Twenty-First Day: Monday, 17th December, 1945
The evidence will further show that, as representative of
the Fuehrer for the supervision of Nazi ideology and
schooling, Rosenberg participated in an aggressive campaign
to undermine the Christian churches and to supersede
Christianity by a German National Church founded upon a
combination of irrationality, pseudo-scientific theories,
mysticism, and the discredited cult of the racial State. It
will further be shown that the late defendant Ley, acting as
the agent of Hitler and the Leadership Corps, directed the
Nazi assault upon the independent labor unions of Germany,
and that before destroying himself he first destroyed the
bastion of republican society, a free and independent labor
movement, replacing it by a Nazi organisation, the
[Page 17]
It will be shown that the defendant Frick participated in
the enactment of many laws which were designed to promote
the conspiracy in its several phases.
The defendant Frick shares responsibility for the grave
injury done by the officials of the Leadership Corps to the
concept of the rule of law by virtue of his efforts to give
the color of law and formal legality to a large volume of
Nazi legislation which violated the rights of humanity, such
as the Nazi discriminatory legislation designed to degrade,
stigmatise, and eliminate the Jewish people of Germany and
German occupied Europe.
Though the defendant Bormann is physically absent from the
dock, the evidence as to his responsibility in directing and
furthering the course of the Nazi conspiracy is here and
expands with the record in this case. As Chief of the Party
Chancellery, immediately under Hitler, the defendant Bormann
was an extremely important force in directing the activities
of the Leadership Corps. As will be shown, a decree of 16th
January, 1942, provided that the participation of the Party
in all important legislation, governmental appointments, and
promotions had to be undertaken exclusively by Bormann. He
took part in the preparation of all laws and decrees issued
by the Reich authorities and gave his assent to those of the
subordinate governments.
I now refer to Document 2473-PS, Exhibit USA 324. You will
find that the English translation contains a list of the
Reichsleiter of the N.S.D.A.P. set forth on Page 170 of this
book. It was edited by the late defendant and Reichsleiter
for Party Organisation, Robert Ley.
The names of the 15 Reichsleiter in office in 1943 will be
found on Pages 1 and 2 of Document 2473-PS.
If the Tribunal please, I will not read all of them, but
will call attention only to certain of them, as follows:
Martin Bormann, Chief of the Party Chancellery.
Then we pass over to Wilhelm Frick, Leader of the National
Socialist fraction in the Reichstag, shown on the big chart
over at the second box from the end on the right.
Joseph Goebbels, Reich Propaganda Leader of the N.S.D.A.P.,
shown also on the same level.
Heinrich Himmler, Reich Leader of the S.S., the Deputy of
the N.S.D.A.P. for all questions of Germandom.
Robert Ley, Reich Organisation Leader of the N.S.D.A.P. and
Leader of the German Labor Front.
Victor Lutze, Chief of Staff of the SA.
Alfred Rosenberg, representative of the Fuehrer for the
supervision of all mental and ideological training and
education of the N.S.D.A.P.
Baldur von Schirach, Reich Leader for the education of the
youth of the National Socialist Party.
And then, finally, Franz Schwarz, Reich Treasurer of the
National Socialist Party.
The principal functions of the Reichsleiter, which we might
call directors, included the responsibility of carrying out
the tasks and missions assigned to them by the Fuehrer or by
the Chief of the Party Chancellery, the defendant Martin
Bormann. The Reichsleiter were further charged with insuring
that
[Page 18]
The structure of the Reich Directorate is such that the
channel from the lowest Party office upwards shows the
most minute weaknesses and changes in the mood of the
people....
Another essential task of the Reich Directorate is to
assure a good selection of leaders. It is the duty of
the Reich Directorate to see that there is leadership
in all phases of life, a leadership which is firmly
tied to National Socialist ideology and which promotes
its dissemination with all of its energy....
It is the supreme task of the Reich Organisation Leader
to preserve the Party as a well-sharpened sword for the
Fuehrer."
At a later stage in this proceeding it will be shown that
the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party incontestably
dominated the German State and Government. The control by
the Leadership Corps of the German Government was
facilitated by uniting in the same Nazi chieftains high
offices within the Reichsleitung and the corresponding
offices within the apparatus of the government. For example,
as shown in Document 2903-PS, Goebbels was Reichsleiter in
charge of Party propaganda, but he was also a cabinet
minister in charge of propaganda and public enlightenment.
Himmler held office within the Reichsleitung as head of the
Main Office for Folkdom, and also was Reichsfuehrer of the
S.S. At the same time, Himmler held the governmental
position of the Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of
Germandom, and was the governmental head of the German
police system.
As will be shown, this personal union of high office in the
Leadership Corps and high governmental position in the same
Nazi Leaders greatly
[Page 19] [
Previous |
Index |
Next ]
Home ·
Site Map ·
What's New? ·
Search
Nizkor
© The Nizkor Project, 1991-2012
This site is intended for educational purposes to teach about the Holocaust and
to combat hatred.
Any statements or excerpts found on this site are for educational purposes only.
As part of these educational purposes, Nizkor may
include on this website materials, such as excerpts from the writings of racists and antisemites. Far from approving these writings, Nizkor condemns them and
provides them so that its readers can learn the nature and extent of hate and antisemitic discourse. Nizkor urges the readers of these pages to condemn racist
and hate speech in all of its forms and manifestations.
(Part 6 of 16)
COLONEL STOREY: To prove that the Reichsleiter of the
Leadership Corps included the most powerful coalition of
political overlords in Nazi Germany, it is necessary only to
put in evidence their names. The list of Reichsleiter now to
be offered in evidence will include the following defendants
now on trial before this Tribunal:--
Rosenberg, von Schirach, Frick, Bormann, Hans Frank,
and the late defendant Robert Ley.
The evidence to be introduced will show that the defendant
Rosenberg was the leader of an organisation named for him,
the "Einsatzstab Rosenberg" -- which is not shown on this
chart, if Your Honour pleases -- which carried out a vast
programme of looting and plunder of art treasures throughout
occupied Europe.
"The N.S.D.A.P. represents the political conception,
the political conscience and the political will of the
German nation. Political conception, political
conscience and political will are embodied in the
person of the Fuehrer. Based on his directive and in
accordance with the programme of the N.S.D.A.P., the
organs of the Reich Directorate directionally determine
the political aims of the German people. It is in the
Reich Directorate -- or Reichsleitung -- that the
arteries of the organisation of the German people and
State merge. It is the task of the separate organs of
the Reich Directorate to maintain as close a contact as
possible with the life of the nation through their sub-
offices in the Gau...
The domination of the German Government by the top members
of the Leadership Corps was facilitated by a circular decree
of the Reich Minister of Justice, dated 17th February, 1934,
which established equal rank for the offices within the
Reichsleitung of the Leadership Corps and the Reich offices
of the German Government. In this decree it was expressly
provided that "The supreme offices of the Reich Party
Directorate are equal in rank to the supreme Reich
Government authorities". The Party Manual termed the control
exercised over the machinery of the Government by the
Leadership Corps "the permeation of the State apparatus with
the political will of the Party".