Mr. Robbins, with NO-063?
MR. ROBBINS: I believe that is the document that defense counsel was referring to.
THE PRESIDENT: If so, he calls it by NO-1036. Now, what are we talking about?
MR. ROBBINS: Well, he has before him NO-063.
THE PRESIDENT: He referred us to NO-1036. Now, what document is he talking about?
DR. HEIM: May it please the Court, I'm referring to Document NO-063. I believe that I called it that myself.
MR. ROBBINS: It is true that the document indicates that it is an enclosure. We will make a search for it. As far as I know, I don't have it in my possession; but if I can find it, I will present it.
THE PRESIDENT: All right, it will be furnished if it is available.
DR. HEIM: Thank you very much.
MR. ROBBINS: I should like to call the Court's attention to the fact that each of these annexes and enclosures is dated 3 November 1943. That date will become significant in the presentation of Books 18, 19, and 20. The summary at the last page gives the receipts, disbursements, and net profits from the operations. At Page 86 Document 1036 has already been presented as Exhibit 66, in Book 3, at Page 147 of Book 3. Document NO-555 at Page 92 I offer as Exhibit 451. This is a lengthy report, the annual report for 1943 of the DWB. It is stated therein that "15,498 concentration camp prisoners are employed."
THE TRIBUNAL (JUDGE PHILLIPS): What page is that?
MR. ROBBINS: That is at Page 103 of the English Document Book, Page 9 of the original, Page 11 of the English Document.
DR. SEIDL: Dr. Seidl for Oswald Pohl. May it please the Court, in the translation we were told just now that Document NO-555 was a report of the DWB for 1943. In actual fact, and it says so in the index itself, it is an annual report for 1943 of the DWB; but the document says, however, that it is a report of the German Recruitment Works Ltd.
Quite obviously there is a misunderstanding here which I should like to put right.
MR. ROBBINS: The index is incorrect; it is the DAW, since this is the part of the document book dealing with the DAW. At Page 110 of the English Document Book, which is Page 15, I believe, of the original, it is stated that 3650 inmates were employed for 1941; 7402 inmates for 1942; and 15,498 inmates for 1943. The balance of the document consists of a detailed report for the year 1943 of the DAW.
On Page 143 I offer Document NO-1044 as Exhibit 452. In my document book 143 comes after Page 153. I don't know whether that is true of the Tribunal's books or not.
THE PRESIDENT: No.
MR. ROBBINS: Exhibit 452, Document NO-1044, is a report on the German experimental station for nutrition, which came under Amt W-5. The preface states that this organization" is an organization of the Reich Fuehrer SS to utilize concentration camp prisoners in agriculture to preserve the economic value of the prisoners' work. The private economic form of the "Ltd." was chosen here as in similar cases."
On Page 144, just under "Page 3 of original," just after Paragraph F, it is stated: "The location of the individual enterprise is chosen with a view to the location of the concentration camps. As workers employed in Dachau will be chiefly inmates of the concentration camp located there..." This is just under Page 3 of the original, just after Paragraph F. It is also stated that Ravensbruck inmates will be used.
DR. HEIM: Dr. Heim for Hohberg. May it please the Court, I should like to draw the attention of the Tribunal to the fact that this so-called report has not been signed nor does the report show to whom it was addressed. I should, therefore, ask the Court to take this into consideration when it decides on the value of it.
THE PRESIDENT: We have noted your observation and will keep it in mind.
DR. HEIM: Thank you very much.
MR. ROBBINS: On Page 53 I offer 543 as Exhibit 453. This is a monthly report for July 1941 of Amt III D, which was a precursor of the W industries. It is stated that 236 male and female workers are employed; "a daily average of 800 to 1200 prisoners are put at work in Dachau. The farm Ravensbruck employs an average of 30; the gardening form an average of 35, "and so on. I might state that Amt W-5 is the part of the WVHA which dealt with the production of food. Here again there is no one in the dock from Amt W-5; but the Prosecution takes the same position with regard to W-5 as it does the W-4, that it is under the supervision of Staff W and the Chief of the WVHA and the deputies.
On page 156 I offer NO-1221 as Exhibit 454. This deals with Amt W-6, which was the leather and textile producing organization of the WVHA. This document is an annual report on the textile and leather company. Again, there is no one in the dock from this Amt. On Page 178 I offer Document NO-547 as Exhibit 455. This deals with Amt W-8. The Chief of W-8 was the defendant Klein. This document consists of four monthly reports. At Page 179, Paragraph 3, it is stated: "Allocation of prison labor is now, as before, not satisfactory." Just above that, above Paragraph 2, reference is made to the construction of a concentration camp at Wewelsburg; and Paragraph 2 states that "building is proceeding on the northern tower, on the staff building, on the terrace of the guardhouse, on the employees' block, and on the inmates' camp."
On Page 5, Sub-Paragraph 2, it is stated: "The reconstruction of the prisoners' camp -- this can take, in the present situation, 1800 prisoners. Only the water supply and the canalization have still to be constructed." This document is signed by the defendant Klein at Page 17 of the English Document on mine, and Page 17 on the original.
I believe that the court has been furnished with another translation of this document. It was distributed separately, and I am not sure that it has reached the Tribunal as yet. At page 18 of the document there is a statement that during the month of the report for May 1942, 275 prisoners were employed at the construction office, 178 for the construction of a new concentration camp. The continuation of the construction work was hampered by the lack of guards. This is contained in the photostat just submitted in evidence, and will in due course reach the Tribunal in translation form.
At. page 20 it is stated that "465 prisoners were employed for the construction office during month of the report", and that is signed by the defendant Klein, as was the previous quotation.
The last document of this document book is NO-2169, page 196, which I offer as Exhibit No. 456, being affidavit of Schwarz.
DR. FITCH: Dr. Fitch for the defendant Klein.
May it please the Court, this document is an affidavit by a man called Schwarz who is in Dachau camp. I suggest, therefore, to accept this affidavit only on condition that counsel will be enabled to cross examine Schwarz.
THE PRESIDENT: The opportunity to call the witness Schwarz for the defense will be afforded.
MR. ROBBINS: I wish only to make a few references about this affidavit. Schwarz stated he was transferred in April 1942 to the concentration camp Wewelsburg, which was mentioned in the previous document as being under the supervision of the defendant Klein, and he said, "There I was subordinated to Hauptstrumfuehrer Haas who in turn was subordinated to Sturmbannfuehrer Klein. Sturmbannfuehrer Klein was the office chief (Amtschef - Bauleiter cross out by Schwarz) of the concern Wewelsburg. The guard for the concentration camp Wewelsburg, where 500 persons were detained, consisted of SS-guard detachments and the detainees consisted of Russian prisoners of war. Jehova's witnesses and also other categories which I do not remember.
Klein was permanently stationed in the castle and made personal surveys of the work and the progress achieved. I remember exactly that in July 1942 I saw a trolley with a number of coffins, and I also know that prisoners perished in this Wewelsburg concern, and that these coffins were intended for these dead prisoners. I know that in this camp the provisioning of the prisoners was very bad, and that the prisoners looked and in fact were very undernourished." He goes ahead and states that there was a large death rate at Wewelsburg. He said: "The causes of death of the prisoners in Wewelsburg were -- l) malnutrition, 2) their being willfully worked to death in the quarry of the penal detachment, and, 3) the extermination of prisoners who were unpopular by order of Sturmbannfuehrer Klein and Hauptsstrumfuehrer Haas".
Mr. Higgins will present the Document Books Nos. 18 and 19.
THE PRESIDENT: Before you leave, Mr. Robbins I would like to ask you a question. Do we know Wewelsburg by another name, or is it identified with any of the camps shown on the map here?
MR. ROBBINS: I am sorry, I am not able to answer that question right now.
THE PRESIDENT: all right.
MR. ROBBINS: I shall determine that, though.
THE PRESIDENT: All right.
MR. HIGGINS (Appearing on behalf of the Prosecution) Your Honors -
THE PRESIDENT: No. 18 Document Book?
MR. HIGGINS: Yes sir, Your Honor. If the Tribunal please, I would like to offer into evidence at this time the documentary contents in Document Book No. 18. The subject matter of this Book is concerned with the extermination of the Jews, and is Part--A of that subject; Book 19 being part III, a continuation of this Book. During the course of this presentation I believe I can say the answer to Your Honor's question asked Mr. Robbins on the nature of "Action Reinhardt" will he answered, and these documents contained in the Books now to be presented will be treated in quite great detail.
JUDGE MUSMANNO: Mr. Higgins, I presume without reading verbatim each document, you will give us a fairly good idea of the contents, will you?
MR. HIGGINS: I expect to, Your Honor.
I offer Document NO-2610 on page 1 of the Document Book No. 18 as Prosecution's Exhibit No. 457. This document is an extract from the judgment of the International Military Tribunal, Case No. I, which in dealing with the extermination of the Jews lays the background for the material of this subject to be presented here. I should like an opportunity to read certain sections of this report which directly concerns the matters on which we are here interested. In speaking the Prosecution -
MR. PRESIDENT: Mr. Higgins, I am sure we all read the IMT judgment in its entirety, and I don't think it will be necessary to call our attention to any of the matters that are in it.
MR. HIGGINS: Very well, Your Honor.
The next document which I am about to present is Document No. 3363-PS, and I am not sure that document has been distributed at this time. I should like then, if Your Honor please, to reserve Prosecution's exhibit number 458 for that document.
On page 7 of the English Document Book, I should like to offer Document No. 710 as Prosecution's Exhibit No. 459. This is Goering's letter of 31 July 1941, which charges Heydrich with the job of bringing about a complete solution of the Jewish question. This letter is short and extremely important, and, therefore, I would like to read the first paragraph of it. "Complementing the task that was assigned to you on 24 January 1939, which dealt with arriving at -through furtherance of emigration and evaluation of a solution of the Jewish problem, as advantageous as possible, I hereby charge you with making all necessary preparations in regard to organizational and financial matters for bringing about a complete solution of the Jewish question in the German sphere of influence in Europe."
If Your Honor please, the translation of that letter and in noting the phrase "Solution of the Jewish problem" means solely the extermination of the Jews in this particular sphere of influence in Europe. Heydrich here is being charged by Goering with the extermination of the Jews in this territory.
DR. SEIDL: Dr. Seidl, representing the defendant Oswald Pohl:
May it please the Court, in regard to the conclusion that is drawn by the Prosecution from Document No. 459, I must meet the request here that the Prosecution should also submit the decree of 24 January 1939 to which Goering refers in his letter to Heydrich of 1941 - July 1941. That the letter, from a time before the war, by the contents of the decree of 24 January 1939, will show and make clear the letter of 24 July 1941, which is offered as Exhibit No. 459, and identify the conclusion which the Prosecution has expressed itself, and now basing itself on this letter here.
THE PRESIDENT: The other document referred to, the decree of 1939, is a part of the record in the IMT, is it not?
DR. SEIDL: As far as I know, that decree of January 1939 has not been submitted so far anywhere.
THE PRESIDENT: I know, but is it not in the record in the international trial?
DR. SEIDL: No, not so far as I know. It is not part of the record of the IMT trial. That is the reason I make this request here.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, if that decree of 1939 is available it will be produced.
MR. HIGGINS: I offer on Page 8 of the English Document Book document NO 3663, as Exhibit 460. This document serves to indicate that the action previously referred to as demanded by Goering was taken. The Reich Minister for Occupied Eastern Territories wants to know why the Reich Commissioner for the East has forbidden the execution of Jews by Heydric's RSHA in Lublin.
In his reply the Reich Commissioner for the East states, on Page 9 of the English Document Book:
"I have forbidden the wild executions of Jews in Libau because they were not justifiable in the manner in which they were carried out.
"I should like to be informed whether your inquiry of 31 October is to be regarded as a directive to liquidate all Jews in the East. Shall this take place without regard to age and sex and economic interests (of the Wehrmacht, for instance, in specialists in the armament industry? Of course, the cleansing of the East of Jews is a necessary task; its solution, however, must be harmonized with the necessities of war production."
On Page 10 of the English Document Book I should like to offer 3666-PS as Prosecution Exhibit 461. In his reply to the Reich Commissioner's question, submitted on 15 December, the Reich Minister states that, "Economic considerations should fundamentally remain unconsidered in the settlement of the problem."
In other words, the Jews are to be slaughtered irrespective of their value to the German Reich as skilled and essential workers. Furthermore, it is stated in this letter that the Reich Commissioner hereafter is to take his problems to the Higher SS and Police Leader in his area.
At Page 11 of the English Document Book I should like to offer 1104-PS as Exhibit 462. In this exchange of letters the Commissioner General for White Ruthenia on 1 November 1941 reported an incident involving the attempt by a police officer to buy gold through a personal transaction from Jews who had been subjected to a special action. In addition, it is reported that the person involved in this deal liquidated the persons from whom the gold was taken.
The basic letter, which is contained on Page 13, is from the Commissioner General to the Reich Commissioner and complains that the independent action of this specific police battalion, namely Police Battalion Number 11, in carrying out the arbitrary slaughter of Jews in White Ruthenia is "a base and filthy action" and causes great harm to the German Reich in this area.
On Page 14 is contained a report of the incident, as submitted by the Commissioner of Sluzk. This report demands that action be taken by the highest authority in this respect. It is suggested that those who are responsible for the arbitrary slaughter of Jews reported here be disciplined.
Another letter; 21 November 1941, which is contained on Page 11, passes this correspondence to a functionary of the Ministry of the Reich.
On Page 17 of the English Document Book, I offer 3237-PS as Prosecution Exhibit 463. This is a report of the Inspector General in Charge of Armament in the Ukraine to the Chief of the Industrial Armament Department. It is dated 2 December 1941. The originator of this letter states that a planned murder campaign against the Jews is moving from the East to the West and is carried out in the main by the Order Police.
On Page 19 of this book it is pointed out that "150,000 to 200,000 Jews have perished as a result of this action in the past five months". The writer of this report voices fear of economic repercussions as a result of this wholesale extermination plan. In this respect he states, on Page 20 of the English Document Book, and I quote:
"If we shoot the Jews, let the prisoners of war perish, condemn considerable parts of the urban population to death by starvation and also lose a part of the farming population by hunger during the next year, the question remains unanswered: Who in all the world is then supposed to produce economic values here? In view of the manpower bottleneck in the German Reich there is no doubt that the necessary number of Germans will not be available either now or in the near future. However, if the Ukrainian is supposed to work, he has to be maintained physically, not due to sentiment but due to very sober economic considerations."
On Page 22 of the English Document Book I should like to offer 2620-PS as Prosecution Exhibit 464. This document is the affidavit of Otto Ohlendorf, Chief of the Security Service in the SD. His affidavit contains an account of his activities after his appointment as Chief of the Einsatzgruppen. The mission of this group was to exterminate Jews and Communist functionaries upon the invasion of Russia by the Germany army, and, speaking of the persons exterminated through this action, he states that, "approximately 90,000 men, women and children" had been brought to extinction. The affidavit proceeds then to describe the manner in which these executions were carried out.
I am not sure, Your Honors, that the next document is in your book. The document that should come at this point is 2223 PS.
THE PRESIDENT: It is not in our book. Will you reserve the next Exhibit Number for it, 465?
MR. HIGGINS: Yes, I shall.
THE PRESIDENT: The Tribunal will be in recess.
THE MARSHAL: The Tribunal is in recess for 15 minutes.
(A recess was taken)
THE MARSHAL: Tribunal No. 2 is again in session.
MR. HIGGINS: Continuing with the Prosecution's proof, I would like to offer Document 1643-PS, as Prosecution Exhibit 465.
THE PRESIDENT: I thought you reserved that for 2223-PS.
MR. HIGGINS: Thank you. I have overlooked that. I would like to offer Document 1643-PS as Exhibit 466. This document consists of a digest of four letters written by various responsible officials concerning the plans for the enlargement of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The prosecution is primilary interested in the second letter presented here, which is a letter written by defendant Pohl to the Reich Minister of Finance on the 7 of November 1942. In this letter he suggests the means to be employed in acquiring property necessary for the camp 's expension. He concludes by stating that the authorities concerned should meet for a discussion on the subject. I would like to state that the reasons for these measures are obvious. At this period great hoards of Jews and other considered racially inferior were flowing to Auschwitz for internment and for extermination and the present, or rather, the facilities existing at that time in the camp were just not great enough to take care of this increase influx, so, therefore, it was necessary to think about the enlargment of the concentration camp. I would like to state that this present document was introduced in the International Military Tribunal as Exhibit USA-713 in its entirety The document here before us is simply a digest of letters written. However the Exhibit as introduced in the first trial was the entire record so that exhibit will be introduced here.
On page 27 of the English Document book, I should like to offer Document 3311-PS as Prosecution Exhibit 467. This document was also introduced in evidence at the trial before the International Military Tribunal as Exhibit 293. This document entitled "Charge No. 6 Camp of treblinka" is an official release of the Polish Government submitted to the IMT and concerns the extermination of Jews in the Treblinka murder plant. On page 28 of the English Document book, it is stated, "The erection of this camp was closely connected with the German plans aiming destruction of the Jewish population in Poland which necessitated the creation of a machinerie by means of which the polish Jews could be killed in large numbers.
Late in April 1942, the erection of the first three chambers was finished in with these general massacres were to be performed by means of steam. Somewhat later, the erection of the real death building" was finished which contains ten death chambers. It was opened for whole sale murders in the summer of 1942. "The tragic account of the mass extermination of hundreds of thousands of Jews is here told. The horrors prevailing in the camps are graphically set out on page 31 of the English Document where it is stated, I quote: "It is practically impossible to imagine the sufferings of the victims in the camp and to grasp the full extent of the atrocities. For the victims transported to the camp in cattle trucks and exposed for several days to the most cruel sufferings of body and soul, death in the steam chambers must have almost come as a welcome relief. Their only crime consisted in the fact of belonging to a race condemned by Hitler to death."
On page 33 of the English Document Book, I offer Document 1553PS as Exhibit 468.
DR. SEIDL (Attorney for the defendant Oswald Pohl): Your Honors: I wish to raise an objection about the admissibility of this document 1553. This is a declaration made by a man Kurt Gerstein signed 29 April 1945. As it can be seen from the statement it was not sworn to. The witness at that date simply said and I shall quote: I am ready to swear to this Document that all my statements are true and correct." In reality however, as can be seen from the document, he did not swear to this document and therefore it does not live up to the necessities which apply to the rules of the Tribunal that such a statement should be considered and admitted as an affidavit.
MR. HiGGINS: If your Honors please, I should like to point out in this connection with this document that it was introduced as an exhibit in the International Military Tribunal as well as being introduced in evidence in the medical case, Tribunal No. 1 I believe it should be admitted on the basis of the previous history on the document having accepted to these two Tribunals.