His assumption of ever greater responsibility seemed limitless. In 1936 Goering was made Plenipotentiary for the Four Year Plan, whereby he acquired plenary legislative and administrative powers over all German economic life. In 1938 he became a member of the Secret Cabinet Council, which had been established to act as "an advisory board in the direction of foreign policy." took over, in effect, all of the legislative powers of the Cabinet, which had not been reserved otherwise, and Goering became its Chairman. 1939, when he designated Goering as his successor, as heir apparent to the "New Order". and Foreign Exchange and empowered to supervise all State and Party activities in these fields. I offer in support of that fact as U.S.A. Exhibit 577, our Document 2827, which is an excerpt from "Ruehle, Das Dritte Reich." I read from the fourth paragraph of the excerpt, if your Honor please, which is an excerpt from a decree signed by Hitler, and it reads as follows!
"Prime Minister Col. General Goering will take the measures necessary for the accomplishment of the tasks given to him, and has the authority to issue decrees and general administrative directives. He, for this purpose, is authorized to question and issue directives to all authorities, including the highest Reich authorities, and all agencies of the Party, its formations and attached organizations." Schacht, as Minister of Economics, and President of the Reichsbank, and the Finance Minister for the Reich, and State of Prussia, to discuss inter-agency problems, connected with mar mobilization. At a meeting of this group on the 12th of May, 1936, when the question of the prohibitive cost of synthetic raw material substitutes arose, Goering decided:
"If we have war tomorrow we must help ourselves by substitutes. Then money will not play any role at all. If that is the case, then we must be ready to create the prerequisites for that, in peace."
same group, Goering opposed any limitations dictated by orthodox financial policies. He said that "all measures are to be considered from the standpoint of an assured waging of war." Nurnberg Party Day. Goering was appointed plenipotentiary in charge of the program, which was intended to achieve national self-sufficiency. Furthermore, Goering commented in 1936 that his chief task as Plenipotentiary was "to put the whole economy on a war footing within four years." I would like to offer into evidence as U.S.A. Exhibit 579, our Document EC 408, so that I may direct the Tribunal's attention to a memorandum, dated the 30th of December, 1936, of the defense Division of the Wehrmacht, entitled. "Memorandum on the Four Year Plan and Preparation of the War Economy" and in the third paragraph of the translation or at page 2, in the middle of paragraph numbered 3 in the German original, there is the statement registered in the protocol, in the memorandum, that:
"Minister President Colonel General Goering, as Commissioner for the Four Year Plan, by authority of the Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor, granted 18 of October, 1936.
"As regards the war economy, Minister President Colonel General Goering sees it as his task 'within four years to put the entire economy in a state of readiness for war.'" document that has just been brought to the attention of the prosecution. It is a note for the files, dated 2 December, 1936, written in longhand, on the letterhead of "Prime Minister Colonel General Goering" and is in the handwriting of Colonel Bodenschatz, Goering's Chief of Staff. I offer this memorandum as U.S.A. Exhibit 580. It is our Document 3474-PS, and I direct the Tribunal's attention to the fact that the date of this document is the second of December, 1936. That was a conference, apparently at which all the chief officers and generals of the Air Force, German Air Force met. Besides the Defendant Goering, there was General Milch, General Kesselring, Ruedel, Stumpf, Christiansen, and all the top commanders of the Air Force and I read:
"World press excited about the landing of 5000 German volunteers in Spain. Official complaint by Great Britain; she takes up connection with France.
"Italy suggests that Germany and Italy send, each, one division ground troops to Spain. It is, however, necessary that Italy, as interested Mediterranean power, issues a political declaration first. A decision can only be expected in a few days.
"The general situation is very serious. Russia wants the war. England rearms speedily. Command therefore: beginning today hechste Einsatzbereitschaft --." means the "highest degree of readiness, regardless of financial difficulties. Goering takes over full responsibility.
"Ruhe until 1941 is desirable." I an afraid hen, again the translator did not translate "ruhe", which means "peace" -- "absolute quiet until 1941 is desirable. However, we cannot know whether there will be implications before. We are already in a state of war. It is only that no shot is being fired so far."
THE PRESIDENT: Perhaps that would be a convenient time to break off.
(Whereupon at 12:45 P.m. the Tribunal recessed until 2:00 o'clock of the same day.)
Goering et al., Defendants, sitting at Nurnberg,
MR. ALBRECH: May it please the Tribunal, two important conferences which have already been adverted to by the Prosecution, show clearly how Goering inspired and directed the preparation of the German economy for aggressive war. On 8 July 1938 he addressed a number of the leading German aircraft manufacturers and laid the groundwork for a vast increase in aircraft production. He stated that war with Czechoslovakia was imminent and boasted that the German Air Force was already superior in quality and quantity to the English. He said that "if Germany wins the war, she will be the greatest power in the world, dominating the world market, and Germany will be a rich nation. For this goal, risks must be taken." That quotation, may it please the Court, is taken from R-140, USA Exhibit 160. another conference held in Goering's office, he made the statement that Hitler had instructed him to organize a gigantic armament program which would make insignificant all previous achievement. He indicated that he had been ordered to build as rapidly as possible an air force five times as large, to increase the speed of Army and Navy rearmament, and to concentrate on offensive weapons, principally heavy artillery and heavy tanks; and at that meeting he proposed a specific program designated to accomplish those ends. That is a short summary of facts which appear in USA Exhibit 123, already in evidence, our Document 1301-PS. the German Air Force, it was Goering's function to develop the Luftwaffe to practical war strength. As early as 10 March 1935, in an interview with the correspondence of the London Daily Mail the mask of hypocrisy was removed and Goering frankly announced to the world that he was in the process of building true military air force.
Goering spoke in a still bolder vein. I offer in evidence from USA Exhibit 437, 3441-PS, which is Goering. Reden und Aufsaetze, another excerpt that has not yet been read in evidence, from page 242: Goering said: "I repeat: I intend to create a Luftwaffe which, if the hour should strike, shall burst upon the foe like a chorus of revenge. The enemy must have the feeling of being lost already before even having fought...." Conscription Law which provided for compulsory military service and constituted an not of defiance on the part of Nazi Germany in violation of the Versailles Treaty. The Tribunal will take judicial notice of that decree, which is our Document 1654-PS, from which I shall not read, with the permission of the Tribunal, the Law for the Organization of the Armed Forces, and is cited in 1935 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, p. 369. in evidence, Goering's statements during this period left no doubt in the minds of Allied diplomats that Germany was engaged in full mobilization of air power for an impending war. military aggression. In German economic development too he held the key positions throughout the pre-war period. Although he held no official position in the field of foreign affairs, as the No. 2 Nazi, history records, that he was prominent in all major phases of Nazi aggression between 1937 and 1941. diplomatic "tragicomedy" enacted before a shocked but silent world.
The Tribunal is fully familiar with Goering's complicity in the aggression against Austria, However, some additional documents have now come to our notice that show Goering not alone participated actively, but may even have been in direct charge of the German plan to bring about the Austrian Anschluss. I will offer the first of these documents, our Document 3473-PS, as USA Exhibit 581. I shall not read from that exhibit, if your Honors please, but I would like to call the attention of the Tribunal to the letter from Keppler, who was one of Goering's agents, addressed to the Defendant Goering, It is dated 6 January 1938. From its context it would seem that a valid inference can be drawn that Goering was already active in the Austrian matter in 1937. Our prior evidence brought him into the picture much later, The prosecution believes it to be of great significance as it shows that the defendant Seyss-Inquart actually had Goering's mandate to carry out the orders of the Nazi conspirators in Vienna. The document itself will be read and discussed in the presentation of the case showing the individual responsibility of the defendant Seyss-Inquart; and I shall not take the time of the Tribunal at this time. Document 3472-PS. This exhibit would seem to show that the conspirators attempted to create the impression that the Anschluss, when it took place, was achieved by "legal" means. The command apparently was given to members of the NSDAP in Austria to keep "hands off" in order to permit the deviltry to be worked out by the official Reich agencies, i.e. the defendant Goering and presumably the defendant von Papen, by direct contact with the Austrian officials.
I read from that document:
"Yesterday, information reached me to the effect, that Landesleiter Leopold" -- and may I advert for the moment to point out that the word "Landesleiter" is the title of the Leader of the Nazi Community in Austria - "also on his part has started negotiations with Chancellor Schuschnigg, Thereupon I have asked the Foreign Office to investigate the truth of this information and, in case it was true, to take care that such negotiations not be held because they would merely disturb the proceedings of the other negotiations.
"Just now I got word from the Foreign Office that they received a report from the embassy in Vienna confirming the facts. I therefore would like to know, whether it would not be more appropriate to forbid Landesleiter Leopold and the other members of the country's leadership to negotiate with Chancellor Schuschnigg as well as with any Austrian government authorities as to the execution of the pact of 11 July 1936 if it is not done after contacting and in agreement with the authorities in charge in the Reich". that appears in this letter. It is typewritten in blue pencil, and while the translator has not indicated the initial below that note, it is a large "G"; and I have no doubt that that note was written by the Defendant Goering, It reads:
"Agreed, Minister Hess or Mr. Bormann can give this order best! Keppler ought to ask therefore by telephone!" is another note in pencil, "Transmitted to Mr. Keppler on 11 February 1938 by Miss Cest," and it is signed with initial "G", which in this case, however, we are quite sure is the initial of Miss Grundmann who was one of Goering's secretaries. The first letter of this exhibit is written by the same Keppler to the same Bodenschatz mentioned a short while ago, but who is now a general. I shall not read from this exhibit, with the permission of the Tribunal, but I shall briefly summarize it. This letter and the annexes show that Leopold, the Nazi Landesleiter in Austria, was apparently not completely amenable to the orders given by Berlin, and pursued his own methods for accomplishing an Anschluss. The second annex to this letter, addressed to Keppler, who appears from this letter to have been an SS Obergruppenfuehrer, shows that prominent Nazis had declared themselves in favor of a Major Klaussner to succeed Leopold as Landesleiter; and I would like to call the Tribunal's attention to the fact that in the left margin of the covering letter appear some red crayon marks in the characteristic color employed on several occasions, to our knowledge, by Goering and they would seem to show that Goering personally had seen these documents and that General Bodenschatz had brought them to his attention.
In any event these letters again demonstrate that Goering was one of the principle conspirators in the Austrian affair. Anschluss, Goering was in complete command. Throughout the afternoon and evening of that day lie directed by telephone the activities of the Defendant Seyss-Inquart and of the other Nazi conspirators in Vienna. The pertinent portions of these telephone conversations, it will be remembered, were read into the record. he dictated to the defendant Seyss-Inquart the telegram, which the letter was sent to Berlin, requesting the Nazi Government to send German troops to "prevent bloodshed." Two days later he was able to call the defendant Ribbentrop in London and gleefully relate to him of his success, and that "this story that we had given an ultimatum is just foolish gossip." read into the record as page 581. Czechoslovakia. In March of 1938, at the time of the "Anschluss", he had given a solemn assurance to the Czechoslovakian Minister in Berlin that the developments in Austria would in no way have a detrimental influence on the relations between Germany and Czechoslovakia, and he had emphasized the continued earnest endeavor on the part of Germany to improve these relations. In this connection, Goering had used the expression: "Ich gebe Ihnen mein Ehrenwort" (I give you my word of honor).
8 July 1938, which I have already mentioned, he made his private views on this subject, which were hardly consistent with his solemn official statements, abundantly clear. in the Air Ministry, Goering stated that the Sudetenland had to be exploited with all means, and that he counted upon a complete industrial assimilation of Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile, as pr of before the Tribunal shows, he was deceiving the representatives of the puppet Slovakian government to the same end. frankly stated what Germany's purpose had been throughout the whole affair. He explained that the incorporation of Bohemia and Moravia into the German economy had taken place, among other reasons, in order to increase the German war potential by exploitation of the industry there.
Goering was also a moving force in the later crimes against the peace. As the successor designate to Hitler, Chief of the Air Forces and Economic Czar of Greater Germany, he was a party to all the planning for military operations of the Nazi forces in the east and in the west. gave assurances to the Polish Government through Count Czembek as revealed in the Polish White Book, of which I ask the Tribunal to take Judicial notice that "there should he not the slightest fear in Poland that on the German side it (meaning the German-Polish alliance) would not be continued in the future." Yet, four years later, Goering helped to formulate plans for the ruthless invasion of Polish territory. introduced prove that plans for the ruthless exploitation of Soviet territory were made months in advance of the opening of hostilities. Goering was placed in charge of this army of spoliation, whose mission was that of "seizing raw materials and taking over all important concerns."
But these specific instances cited are merely illustrative of Goering's activities in the field of aggressive war. On pages 20, 21 and 22 of our brief there appears a list of documents - by no means exhaustive - previously offered by the prosecution, which demonstrate Goering's knowledge of and continued participation in the Nazi war program.
We turn now to Goering's responsibility for planning and his participation in the procurement of forced labor, the deportation and enslavement of residents of occupied territories, the employment of prisoners of war in war industry, the looting of works of art, and the germanization and spoliation of countries overrun by the Nazis. the Nazi conspirators, and has shown its two purposes, both of them criminal. The first was to satisfy the labor requirements of the Nazi war machine by forcing residents of occupied countries to work in Germany. The second purpose was to destroy or weaken the peoples of the occupied territories. It has been shown that millions of foreign workers were taken to Germany, for the most part under pressure and generally by physical force, that these workers were forced to labor under conditions of indescribable brutality and degradation, and that often they were used in factories and industries devoted exclusively to the production of munitions of war.
Goering was at all times implicated in the slave labor program. Recruitment and allocation of manpower and determination of working conditions were included in his jurisdiction as Plenipotentiary for the Four Year Plan, and from its beginning a part of the Four Year Plan Office was devoted to such work. I ask the Tribunal to take judicial notice of our Document 1862-PS, in this connection, and with the permission of the Tribunal I shall not read the same. 1936, which appears in 1936 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, p. 887. numbers of Poles. On 25 January 1940, the defendant Frank, the Governor General of Poland, reported to Goering on his directive for the "Supply and transportation of at least 1 million male and female 750,000 agricultural workers of which at least 50% must be women - in replacement for industrial workers lacking in the Reich.
. ." which is taken from our U.S.A. Exhibit 172, our Document No. 1375.
Defendant Georing is clear from statements in the Defendant Frank's Diary for 10 May 1940, already introduced in evidence. the Defendant Goering is also responsible. On 8 March 1940, as Plenipotentiary of the Four Year Plan, and as Chairman, of the Cabinet Council for the Defense of the Reich, he issued a directive entitled: "Treatment of male and female civilian workers of Polish Nationality in the Reich," I refer to our document R-148 as proof of that fact. I shall not introduce it at this time into evidence, with the permission of the Tribunal, as it will be introduced by the Soviet prosecution at a later date. Four Year Plan Office issued a circular, signed by Dr. Mansfeld, the general delegate for labor employment in the Four Year Plan Office, addressed to various civilian and military authorities in the occupied territories, explaining that, and I quote: "Any and all methods must be adopted" to force workers to go to Germany. I shall not read from our exhibit, if the Tribunal please, but I would like to offer in evidence as USA Exhibit 585, 1183-PS. This is a circular letter of the Commissioner for the Four Year Plan, dated the 29th of January, 1942. decreee appointing the defendant Sauckel Plenipotentiary General for Manpower, directing him to carry out his tasks within the framework of the Four Year Plan and making him directly responsible to Goering as head of the Four Year Plan. decree in pursuance of the decree of the Fuhrer of 21 March 1942. The Tribunal has already judicially noted this decree which is our document 1666-PS. the defendant Goring retains full responsibility for the enormous war crimes committed by Sauckel as Plenipotentiary-General for Manpower. These crimes have been the subject of our presentations on Slave Labor and on the Illegal Use of Prisoners of War.
ordered prisoners of war to work under dangerous conditions, and in the manufacturing and transportation of arms and munitions of war, in violation of the Laws of War and of Articles 31 and 32 of the Geneva Convention of 27 July 1929 on Prisoners of War. The defendant Goring had a part in all of these crimes. employment of citizens of the Soviet Union, including prisoners of war, it appears from a memorandum signed by Koerner, who was State Secretary to the defendant Goring as Plenipotentiary for the Four Year Plan, that Goring gave certain ruthless directives for the use of Soviet citizens both prisoners of war and free Soviet workers as laborers. I refer to our document 1193-PS which, with the permission of the Tribunal, I shall not offer in evidence at this time, and which will be offered by the Soviet Prosecution. apparently the same conference of 7 November 1941, which are already in evidence, the following facts appear:
ployed in war industries;
That it was better to employ PW's than unsuitable foreign workers;
That Poles, Dutchmen, etc., should be seized if necessary, as PW's and employed as such, if work through free contract cannot be obtained. which is admitted in evidence as U.S.A. Exhibit 215. of the Regional Labor Exchange Offices, it is furthermore recorded that upon the personal order of the Reich Marshal, the Defendant Goering, 100,000 men are to be taken from among the French PW's not yet employed in the armament industry, and assigned to the airplane armament industry, and that gaps in manpower supply resulting therefrom are to be filled by Soviet PW's. pros-ram of the Nazi conspirators for the cultural impoverishment of every country in Europe. The continuous connection of the Defendant Goering with these activities has been substantiated.
In October 1939, the Defendant Goering requested Dr. Muehlmann to undertake immediately the "securing" of all Polish art treasures. In his affidavit already offered, Dr. Muehlmann states that he was the special deputy of the Governor General of Poland, the Defendant Frank, for the safeguarding of art treasures in the General Government from October 1939 to September 1943, and that the Defendant Goering, in his capacity as Chairman of the Reich Defense Council, had commissioned him with, this duty, Defendant Prank to take into custody all important art treasures which belonged to Polish public institutions, private collections and the Church, and that such art treasures were actually confiscated.
It appears also from a report made by Dr. Muehlmann on 16 July 1943 on his operations, that at one time 31 valuable sketches by the artist Albrecht Duerer were taken from a Polish collection and personally handed to the Defendant Goering who took them to the Fuehrer's headquarters.
Rosenberg has been shown. He refer to USA Exhibit 368, which is our Document No. 141-PS, which is an order dated 5 November 1940, already read in evidence, in which Goering directs the Chief of the Military Administration in Paris and the Einsatzstab-Resenberg to dispose of the art objects brought to the Louvre in the following priority:
"1) Those art objects as to which the Fuehrer has "2) Those art objects which serve to complete the Reich Marshal's collection.
"3) Those art objects and library stocks, the use "4) Those art objects that are suited for German museums."
the completion of the defendant's own collection, it is not surprising to find that Goering continued to aid the operations of the EinsatzstabRosenberg. It has been established, that on 1 May 1941 Goering issued an order under his own signature to all Party, State and Wehrmacht Services, requesting them to rive all possible support and assistance to the Chief of Staff of Reichsleiter Rosenberg. assistance which he had rendered to the work of the EinsatzstabRosenberg. In our Document 1015i-PS, which has been read in evidence on Page 1678 of the Record, he is shown writing to the Defendant Rosenberg that he personally supports the word of the Einsatzstab whereever he can do So, and that he accounted for the seizure of such a large number of art objects because he was able to gender assistance to the Einsatzstab.
Thus the Defendant Goering's responsibility, for the plunder and looting of art which was actually accomplished by the EinsatzstabRosenberg would seem clear. policies in the Western and Eastern countries occupied, by the German armies will be presented subsequently by the French and Societ prosecution. The responsibility of the Defendant Goering, in his capacity as Plenipotentiary for the Four Year Plan, as President of the Cabinet Council for the Defense of the Reich and in other capacities, will be further demonstrated by that evidence. shown by evidence already offered. The Nazis purported to incorporate the four western provinces of Poland into the German Reich.
In the remaining portions occupied by them they set up the General Government. It has been shown that the Nazis planned to Germanize the so-called incorporated territories ruthlessly, by deporting the Polish intelligentsia, Jews and dissident elements to the General Government for eventual elimination, by confiscating Polish property, by sending those so deprived of their property to Germany as laborers, and by importing German settlers. It was specifically planned to exploit the people and material resources of the territory within the General Government by taking whatever was needed to strengthen the Nazi war machine, thus impoverishing this region and reducing it to a vassal state. with the Defendants Frick and Hess, on 8 October 1939 signed the decree by which certain parts of Polish territory were incorporated into the Reich. as Plenipotentiary of the Four Year Plan, signed an order on 30 October 1939 concerning the introduction of the Four Year Plan in the Eastern Territories. task for the economic treatment of the various administrative regions would differ depending on whether a country was to be incorporated politically into the German Reich, or whether the General Government was involved which, in all probability, would not be made a part of Germany.
He went on to say:
"In the first mentioned territories the reconstructions and expansion of the economy, the safeguarding of all their production facilities and supplies must be aimed at, as well as a complete incorporation into the Greater German economic system at the earliest possible time. On the other hand there must be removed from the territories of the General Government all raw materials, scrap materials, machines, etc.
, which are of use for the German war economy. Enterprises which are not absolutely necessary for the meagre maintenance of the naked existence of the population must be transferred to Germany, unless such transfer would require an unreasonably long period of time and would make it more practical to exploit those enterprises by giving them German orders to be executed at their present location." Defendant Goering in the plans for the ruthless explotation of Poland clearly appears. But his fine hand also may be found behind the remainder of the Nazi plans for Poland. As an illustration, it was the Defendant Goering who signed, with Hitler and the Defendant Keitel, the secret decree of 7 October 1939 which entrusted Himmler with the task of executing the Germanization program. That secret decree was read into evidence at pages 1522-23. Himmler, the Defendant Frank and others, just what this appointment involved in human suffering and degradation. powers as Plenipotentiary for the Four Year Plan, issued a decree on 17 September 1940 concerning confiscations in the incorporated Eastern territories. This decree applied to "property of citizens of the former Polish State within the territory of the Greater German Reich, including the incorporated Eastern territories." I ask the Tribunal to take judicial notice of our document 1665-PS, which is an "Order concerning Treatment of Property of Nationals of the Former Polish State," cited in 1940 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I., page 1270. I shall read from this document.
"Article I.
"1) Property of nationals of the former Polish State within the area of the Greater German Reich, including annexed Eastern territories, is subject to confiscation, administration by commissioner and sequestration in accordance with the following regulations."
"1) Confiscation will be applied in case of property belonging to:
a) Jews
b) Persons who have fled or who have absented "2) Confiscation may be applied
a) If the property is needed for the public good,
b) If the owners or other persons entitled to it Reich after 1 October 1918."
"1) Sequestered property can be confiscated in favor of the Reich by the competent office if the public weal, particularly the defense of the Reich or the consolidation of the German nationality requires it."