[Page 386]

I offer in evidence a copy of memorandum from defendant Rosenberg's file, entitled "Directions for Handling of the Jewish Question", Document 212-PS, Exhibit USA 272. I quote from the top of Page 2 of the translation before the Court:-

"The first main goal of the German measures must be strict segregation of Jewry from the rest of the population. In the execution of this, first of all is the seizing of the Jewish population by the introduction of a registration order and similar appropriate measures -"

And then, in the second sentence, in the second paragraph on Page 2, I continue:-

" - all rights of freedom for Jews are to be withdrawn. They are to be placed in ghettos and at the same time are to be separated according to sexes. The existence of many more or less closed Jewish settlements in White Ruthenia and in the Ukraine makes this mission easier. Moreover, places are to be chosen which make possible the full use of the Jewish manpower in case labour needs exist. These ghettos can be placed under the supervision of a Jewish self-government with Jewish officials. The guarding of the boundaries between the ghettos and the outer world is, however, the duty of the Police.

Also, in the cases in which a ghetto cannot yet be established, care is to be taken through strict prohibitions and similar suitable measures that a further intermingling of blood of the Jews and the rest of the populace does not continue."

[Page 387]

"After the customary removal of Jews from all public offices, the Jewish question will have to have a decisive solution through the institution of ghettos."

"Every Jew who exerts influence in Europe is a danger to European culture. If anyone reproaches me with having driven from this city, which was once the European metropolis of Jewry, tens of thousands upon tens of thousands of Jews into the ghetto of the East, I feel myself compelled to reply: I see in this an action contributing to European culture."

"The ghetto thus established in Warsaw was inhabited by about 400,000 Jews.

It contained 27,000 apartments with an average of two and a-half rooms each.

It was separated from the rest of the city by partitions and other walls and by walling-up of thoroughfares, windows, doors, open spaces, etc."

"Apart from organising and carrying out measures of execution, the creation of ghettos was immediately begun in the larger towns during the first days of operations. This was especially urgent in Kowno because there were 30,000 Jews in a total population of 152,400."

"In Riga the so-called 'Moscow Suburb' was designated as a ghetto. This is the worst dwelling district of Riga, already mostly inhabited by Jews. The transfer of the Jews into the ghetto district proved rather difficult because the Latvian dwellings in that district had to be evacuated and residential space in Riga is very crowded. 24,000 of the 28,000 Jews living in Riga have been transferred into the ghetto so far. In creating the ghetto the Security Police restricted

[Page 388]

themselves to mere policing duties, while the establishment and administration of the ghetto as well as the regulation of the food supply for the inmates were left to Civil Administration; the Labour Offices were left in charge of Jewish Labour.

In the other towns with a larger Jewish population, ghettos shall be established likewise."

THE PRESIDENT: Where is this?

MAJOR WALSH: Sir, it is on Page 11, it would be about eight lines above the ending or bottom of the page; the story beginning with the words "Nothing but catastrophical conditions".

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

MAJOR WALSH:

"The Jews of Rawa-Ruska, fearing the evacuation) had concealed in underground holes those suffering from spotted fever. When evacuation was to start the police found that 3,000 Jews suffering from that disease lay about in this ghetto. In order to destroy this centre of pestilence at once, every police officer inoculated against spotted fever was called into action. Thus we succeeded in destroying this plague-boil, losing thereby only one officer. Almost the same conditions were found in Rohatyn."

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

MAJOR WALSH:

"Since we received more and more alarming reports on the Jews becoming armed in an ever increasing manner, we started during the last fortnight in June, 1943, an action throughout the whole of the District of Galicia, with the intention of using the strongest measures to destroy the Jewish gangsterdom. Special measures were found necessary during the action to dissolve the ghetto in Lwow where the dug-out mentioned above has been established. Here we had to act brutally from the beginning in order to avoid losses on our side; we had to blow up or to burn down several houses. On this occasion the surprising fact arose that we were able to catch about 20,000 Jews instead of the 12,000 who had registered. We had to pull at least 3,000 Jewish corpses out of every kind of hiding place; they had committed suicide by taking poison."

"Despite the extraordinary burden heaped upon every single S.S. Police officer during these actions, the mood and spirit of the men were extraordinarily good and praiseworthy from the first to the last day."

[Page 389]

"Together with the evacuation action we executed the confiscation of Jewish property. Very high amounts were confiscated and paid over to the Special Staff 'Reinhard'. Apart from furniture and many textile goods, the following amounts were confiscated and turned over to Special Staff 'Reinhard'."

20.952 kilograms of golden wedding rings.
7 stamp collections, complete.
1 suitcase with pocket knives.
1 basket of fountain pens and propelling pencils.
3 bags filled with rings - not genuine.
35 wagons of furs.

By the end of 1942, Jews in the Government General of Poland had been crowded into 55 localities, whereas before the German invasion there had been approximately 1,000 Jewish settlements within this same area. This is reported in the 1942 Official Gazette for the Government General, No. 94, Page 665, 1st November, 1942.

The Jews having been registered and confined within the ghettos now furnished a reservoir for slave labour. It is believed pertinent at this time to point out the difference between the slave labour and labour duty. The latter group were entitled to reasonable compensation, stated work hours, medical care and attention, and other social security measures, while the former were granted none of these advantages, being in fact on a level below a slave.

Defendant Rosenberg, as Reich Minister for the Eastern Occupied Territories, set up within his Organisation a department which, among other things, was to seek a solution for the Jewish problem by means of forced labour. His plans are contained in another Document, 1024-PS, which I now offer in evidence, Exhibit USA 278.

I quote the first part of Paragraph 3 Of Page 1 of the document entitled "General Organisations and Tasks of our Office for the General Handling of Problems in the Eastern territory". This is dated 29th April, 1941. This brief excerpt reads as follows:-

"A general treatment is required for the Jewish problem for which a temporary solution will have to be determined (forced labour for the Jews, creation of ghettos, etc.)."

"The standing rule for the Jewish labour employment is the complete and unyielding use of Jewish manpower regardless of age in the reconstruction of the Eastern Occupied Territories."

"Violations of German measures, especially of the forced labour regulations, are to be punished by death in the case of the Jews."

[Page 390]

I offer this Document, 1472-PS, in evidence, Exhibit USA 279, and from the translation before the Court I read the last four lines:

"In the total of 45,000 are included physically handicapped and others (old Jews and children). In making a distribution for this purpose, at least 10,000 to 15,000 labourers will be available when the Jews arriving at Auschwitz are assigned."

"The best remedy consisted in the formation by the S.S. and Police Leader of Forced Labour Camps. The best opportunity for labour was offered by the necessity to complete the 'Dg. 4' road which was extremely important and necessary for the whole of the southern part of the front, and which was in a catastrophically bad condition. On 15th October, 1941, the establishment of camps along the road was commenced, and despite considerable difficulties there existed, after a few weeks only, seven camps containing 4,000 Jews."

"Soon more camps followed these first ones, so that after a very short time the completion of 15 camps of this kind could be reported to the Superior Leader of S.S. and Police. In the course of time about 20,000 Jewish labourers passed through these camps. Despite the hardly imaginable difficulties occurring at this work I can report today that about 16o kilometres of the road are completed."

"At the same time all other Jews fit for work were registered and distributed for useful work by the labour agencies."

THE PRESIDENT Do you not want the remainder of that paragraph on Page 2?

MAJ0R WALSH It is such a lengthy document I hesitated to burden the record with so much of it, and had extracted certain portions therefrom, but I shall be very glad to read it into the record.

THE PRESIDENT: Then, for instance, the Municipal Administration at Lwow had no success in their attempts to house the Jews within a closed district which would be inhabited only by Jews. This question, too, was solved quickly by the S.S. and the Police Leader through his subordinate officials.

MAJOR WALSH: With the Court's permission, I add that to the record.

Reading the last paragraph of Page 2:

"When the Jews were marked by the Star of David, as well as when they were registered by the labour agencies, the first symptoms appeared

[Page 391]

in their attempts to dodge the order of the authorities. The measures which were introduced thereupon led to thousands of arrests. It became more and more apparent that the Civil Administration was not in a position to solve the Jewish problem in an approximately satisfactory manner. For instance, the Municipal Administration at Lwow had no success in their attempts to house the Jews within a closed district which would be inhabited only by Jews. This question, too, was solved quickly by the S.S. and Police Leaders through their subordinate officials. This measure became the more urgent as in the winter, 1941, big centres of spotted fever were noted in many parts of the town."

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