Murder And Ill-Treatment
[Page 55]
In many of the occupied countries of the East and the West,
the authorities maintained the pretense of paying for all
the property which they seized. This elaborate pretense of
payment merely disguised the fact that the goods sent to
Germany from these occupied countries were paid for by the
occupied countries themselves, either by the device of
excessive occupation costs or by forced loans in return for
a credit balance on a "clearing account" which was an
account merely in name.
In most of the occupied countries of the East even this
pretense of legality was not maintained; economic
exploitation became deliberate plunder. This policy was
first put into effect in the administration of the
Government General in Poland. The main exploitation of the
raw materials in the East was centered on agricultural
products and very large amounts of food were shipped from
the Government General to Germany.
The evidence of the widespread starvation among the Polish
people in the Government General indicates the ruthlessness
and the severity with which the policy of exploitation was
carried out.
The occupation of the territories of the U.S.S.R. was
characterized by premeditated and systematic looting. Before
the attack on the U.S.S.R. an economic staff -- Oldenburg -
- was organized to ensure the most efficient exploitation of
Soviet territories. The German Armies were to be fed out of
Soviet territory, even if "many millions of people will be
starved to death." An OKW directive issued before the attack
said:
Similarly, a declaration by the defendant Rosenberg of the
20th June, 1941, had advocated the use of the produce from
Southern Russia and of the Northern Caucasus to feed the
German People, saying:
When the Soviet territory was occupied, this policy was put
into effect; there was a large scale confiscation of
agricultural supplies, with complete disregard of the needs
of the inhabitants of the occupied territory.
In addition to the seizure of raw materials and manufactured
articles, a wholesale seizure was made of art treasures,
furniture, textiles, and similar articles in all the invaded
countries.
The defendant Rosenberg was designated by Hitler on the 29th
January, 1940, Head of the Center for National Socialist
Ideological and Educational Research, and thereafter the
organisation known as the "Einsatzstab Rosenberg" conducted
its operations on a very great scale. Originally designed
for the establishment of a research library, it developed
into a project for the seizure of cultural treasures. On the
1st March, 1942, Hitler issued a further decree, authorising
Rosenberg to search libraries, lodges, and cultural
establishments, to seize material from these establishments,
as well as cultural treasures owned by Jews. Similar
directions were given where the ownership could not be
clearly established. The decree directed the co-operation of
the Wehrmacht High Command, and indicated that Rosenberg's
activities in the West were to be conducted in his capacity
as Reichsleiter, and in the East in his capacity as
Reichsminister. Thereafter, Rosenberg's activities were
extended to the occupied countries. The report of Robert
Scholz, Chief of the special staff for Pictorial Art stated:
[Page 56]
The report of Scholz refers to 25 portfolios of pictures of
the most valuable works of the art collection seized in the
West, which portfolios were presented to the Fuehrer. Thirty-
nine volumes, prepared by the Einsatzstab, contained
photographs of paintings, textiles furniture, candelabra,
and numerous other objects of art, and illustrated the value
and magnitude of the collection which had been made. In many
of the occupied countries private collections were robbed,
libraries were plundered, and private houses were pillaged.
Museums, palaces, and libraries in the occupied territories
of the U.S.S.R. were systematically looted. Rosenberg's
Einsatzstab, Ribbentrop's special "Battalion" the
Reichscommissars and representatives of the Military Command
seized objects of cultural and historical value belonging to
the People of the Soviet Union, which were sent to Germany.
Thus the Reichscommissar of the Ukraine removed paintings
and objects of art from Kiev and Kharkov and sent them to
East Prussia. Rare volumes and objects of art from the
palaces of Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo, and Pavlovsk were
shipped to Germany. In his letter to Rosenberg of 3rd
October, 1941, Reichscommissar Kube stated that the value of
the objects of art taken from Byelorussia ran into millions
of rubles. The scale of this plundering can also be seen in
the letter sent from Rosenberg s department to von Milde-
Schreden in which it is stated that during the month of
October, 1943 alone, about 40 box-cars loaded with objects
of cultural value were transported to the Reich.
With regard to the suggestion that the purpose of the
seizure of art treasures was protective and meant for their
preservation, it is necessary to say a few words. On 1st
December, 1939 Himmler, as the Reich Commissioner for the
"strengthening of Germanism" issued a decree to the
regional officers of the secret police in the annexed
eastern territories, and to the commanders of the security
service in Radom, Warsaw, and Lublin. This decree contained
administrative directions for carrying out the art seizure
program, and in Clause 1 it is stated:
The intention to enrich Germany by the seizures, rather than
to protect the seized objects, is indicated in an undated
report by Dr. Hans Posse, director of the Dresden State
Picture Gallery:
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Of Civilian
Population
(Part 4 of 4)
"To obtain the greatest possible quantity of food
and crude oil for Germany -- that is the main
economic purpose of the campaign."
"We see absolutely no reason for any obligation on
our part to feed also the Russian People with the
products of that surplus territory. We know that
this is a harsh necessity, bare of any feelings."
"During the period from March, 1941 to July, 1944,
the special staff for Pictorial Art brought into
the Reich 29 large shipments including 137 freight
cars with 4,174 cases of art works."
"To strengthen Germanism in the defense of the
Reich, all articles mentioned in Section 2 of this
decree are hereby confiscated .... They are
confiscated for the benefit of the German Reich,
and are at the disposal of the Reich Commissioner
for the strengthening of Germanism."
"I was able to gain some knowledge on the public
and private collections, as well as clerical
property, in Cracow and Warsaw. It is true that we
cannot hope too much to enrich ourselves from the
acquisition of great art works of paintings and
sculptures, with the exception of the Veit-Stoss
altar, and the plates of Hans von Kulnback in the
Church of Maria in Cracow .... and several other
works from the National Museum in Warsaw."
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