(Part 8 of 8)
[COLONEL STOREY continues]
This document contains a letter from the branch
office of the S.D. at Kochem to the S.D. at
Koblenz. The letter is dated 7th May, 1938, and
refers to the plebiscite of 10th April, 1938. It
refers to a letter previously received from the
Koblenz office and apparently is a reply to a
request for
[Page 190]
information concerning the way in which people
voted in the supposedly secret plebiscite. It is
on Page 1 of Document R-142.
THE PRESIDENT: Colonel Storey, I am told that
that has been read before.
COLONEL STOREY: I did not know it had, if your
Honour pleases. We will then just offer it
without reading it.
With reference to National Socialism and the
contribution of the Sipo and the S.D., I refer
to an article of 7th September, 1942, which is
shown in Document 3344-PS. It is the first
paragraph, Volume 2. It is the official journal.
Quoting:
"Even before the taking over of power, the
S.D. had added its part to the success of
the National Socialist Revolution. After
the taking over of power, the Security
Police and the S.D. have borne the
responsibility for the inner security of
the Reich, and have paved the way for a
powerful fulfilment of National Socialism
against all resistance."
In connection with the criminal responsibility
of the S.D. and the Gestapo, it will be
considered with respect to certain War Crimes
and Crimes Against Humanity, which were in the
principal part committed by the centralised
political police system. The development,
organisation and tasks have been considered
before. In some instances the crimes were
committed in co-operation or in conjunction with
other groups or organisations.
Now, in order to look into the strength of these
various organisations, I have some figures here
that I would like to quote to your Honour. The
Sipo and S.D. were composed of the Gestapo,
Kripo and S.D. The Gestapo was the largest, and
it had a membership of about 40,000 to 50,000 in
1934 and 1935. That is an error; it is 1943 to
1945. It was the political force of the Reich.
THE PRESIDENT: Did you say the date was wrong ?
COLONEL STOREY: Yes, it is '43 to '45.
THE PRESIDENT: Very well.
THE TRIBUNAL: (MR. BIDDLE): Where are you
reading from?
COLONEL STOREY: Document 3033-PS, and it is an
affidavit of Walter Schellenberg, one of the
former officials I referred to a moment ago.
I think, if your Honour pleases, in order to get
it in the record, I will read the whole
affidavit. Document 3033-PS, Exhibit USA 488:
"The Sipo and S.D. were composed of the
Gestapo, Kripo and S.D. In 1943-45 the
Gestapo had a membership of about 40,000 to
50,000 ; the Kripo had a membership of
about 15,000 and the S.D. had a membership
of about 3,000. In common usage, and even
in orders and decrees, the term 'S.D.' was
used as an abbreviation for the term 'Sipo'
and 'S.D.' In most cases actual executive
action was carried out by personnel of the
Gestapo rather than of the S.D. or the
Kripo. In occupied territories, members of
the Gestapo frequently wore S.S. uniforms
with S.D. insignia. New members of the
Gestapo and the S.D. were taken on a
voluntary basis. This has been stated and
sworn to by me today the 21st November,
1945." And then, " Subscribed and sworn to
before Lt. Harris, 21st November, 1945."
I think I ought to say here, if your Honour
pleases, that it is our information that a great
many of the members of the Gestapo were also
members
[Page 191]
of the S.S. We have heard various estimates of
the numbers, but have no direct authority. oome
autnorities say as much as 75 per cent., but
still we have no direct evidence on that.
I now offer in evidence Document 2751-PS, which
is Exhibit USA 482. It is an affidavit of Alfred
Helmut Naujocks, dated 20th November, 1945. This
affidavit particularly refers to the actual
occurrences in connection with the Polish Border
incident. I believe it was referred to by the
witness Lahousen when he was on the stand.
"I, Alfred Helmut Naujocks, being first
duly sworn, depose and state as follows:
1. I was a member of the S.S. from 1931 to
igth October, 1944, and a member of the
S.D. from its creation in 1934 to January,
1941. I served as a member of the 'Waffen
S.S.' from February, 1941, until the middle
of 1942. Thereafter, I served in the
Economic Department of the Military
Administration of Belgium from September,
1942 to September, 1944. 1 surrendered to
the Allies on igth October, 1944,
2. On or about 10th August, 1939, the Chief
of the Sipo and S.D. Heydrich, personally
ordered me to simulate an attack on the
radio station near Gleiwitz, near the
Polish border, and to make it appear that
the attacking force consisted of Poles.
Heydrich said, ' Practical proof is needed
for these attacks of the Poles for the
foreign Press, as well as for German
propaganda purposes.' I was directed to go
to Gleiwitz with five or six other S.D. men
and wait there until I received a code word
from Heydrich indicating that the attack
should take place. My instructions were to
seize the radio station and to hold it long
enough to permit a Polish-speaking German,
who would be put at my disposal, to
broadcast a speech in Polish. Heydrich told
me that this speech should state that the
time had come for the conflict between
Germans and Poles, and that the Poles
should get together and smash down any
Germans from whom they met resistance.
Heydrich also told me at this time that he
expected an attack on Poland by Germany in
a few days.
3. I went to Gleiwitz and waited there 14
days. Then I requested permission from
Heydrich to return to Berlin, but was told
to stay in Gleiwitz. Between 25th and 31st
August, I went to see Heinrich Mueller,
head of the Gestapo, who was then nearby at
Oppeln. In my presence Mueller discussed
with a man named Mohlhorn plans for another
border incident, in which it should be made
to appear that Polish soldiers were
attacking German troops. Germans in the
approximate strength of a company were to
be used. Mueller stated that he had 12 or
13 condemned criminals who were to be
dressed in Polish uniforms and left dead on
the ground of the scene of the incident, to
show that they had been killed while
attacking. For this purpose they were to be
given fatal injections by a doctor employed
by Heydrich. Then they were also to be
given gunshot wounds. After the incident,
members of the Press and other persons were
to be taken to the scene of the incident. A
police report was subsequently to be
prepared.
4. Mueller told me that he had an order
from Heydrich to make one of those
criminals available to me for the action at
Gleiwitz. The code name by which he
referred to these criminals was 'Canned
goods '.
5. The incident at Gleiwitz in which I
participated was carried out on the evening
preceeding the German attack on Poland. As
I recall, war broke out on 1st September,
1939. At noon on 31st August, I received by
telephone from Heydrich the code word for
the attack which was to take place at 8
o'clock that evening. Heydrich said, 'In
order to carry out this attack, report to
Mueller for Canned Goods.' I did this and
gave Mueller instructions to deliver the
man near the radio station. I received this
man and had him laid down at the entrance
to the station. He was alive but he was
completely unconscious. I tried to open his
eyes. I could not recognise by his eyes
that he was alive, only by his breathing. I
did not see the shot wounds but a lot of
blood was smeared across his face. He was
in civilian clothes.
6. We seized the radio station as ordered,
broadcast a speech of three to four minutes
over an emergency transmitter, fired some
pistol shots and left."
And that was sworn to and subscribed before Lt.
Martin.
The Gestapo and the S.D. carried out mass
murders of hundreds of thousands of civilians of
occupied countries as a part of the Nazi
programme to exterminate political and racial
undesirables, by the so-called Einsatz Groups.
Your Honour will recall evidence concerning the
activity of these Einsatz Groups ' or
Einsatzkommandos. I now refer to Document R-102.
If your Honour pleases, I understand Major Farr
introduced this document this morning, but I
want to refer to just one brief statement which
he did not include, concerning the S.D. and the
Einsatz Groups and Security Police. It is on
Page 4 of R-102.: Quoting:
"During the period covered by this report
the stations of the Einsatz Groups of the
Security Police and the S.D. have changed
only in the Northern Sector."
THE PRESIDENT: What was the document ?
COLONEL STOREY: R-102, which is already
introduced in evidence by Major Farr, and it is
in Volume 2 toward the end of the book.
THE PRESIDENT: I have a document here. Page 4,
is it?
C0L0NEL ST0REY: Page 4, Yes, Sir. There are two
reports submitted by the Chief of the Einsatz
Group A available. The first report is Document
L-180, which has already been received as
Exhibit USA 276.
THE PRESIDENT: Colonel Storey, will you not pass
quite so fast from one document to another ?
COLONEL STOREY: Yes, Sir, pardon me, Sir. L-180,
and I want to quote from Page 13. It is on Page
5 of the English translation. It is the
beginning of the first paragraph, near the
bottom of the page. Quoting:
"In view of the extension of the area of
operations and of the great number of
duties which had to be performed by the
Security Police, it was intended from the
very beginning to obtain the co-operation
of the reliable population for the fight
against vermin ; that is, mainly the Jews
and Communists."
And also in that same document, Page 30 of the
original, Page 8 of the English translation.
Quoting:
"From the beginning it was to be expected
that the Jewish problem could not be solved
by pogroms alone."
THE PRESIDENT: I am told that that has been read
already.
[Page 193]
COLONEL STOREY: I had it checked, and we did not find that it had,
your Honour. I will pass on them.
Now, if your Honour pleases, we will pass to
Document 2273-PS next. I offer in evidence now
just portions of Document 2273-PS, which is
Exhibit USA 487. This document was captured by
the U.S.S.R. and will be offered in detail by
our Soviet colleagues later. But with their
consent, I want to introduce in evidence a chart
which is identified by that document, and we
have an enlargement which we would like to put
on the board, and we will pass to the Tribunal
photostatic copies.
If your Honour pleases, this chart is identified
by the photostatic copy attached to the original
report which will be dealt with in detail later.
I want to quote just one statement from Page 2
of the English translation of that document. It
is the third paragraph from the bottom on Page 2
of the English translation:
"The Esthonian self-protection movement
formed as the Germans advanced and began to
arrest Jews, but there were no spontaneous
pogroms. Only by the Security Police and
the S.D. were the Jews gradually executed
as they became no longer required for work.
Today there are no longer any Jews in
Estonia."
That document is a top secret document by
Einsatz Group A, which was a speciai projects
group. This chart, of which the photostatic copy
is attached to the original in the German
translation on the wall, shows the progress of
the extermination of the Jews in the area in
which this Einsatz Kormnando Group operated.
If your Honour will refer to the top, next to
St. Petersburg, or Leningrad as we know it, you
will see down below the picture of a coffin, and
that is described in the report as 3,600 having
been killed.
Next over, at the left, is another coffin in one
of the small Baltic States, showing that 963 in
that area have been put in the coffin.
Then next, down near Riga, you will note that
35,238 were put away in the coffins, and it
refers to the ghetto there as still having
2,500.
You come down to the next square or the next
State showing 136,421 were put in their coffins,
and then in the next area near Minsk, and just
above it there were 41,828 put in their coffins.
THE PRESIDENT: Are you sure that they were
executed, the 136,000, because there is no
coffin there.
COLONEL STOREY: Here are the totals from the
documents.
THE PRESIDENT: These photostatic copies are
different from what you have there. In the area
which is marked 136,421 there is no coffin.
COLONEL STOREY: Well, I am sorry. The one that I
have is a true and correct copy.
THE PRESIDENT: Mine has not got it and Mr.
Biddle's has not got it.
COLONEL STOREY: Will you hand this to the
President, please ?
THE PRESIDENT: 1 suppose the document itself
will show it.
COLONEL STOREY: I will turn to the original and
verify it. Apparently there is a typographical
error. If your Honour pleases, here it is,
136,421, with the coffin.
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Parker points out it is in
the document itself too.
COLONEL STOREY: Yes, sir, it is in the document
itself. There is an error on that.
[Page 194]
The 128,000 at the bottom shows that at that
time there were 128,000 on hand; and the literal
translation of the statement, as I understand,
means "Still on hand in the Minsk area."
I next refer to Document 1104-PS, Volume 2,
Exhibit USA 483, which I now offer in evidence.
THE PRESIDENT: Colonel Storey, did you tell us
what the document was ? There is nothing on the
translation to show what the document is.
COLONEL STOREY: If your Honour pleases, it is a
report of the special purpose Group A, or the
Einsatz Group A, a top secret report, in other
words, making a record of their activities in
these areas, and this chart was attached showing
the areas covered.
THE PRESIDENT: Special group of the Gestapo?
COLONEL STOREY: The special group that was
organised of the Gestapo and the S.D. in that
area. In other words, a Commando Group.
As I mentioned, your Honour, they organised
these special commando groups to work with and
behind the armies as they consolidated their
gains in occupied territories, and your Honour
will hear from other reports of these "Einsatz "
groups as we go along in this presentation. In
other words, "Einsatz " means special action or
action groups, and they were organised to cover
certain geographical areas behind the immediate
front lines.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, but they were groups, were
they, of the Gestapo ?
COLONEL STOREY: The Gestapo and the S.D.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that is part of the
Gestapo.
COLONEL STOREY: There were some of the Kripo in
it, too.
Now, the next document is 1104-PS, dated 30th
October, 1941. This document shows on that date
the Commissioner of the territory of Sluzk wrote
a report to the Commissioner of Minsk, in which
he severely criticised the actions of the
Einsatz Commandos of the Sipo and the S.D.
operating in his area for the murder of the
Jewish population of that area, and I quote the
English translation, on Page 4 of that document
beginning at the first paragraph:
"On 27th October in the morning, at about 8
o'clock a first lieutenant of the Police
Battalion No. 11, from Kauen (Lithuania)
appeared and introduced himself as the
adjutant of the Battalion Commander of the
Security Police. The first lieutenant
explained that the Police Battalion had
received the assignment to effect the
liquidation of all Jews here in the town of
Sluzk within two days. The Battalion
Commander, with his battalion in strength
of four companies, two of which were made
up of Lithuanian partisans, was on the
march here and the action would have to
begin instantly. I replied to the first
lieutenant that 1 had to discuss the action
in any case first with the Commander. About
half an hour later the Police Battalion
arrived in Sluzk. Immediately after the
arrival, a conference with the Battalion
Commander took place according to my
request. I first explained to the Commander
that it would not very well be possible to
effect the action without previous
preparation, because everybody had been
sent to work and it would lead to a
terrible confusion. At least it would have
been his duty to inform me a day ahead of
time. Then I requested him to postpone the
action one day. However, he rejected this
with the remark that he had to carry out
this action everywhere and in all
[Page 195]
two days, the town of Sluzk had to be
cleared of Jews by all means."
That report was made to the Reich Commissioner
for the Eastern Territories through Gauleiter
Heinrich Lusch at Riga. Your Honour will recall
that he was referred to in another presentation.
Now, skipping over to Page 5. The first
paragraph, I would like to quote it:
"For the rest, as regards the execution of
the action, I must point out to my deepest
regret that the matter bordered on sadism.
The town itself offered a picture of horror
during the action. With indescribable
brutality on the part of both the German
Police officers, and particularly the
Lithuanian partisans, not only the Jewish
people, but also White Ruthenians, were
taken out of their dwellings and herded
together. Everywhere in the town shots were
to be heard, and in different streets the
corpses of shot Jews accumulated. The White
Ruthenians were in the greatest distress to
free themselves from the encirclement.
Regardless of the fact that the Jewish
people, among whom were also tradesmen were
mistreated in a terribly barbarous way, in
front of the White Ruthenian people, the
White Ruthenians themselves were also
worked over with rubber clubs and rifle
butts. There was no question of an action
against the Jews any more. It rather looked
like a revolution."
And then I skip down to the next to the last
paragraph on that same page; quoting:
"In conclusion, I find myself obliged to
point out that the Police Battalion has
looted in an unheard of manner during the
action, and that not only in Jewish houses
but just the same in those of the White
Ruthenians, anything of use such as boots,
leather, cloth, gold and other valuables,
has been taken away. On the basis of
statements of members of the Armed Forces,
watches were torn off the arms of Jews in
public, on the street, and rings were
pulled off the fingers in the most brutal
manner. A major of the Finance Department
reported that a Jewish girl was asked by
the police to obtain immediately 5,000
roubles to have her father released. This
girl is said to have actually gone
everywhere in order to obtain the money."
There is another paragraph with reference to the
number of copies -- on the third page of the
translation -- to which I would like to call
your Honour's attention. The last paragraph on
Page 3 of the translation, quoting:
"I am submitting this report in duplicate
so that one copy may be forwarded to the
Reich Minister. Peace and order cannot be
maintained in White Ruthenia with methods
of that sort. To bury seriously wounded
people alive who worked their way out of
their graves again, is such a base and
filthy act that the incident as such,
should be reported to the Fuehrer and Reich
Marshal.
The civil administration of White Ruthenia
makes very strenuous efforts to win the
population over to Germany, in accordance
with the instructions of the Fuehrer. These
efforts cannot be brought in harmony with
the methods described herein."
Signed by the Commissioner General for White
Ruthenia.
And then on 11th November, 1941, he forwarded it
on to the Reich Minister for Occupied Countries,
in Berlin.
THE PRESIDENT: Who was that at that time?
[Page 196]
COLONEL STOREY: The Reich Commissionere (I
believe it was shown for the Easter occupied
country) was the defendent Rosenberg. I think
that is correct. On the same date by separate
letter the Commissioner General of White
Ruthenia reported to the Reich Commissioner for
the Eastern Territories that he had received
money, valuables, and other objects taken by the
police in the action at Sluzk, and other
regions, all of which had been deposited with
the Reich Credit Institute, for the disposal of
the Reich Commissioner.
On 21st November, 1941, a report on the Sluzk
incident was sent to the personal reviewer of
the permanent deputy of the Minister of the
Reich with a copy to Heydrich, who was the Chief
of the Security Police and the S.D. That is
shown on the first page of Document 1104.
The activities of the Einsatz Groups continued
throughout 1943 and 1944 under Kaltenbrunner as
Chief of the Security Police and S.D. Under
adverse war conditions, however, the programme
of extermination was to a large extent changed
to one of rounding up slave labour for Germany.
I next refer to Document 3012-PS, which has
heretofore been introduced as Exhibit USA igo.
This is a letter from the headquarters of one of
the Commando Groups, a section known as Einsatz
Group C, dated 19th March, 1943. This letter
summarises the real activities and methods of
the Gestapo and S.D., and I should like to refer
to additional portions of the letter, to those
previously quoted on Page 2, of Document 30I2-
PS, and I think I will read the first page
beginning with the first paragraph:
"It is the task of the Security Police and
of the Security Service (S.D.) to discover
all enemies of the Reich, and to fight them
in the interest of security and, in the
zone of operations, especially to guarantee
the security of the Army. Besides the
annihilation of active opponents all other
elements who by virtue of their convictions
or their past may prove to be active
enemies, favourable circumstances provided,
are to be eliminated through preventive
measures. The Security Police carries out
this task according to the general
directives of the Fuehrer, with all of the
required toughness. Energetic measures are
especially necessary in territories
endangered by the activity of hostile
gangs.
The competence of the Security Police
within the zone of operations is based on
the 'Barbarossa ' decrees."
The Tribunal will recall the famous "Barbarossa" code, namely, the decrees that were issued in
connection with the invasion of Russia:
"I deem the measures of the Security Police
carried out on a considerable scale during
recent times necessary for the two
following reasons:
1. The situation at the front in my sector
had become so serious, with the population
partly influenced by Hungarians and
Italians who streamed back in chaotic
condition and took, openly, positions
against us.
2. The strong expeditions by hostile gangs
who came especially from the Forest of
Bryansk were another reason. Besides that,
other partisan groups formed by the
population appeared suddenly in all
districts. The providing of arms was
evidently no difficulty at all. It would
have been irresponsible if we had observed
this whole activity without acting against
it. It is obvious that all such measures
necessitate some harshness."
[Page 197]
I want to take up the significant point of the
harsh measures.
1. Shooting of Hungarian Jews
2. Shooting of Agronoms.
3. Shooting of children.
4. Total burning down of villages.
5. "Shooting " -- I quote --"while trying to
escape ", of Security Service (S.D.) prisoners.
"Chief of Einsatz group C confirmed once
more the correctness of the measures taken,
and expressed his recognition of the
energetic action. With regard to the
current political situation, especially in
the armament industry in the Fatherland,
the measures of the Security Police have to
be subordinated to the greatest extent to
the recruiting of labour for Germany. In
the shortest possible time the Ukraine has
to put at the disposal of the armament
industry 1,000,000 workers, Some of whom
have to be sent from the territory daily."
Your Honour, please, I believe the numbers have
been quoted before by Mr. Dodd. I refer on the
next page, to the first order in sub-paragraphs
1 and 2:
"1. Special treatment is to be limited to
the minimum.
2. Communist functionaries, agitators, and
so on, will only be listed for the time
being, without being arrested. It is, for
instance, no longer feasible to arrest all
the close relatives of a member of the
Communist Party. Also members of the
Konisomolz are to be arrested only if they
occupied leading positions."
The next paragraphs have been read into
evidence, 3 and 4, in a previous presentation. I
will read:
"No. 5. The reporting of hostile gangs, as
well as drives against them, is not
affected hereby. All drives against those
hostile gangs can take place only after my
approval has been obtained. The prisons
have to be kept empty as a rule, and we
have to be aware of the fact that the Slavs
will interpret the soft treatment on our
part as weakness, and that they will act
accordingly right away. If we limit our
harsh measures of the Security Police
through the above orders for the time
being, that is only done for the reason
that the most important thing is the
recruiting of workers. No check of persons
to be sent into the Reich will be made. No
written certificates of political
reliability check, or similar things, will
be issued. Signed by Christensen, S.S.
Sturmbannfuehrer and commanding officer."
I understood that your Honour wanted to adjourn
at four o'clock, and I believe that I can
introduce one more statement. It was the Einsatz
Groups of the Security Police and S.D. that
operated the infamous death vans. Document
501-PS, which was received as Exhibit USA 288,
has previously referred to this operation. The
letter from Becker, which is a part of this
exhibit, was addressed to Obersturmbannfuehrer
Rauff at Berlin. We now refer to Document L-185.
I simply refer to Document 501-PS as a reference
to the death vans. The Document L-185, Exhibit
USA 484, is the one I am now offering in
evidence, Page 7 of the English translation, L-
185. It will be observed that the Chief of Amt.
II D of the R.S.H.A. in charge of technical
matters was Obersturmbahnfuehrer Rauff. Mr.
Harris advises me that the only point to be
proved by that is that Amt. II of the
[Page 198]
R.S.H.A., who made this report on technical
matters, was the Obersturmbahnfuehrer Rauff, and
then he refers in the same connection to
Document 2348-PS, which is Exhibit USA 485. The
previous one was to identify Rauff, and then to
offer his affidavit, which is Document 2348-PS,
second volume. Reading from the beginning of the
affidavit, which was made on 19th October, 1945,
in Ancona, Italy,
"I hereby acknowledge the attached letter
written by Dr. Becker on 16th May, 1942,
and received by me on 29th May, 1942, as a
genuine letter. I did, on 18th October,
1945, write on the side of this letter a
statement to the effect that it was
genuine. I do not know the number of death
vans being operated, and cannot give an
approximate figure. The vans were built by
the Saurer Works, Germany, located, I
believe, in Berlin. Some other firms built
these vans also. In so far as I am aware
these vans operated only in Russia. In so
far as I can state these vans were probably
operating in 1941, and I personally believe
that they were operating up to the
termination of the war."
If your Honour pleases, I do not think that we
will have time to go into the next exhibit.
THE PRESIDENT: Very well. Then the Tribunal will
now adjourn until Wednesday, 2nd January.
(The Tribunal adjourned to 2nd January, 1946, at
1000 hours.)
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