[Page 673]

Nevertheless the killings in these institutions continued year after year. This is shown by a certified copy of the charge, specifications and findings of the US Military Commission at Wiesbaden, against the individuals who operated the Hadamar Sanitarium where many Russians and Poles were done away with. In this particular proceeding, seven defendants were charged with the murder in 1944 and 1945 of 400 persons of Polish and Russian nationality. Three of the defendants were sentenced to be hanged; the other four were sentenced to confinement at hard labor (3592-PS).

But the murdering in Hadamar was only part of a systematic program. The official report of the Czechoslovak War Crimes commission, entitled "Detailed Statement on the Murdering of Ill and Aged People in Germany," shows that Frick was one of the originators of the secret law of 1940, which authorized the killing of sick and aged persons and under which the Hadamar "murder mill" was operated until 1945. The first 3 paragraphs that report read as follows:

"1. The murdering can be traced back to a secret law which was released some time in the summer of 1940.

"2. Besides the Chief Physician of the Reich, Dr. L. Conti, the Reichsfuehrer SS Himmler, the Reichsminister of the Interior Dr. Frick, as well as other men, the following participated in the introduction of this secret law ***

"3. As I have already stated, there were -- after careful calculation -- at least 200,000 mainly mentally deficient, imbeciles, besides neurological cases and medically unfit people these were not only incurable cases -- and at least 75,000 aged people." (1556-PS).

Thus, Frick bears full responsibility for the systematic killing of the "unproductive eater," for whom the Nazi war machine had no use.

(4) Oppression in Bohemia and Moravia. The final phase of Frick's criminal activities began with his appointment as Protector in Bohemia and Moravia, on 20 August 1943 (3086- PS).

His authority was clearly defined in a Secret Decree issued on 29 August 1943. That Decree provided that the Reich Protector was "the representative of the Fuehrer in his capacity as Chief of State." In addition to this over-all authority, Frick was given jurisdiction "to confirm the members of the government of the Protectorate to appoint, dismiss and retire the German civil servants in the Protectorate." He was given full power "to grant

[Page 674]

pardons and to quash proceedings in all cases except in cases before the Military and SS Police Courts" (1366-PS).

These broad powers establish the clear responsibility of Frick for the crimes committed in the Protectorate under his administration during the last 20 months of the War. As representative of the Fuehrer in the Protectorate, he covered these criminal acts with Hitler's name and absolute power.

As a single example of these crimes, reference may be made to Supplement 6 to the official Czechoslovak Report on German Crimes Against Czechoslovakia:

"During the tenure of office of defendant Wilhelm Frick as Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia from August 1943 until the liberation of Czechoslovakia in 1945, many thousands of Czechoslovak Jews were transported from the Terezin ghetto in Czechoslovakia to the concentration camp at Oswiecziem (Auschwitz) in Poland and were there killed in the gas chambers." (3589-PS).

Frick was also fully responsible for the multiple and notorious miscarriages of justice by which the population of the Protectorate was systematically persecuted and oppressed. His failure to correct these miscarriages of justice through the exercise of his right to grant pardons and to quash legal proceedings is tantamount to a confirmation of the cruel and illegal sentences imposed upon the inhabitants of the Protectorate (1556-PS; 3589-PS).

Frick's specific responsibility on these counts must be added to the over-all responsibility which he bears because of the fact that he was in power as Reich Protector while such Crimes against Humanity were committed against the population of Bohemia and Moravia

The original plaintext version of this file is available via ftp.

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