GENERAL RUDENKO: Gentlemen of the Tribunal: deporting civilians: men, women and children for forced labor into Germany, was one of the most important in the chain of heinous crimes committed by the germane-fascist usurpers. Fritz Sauckel. help out admit that during the war about 10 million enslaved laborers originating from both occupied territories and from the ranks of prisoners of war, were utilized in German industrial undertakings and also partly for German agricultural labor. industry of Hitlerite Germany of millions of workers from the occupied territories, Sauckel denied the criminal character of this action, affirming that the recruiting of labor was allegedly carried out on a voluntary basis. honest patriots of the Soviet Union, of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland, Franc and Holland, who, devoted to their country, were forcibly sent for labor into Hitlerite Germany. general for the utilization of manpower as merely consisting of coordinating and controlling other government labor organizations are futile. As the Plenipotentiary general for labor employment, Sauckel was invested by Hitler with supreme and all-encompassing powers, and was, in his activity, directly and personally subordinate to Goering.
Germany labor from occupied territories. to the Tribunal and which irrefutably establishes the criminal character of the methods of mass deportation into slavery of the population of occupied territories as well as the role of the defendant Sauckel in organizing these crimes. How far these crimes extended is shown in the operation carried out by the German military and civil authorities, and ciphered under the name "Seno" which provided for the forced deportation of Ukrainian girls destined by Hitler for Germanisation. complied with the demands of the Geneva and Hague Conventions concerning utilization of labor of prisoners of war. However his own instructions fully expose his lies. Soviet war prisoners for the war industry in Germany and never made any difference between them and the civilian labor forces. deported for slavery lived, are testified to by the numerous documents submitted as evidence. were kept in camps behind barbed wire and were obliged to wear special identifying badges.
The witness Dr. Wilhelm Eger summoned to the Tribunal by counsel for the defense was obliged to give an awful picture of the conditions under which the enslaved workers at Krupp's works lived. ridiculous because trying to excuse Sauckel, he manifestly overdid it by informing the Tribunal that he allegedly saw foreign workers walking and enjoying themselves in the Prater in Vienna. Saporozhie, Simferopol, Minsk, Riga and in June of the sane year - Prague, Cracow and again Kiev, Saporozhie and Melitopol in order to force the deportation of lab expressed his gratitude for the successful mobilization of labor forces, to the Reichskommissar of the Ukraine Koch, known for the drastically cruel measures which he applied with regard to the Ukrainian population.
highly appreciated in Hitlerite Germany. Reichskommissars for the occupied territories:
"I do not wish to praise Gauleiter Sauckel. He does not need it.
it would be easy indeed to fulfil the tasks imposed upon you....." to the 50 anniversary of Sauckel it was said:
"True to his political task, he pursues his responsible course with unyielding consistency and steadfastness, with a fanatical belief.
As spiritual strength from the Fuehrer's trust in him."
consider the tears shed by the millions of people who languished in German slavery, of the thousands of people tortured in inhuman conditions in the workers camps - they will consider this and will judge accordingly.
General of Poland. He held this post till May 1940.
the *l*rs for the exte*--* of amny thousands of people, for the Transc.
On 17 November, 1939, Seyss-Inquart addressed the chiefs of the admi16-1-46 ev.
sess. nistration and departments of the Warsaw Government. He mentioned p. 24 General Government "its leading principle must he -the interests of the German Reich.
By means of a severe and unrelenting administration usurped the German territory."
transcript fuehrer Schmidt on the same question in the following way :"The re pp.
33-34 they may prosper only within these limits.
The development of inde pendent political thinking cannot be permitted.
Perhaps the Vistula the Rhein."
obliged to leave their depostis in the banks; that he was informd that the German administration was employing forced labor; that the Lublin Governor Schmidt declared in the presence of Seyss-Inquart:
PS-2278 "This territory with its strongly marked swampy nature could serve as every tenth Jew."
Doc. of It is also known that Seyss-Inquart, as Frank's deputy, fulfilled on v.I p. 125 his behalf so-called "special tasks".
on the following subjects: the appointment of Frank as authorized USSR-223 PS-2233 plenipotentiary for the 4 lear Plan and the tasks of the Governor General "to obtain from, the economy of the Government-General all that is best and useful for the Reich"; on the numerous trains of cember; the issue of supplementary order extending labour recruiteUSSRO On 21st April 1940 the defendant took part in the conference 223 at which measures for forced deportation of Polish workers to Germany Transc.
In connection with the appointment of Seyss-Inquart as Reichskom16.1.46 ev. pp. 25-26 missar for the Netherlands, Frank and his worthy deputy exchanged farewell speeches:
"I am exceedingly gald, said Frank, to assure you that the me future world Reich of the German nation will be created.
..."
"I have, Seyss-Inquart replied, learned much here above all friend, Dr. Frank.
.... All my thoughts are connected with the East. In the East we have a National-Socialist mission, in the West we have functions."
Germans are well known: it was the function of henchman and plun plans of the Hitlerite conspiracy; they have clearly shown how Seyss by him whilst collaborating with Frank in Poland.
For this reason I activities of the SA storm units.
It was he who overthrew the Braun Severing social-democratic government in Prussia.
These measures In this manner Papen cleared the way for Hitler.
Having secured the in Hitler's cabinet.
In this capacity von Papen participated in the the development of the Nazi movement and in Hitler's rise to power by Hitler's accession to power unavoidable.
"From the time that destiny called upon me to become the pioneer Transc. of the national reawakening and rebirth of our Fatherland, I strove 23-1-46 evening with all my might to support the work of the national-socialist movesess. p. 14 ment and all of its leaders. Just as I pronounced myself, when I nation and all those who have kept their trust in me : merciful dangers to a happy future."
was a personal friend of the architect's draftsman, Hitler and remained one till the end.
Not only common professional interests but political interests brought them together.
Speer be an his career in 1932 with the reconstruction of the "Brown House" -the headquarters of NSDAP in Berlin, and 10 years' latter he was at the head of all the military constructions and war production in Fascist Germany.
Starting with the onstruction of the Reichs "Parteitag", Speer ended by setting up the "Atlantic Wall". of Hitler's Germany and played a direct and active part in planning and What is Speer's "line of defense" at the trial?
Speer presents his case in the following way; he was pressed upon by Hitler to take on the post of minister; he was a closer friend of Hitler's, but he knew nothin about his plans; he was a member of the Nazi party for "Mein Kampf". It is true, that upon being given the lie Speer confesUSA-575 Speer lied when he denied that he had never belonged to the SA, and Ps-3568 then to the SS.
The Tribunal possesses the original file of the SS Speer held also a rather high rank in the Nazi party.
In the party After all this can Speer's declaration that he was a apolitical spe cialist be taken into consideration?
In reality, as a close colla Transc.
before the Gauleiters, devoted himself completely to the solution of m. sess.
war problems. By means of the pitiless exploitations of the popula p. 43-82 ev.
sess. tion in the occupied territories and of the prisoners of war of the p. 20-82 USSR-482 ammunition for the German army.
By plundering the raw materials and potential of Hitler's Germany.
His powers grew with every month of the war.
By Hitler's Decree of 2 September 1943 Speer became pleni direction and production of war industry.
He was even commissioned to regulate the turnover of commodities and by Hitler's Decree of August Doc.
def. p. 119 pital ships, when the "V" bombs destroyed town in England, all this was as a result of Speer's activity.
Under his leadership, the pro creased.
The defendant himself, when interrogated by Justice Jackson Doc. Def.
v. II, p. slave labor the populations of the occupied territories, but he him123 USA-179 self took part, to ether with Sauckel, in conferences with Hitler USA-225 PS-1292 and on the "Central Planning Board", where decisions were taken Doc.
Def. Speer kept up a close contact with Himmler; He received from Himmv. II, p. 88 Transc. ler prisoners for work in war factories; branches of concentration 12.XII 45 p. 31 & 88 camps were organized in many factories subordinated to Speer; in & USA-179 recognition of Himmler's services Speer supplied the SS with ex Speer has said a lot here about his having sharply criticized Kilter's ness of continuing the war.
When the representative of the Soviet Pro secution asked Speer:
which of the persons close to Hitler he had criti cized and in what connection, the defendant asnwered:
"I shall not tell you".convinced Nazi himself, and belonged to this close environment.
As to the so-called "serious dissesions", they began as Speer admitted, when it became clear to him that Germany had lost the war.
Speer's letters to Hitler are dated March 1945.
At that time Speer could, without great rist, depict Germany's hopeless condition.
It was apparent to everyone and was no longer a subject of discuccion.
And it was not by accident Doc. def. help. V.Ip.76-80 played by him in the crimes committed by Hitler's gang.
Constantine von Neurath's part in the consolidation of the Nazi I will recall the official evaluation of Neurath's activity, as February 1943:
USSR-485. "The departure from the Geneva disarmament conference on since the coining to power of the Nazi regime.
In these, always be connection with them."
Trans. In his capacity of Reich protector of Bohemia and Moravia, ven.s. Neurath was to the Nazi conspirators, those so-called "firm 5.6.46. and reliable hands", of which General Frederici wrote in p.75 his memorandum, and which were to turn the Czechoslovak 63-PS. republic into an "indissoluble part of Germany". In order "new order", the nature of which is now known to all and were committed by the police and Gestapo, upon Himmler's direct order, and that he knew nothing of them.
It is regarding the "most important events in the Protectorate, pertaining to the Security Police". He stated also that Gestapo, and that he did indeed do so; whilst, as far as USSR-494.
the SD was concerned, his rights were still more vast Tras. I wish also to recall to your memory, paragraphs 11, 13 even.s. and 14 of the order issued on 1 September 1939 by the Reich 25.6.45. Defense Council which prove that the Reichsfuhrer SS and pp. 78079. Chief of the German Police carried out administrative measures in Bohemia and Moravia with the knowledge of the Reich Protector, and that the German Security Police organs in the Protectorate were obliged to inform the Reich Protector, as well as the offices subordinated to him and keep them aware of all major events.
SD Fuhrer and Plenipotentiary of the Security Police to the post of political case reported in his cabinet; if we recall the testimony of Richard Wienert, the former Premier of Bohemia and Moravia under Neirath, which has been read before the Court, to the effect that the Gestapo carried out arrests on orders of the Reich Protector, we can hardly have any doubt but that Neurath gave his sanction to the mass arrests, cummary executions and other inhuman acts, committed by the Gestapo and police in Czechoslovakia. were shot without trial, whilst over a thousand were hurled into concentration camps and all the Czech high schools and universities were closed for three years.
Neurath said that he heard of these acts of terror post factum. But we have submitted to the Tribunal a report on the shooting and arrests of the students, which bears Neurath's signature. Neurath then seeks another loop-hole: he declares that Frank signed this report in his, Neurath's name and to be more convincing he even adds, that later he heard from an official that Frank often misused his name in documents. Are Neurath's statements to be credited? One has only to analyze briefly the actual facts, in order to answer this question in the negative.
Neurath says that Frank misused his name. What did Neurath do in answer to this? Did he demand Frank's resignation or his punishment for fraud? No. Did he, perhaps, report this forgery officially, to somebody? Neither. On the contrary, he continued to collaborate with Frank as before.
Neurath says that he heard of Frank's misuses from an official. who is that official? What is his name? Why wasn't any application made to call him to the witness stand, or, at least, to secure his written testimony? This is simply because nobody spoke to Neurath of Frank having forged his signature on the documents, and nobody could have done so for there was no forgery.
But on the contrary, the Tribunal has evidence which con-
ectly participated in these bloody events: USSR-60 During his interrogation on 26 November 1945, Karl Frank testified:
"This document was dated 17 November 1939 and was signed of numerous students to the concentration camps."
USSR-494 I quote Karl Frank's second testimony on this matter, dated 7 March 1946:
"By countersigning the official reports which in formed von Neurath, sanctioned this action.
I informed von Neu signed the rport.
Had he not agreed and had he demanded in to his opinion".In August 1939, in connection with the "special decree" by hich he proclaimed Bohemia and Moravia to be an "in tegral part of the Greater German Reich", Neurath issued a so called "warning". Therein he stipulated that "not be responsible for all acts of sabotage". Thereby he esUSSR-490 tablished the principle of collective responsibility and introduced the hostages system.
The events of 17 Novem Starting from 1 September 1939, some 8,000 Czechs were arrested as hostages in Bohemia and Moravia.
The major ity were sent to concentration camps; many were executed, or died of hunger and toture.
On this subject you have Neurath's so-called "warning".cupnats acting in accordance with Neurath's "warning", Czechslovak population in August 1939.
He has on his other ringleader's of the criminal Nazi regime.
The criminal activity of Fritzsche, who was Goebbels' closest In "Mein Kampf", Hitler describes the very special part He writes:
"The problem of the ressurection of German might can be defined not as to 'How we will make weapons' but 'How we will create the spirit which will make our people capable of bearing weapons'. If this spirit in way, and each of them will lead to weapons". (Quote from pages 365-366 of "Mein Kampf", 64th ed.
1933).
claimed:
"Propaganda helped us to come to power" "Propaganda will help us to keep power" "Propaganda will help us to conquer the world".best informed persons in Nazi Germany.
Besides, he enjoyed Goebbels' particular confidence.
the German press. And ever since 1942 and until the defeat SSR 472 This was testified to, in detail, by witnesses such as SSR 4-71 former Field marshal Ferdinand Schoerner and former vice The defendant Fritzsche's broadcasts, taken down by especially the case when Nazi Germany's acts of aggression For did not Hitler himself write in "Mein Kampf" that, page 302:
USA 276 With, the help of an able and continuous application life can be pictured as heaven."
this dirty work. In his declaration to the Tribunal, on 3465-PS with the acts of aggression against Austria, the Sudetenkand, USA 614 Bohemia and Moravia, Poland and Jugoslavia.
occupation of Norway by Germany. He declared:
"Nobody was wounded, not one house was destroyed, life and work continued unhindered as before."
Norwegian Government states:
"The German attack against Norway on the 9 April 1940, causing destruction.
Over 40 thousand houses were damaged or destroyed and about 1000 civilians were killed."
British passenger steamer "Athenia".
occasion of Nazi Germany's feloneous attack upon the Soviet he was called on the 22 June 1941, at 5 a.m. to a press conference hold by Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop.
As 1039 PS USA 146 Territories of propaganda measure's in the East.
knowledge of the Nazi government's criminal orders, of which he heard for the first time here, in Court.
And Tribunal a lie.
He was compelled to admit that he had early as 1942.
And yet he continued thereafter to remain USSR 496 without honour or conscience; men, who hurled the world in order to achieve their criminal designs; cheap demagogues cious ideas; henchmen, who murdered millions of innocent instrument of their crimes.
30 July M LJG 4-3 for nor rulers of fascist Germany. In the lock, before this Court, they have suddenly become meek end humble. Some of them, even, actually condemned Hitler.. But they blame Hitler, not for the launching of a war, not for the extermination of peoples and the plundering of states; th e only thing they cannot forgive him is Defeat. Together with Hitler, they were ready to exterminate millions of human beings, to enslave the elite of mankind in order to achieve their criminal aim of world domination.
But History judged otherwise; victory did not follow upon the steps of Crime. Victory came to the freedomloving nations. Truth triumphed, and we are proud to say that the justice which is noted out by the International Military Tribunal will be the justice of the right cause of peace-loving nations. the concepts of civilization and humaneness, democracy and humaneness, peace and humaneness - are inseparable. But we, the defenders of civilization, democracy and peace considerate of the murderers and indifferent to their victims. Counsel for Kaltenbrunner also spoke here of love for one's fellow-men. Connected with Kaltenbrunner's name and actions, all mention of love for one's follow man sounds like blasphemy. Speaking here on behalf of the peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, I consider all the charges against the defendants as fully proven. inspires the peoples who consented to the greatest sacrifice in order to save the world, freedom, and culture, in memory 30 July M LJG 4-5 of the millions of innocent human doings slaughtered by a gangs of murderers, who are now before the Court of a progressive mankind - In the name of the happiness and the peaceful labor of future generations, I appeal to the Tribunal to sentence all the defendants, without exception, to the supreme penalty.