Fifty-First Day: Tuesday, 5th February, 1946
I will, then, pass over Exhibits RF 1211, 1212, 1213 and
1214. I should like, however, to draw the attention of the
Tribunal to the end of the mimeographed French text. As the
letter "K" appeared on the document, the word "Keitel" was
written in, quite wrongly. I should like to say that this
does not
[Page 89]
occur in the document. I should like to read this Exhibit RF
1215, which is very short:
The words 'dispatch to the East' must not be used in
announcements referring to the forced evacuation of the
population, so as to avoid creating a bad reputation
for the occupied regions in the East. The same applies
for the expression 'deportation,' this word being too
strongly reminiscent of the banishment to Siberia at
the time of the Czars. In all publications and
correspondence we must use the phrase 'dispatch for
forced labor.'"
I now offer in evidence Exhibit RF 1217, which is a
memorandum of 15th June, 1942, headed, "Other Transports of
Jews Coming from France."
It is still dealing with the same operation, but I believe
it is interesting to submit these documents without reading
them, since they show the extremely complex and regular
working of this administration whose purpose was to arrest
and deport innocent people. The beginning of the memorandum
alludes to a new conference held in Berlin on 11th June,
1942, and attended by those responsible for the Jewish
Departments in Brussels and The Hague, as well as by
Dannecker himself. In the fourth paragraph on Page 1 of this
document, I read the last sentence of the paragraph:
I should like also to read the fifth paragraph, which
contains only one sentence:
I now present Exhibit RF 1218, which is a memorandum dated
16th June, 1942, entitled "The Transportation of Jews from
France"; subject, order from S.S. Obersturmbannfuehrer
Eichmann to S.S. Hauptsturmfuehrer Dannecker,
[Page 90]
11th June, 1942. The first three paragraphs of this
memorandum show that there was difficulty in transporting
deportees, because of the large quantity of railway stock
necessary for the preparation of the Eastern campaign.
I should like to read the last two paragraphs of this
letter:
I now submit Exhibit RF 1219, which is a memorandum, dated
15th June, 1942, by Dr. Knochen. This memorandum is
entitled, "Arrangement of new Convoys of Jews from France."
Not to take too much time I shall read only the first
paragraph of this memorandum:
I now submit Exhibit RF 1220, which is a letter from the
German Ambassador in Paris, Dr. Zeitschel, dated 27th June,
1942. I should like to read this letter:
As unfortunately I shall be away from Paris for a week,
and in view of the urgency of the question, I should
like Hauptsturmfuehrer Dannecker to get in touch with
Counsellor Rahm, on Monday, 29th, or Tuesday, 30th, at
the latest, to learn Laval's reply."
[Page 91]
I submit now Exhibit RF 1221. It is a memorandum dated 26th
June, 1942, of which I shall give only the title:
"Directives for the Deportation of Jews."
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(Part 10 of 14)
M. FAURE: Gentlemen, in order not to prolong the discussion
too much I would like, if it please the Tribunal, to submit
all the documents in my book, but to read and analyse only
some of the most important.
"Secret Telegram -- 13th May, 1942. To the Chief of the
area in accordance with instructions from the
Commanding General of the Army.
Exhibit RF 1216, which I offer in evidence now, is another
memorandum from Dannecker, dated 10th March, 1942. The
purpose of this memorandum is defined as "Deportation from
France of 5,000 Jews." The title is enough to indicate the
subject of the document. Dannecker alludes to a meeting of
the delegates for Jewish Questions, a meeting which took
place at the R.S.H.A. in Berlin, on 4th March, 1942, at
which it was decided that negotiations would be undertaken
for the deportation of 5,000 Jews from France. The
memorandum, paragraph 4, second sentence:
"Jews of French nationality must be deprived of their
nationality before being deported, or at the latest on
the day of the deportation itself."
In a subsequent passage of the document Dannecker explains
that the expenses of this deportation would have to be paid
by the French Jews, since in the case of impending mass
deportations of Jews from Czechoslovakia, provision had been
made for the Slovakian Government to pay a sum of 500
Rentenmarks for each Jew deported, and, in addition, to bear
the cost of deportation.
"Ten per cent. of Jews unfit for labor may be included
in these convoys."
This sentence shows that the purpose of this deportation was
not merely to procure labor.
"It was agreed that 15,000 Jews should be expelled from
Holland, 10,000 from Belgium, and up to 100,000 from
France, including the unoccupied zone."
The last part of the memorandum relates to the technical
procedure. It refers first to negotiations with the
transport service to obtain the necessary trains. It then
refers to the necessity of inducing the de facto French
Government to take steps to deprive of their nationality all
Jews resident outside of French territory. This would mean
that deported Jews would no longer be considered as French
citizens. Lastly, the French State was to pay the cost of
transport and various expenses connected with the
deportation.
"We are now carrying out a large-scale reorganisation
of the transport companies in France. The main feature
of this is that the numerous organisations existing
hitherto will be taken over by the Reich Ministry of
Transport, which will be responsible for them. This
reorganisation, which was ordered without notice, takes
a few days to complete. It is impossible to give
approximate information before that date as to whether
the transportation of Jews can be carried out in the
near future or at a later date, on the scale
anticipated, or even partially."
These details seemed to me interesting as defining the
responsibility of the Reich Cabinet. Such a large
undertaking as the deportation of so many Jews required the
intervention of many different administrative services, and
we see here that the success of this enterprise depended on
the reorganisation of transport on the responsibility of the
Reich Ministry of Transport. It is certain that a
ministerial department of this kind -- which is above all a
technical department -- intervened to help carry out that
general enterprise of deportation.
"To avoid any conflict with the operation in progress
with regard to French workmen for Germany, we will only
speak of Jewish transfers. The convoys may include
entire families and therefore the possibility is left
open of sending at a later date for the children under
16, who were left behind."
The remainder of the memorandum, like all these texts, which
are so extremely painful from a ethical point of view,
continues to discuss the question of the deportation of the
Jews in round figures, as if all these human beings were
mere goods and chattels.
"Following my conversation with Hauptsturmfuehrer
Dannecker on 27th June, during which he stated that he
needed as soon as possible 50,000 Jews from the free
zone for deportation to the East, and agreed on his
side to support the operations of Darquier de
Pellepoix, the General Commissar on Jewish questions, I
immediately informed Ambassador Abetz and Counsellor
Rahm of this matter. Counsellor Rahm is to meet
President Laval this afternoon, and he promised to
discuss with him at once the handing over of these
50,000 Jews, as well as the question of giving plenary
powers to Darquier de Pellepoix, in conformity with the
laws already promulgated, and the immediate granting of
the credits promised him.
I thought it useful to read this letter, for it shows the
responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the
defendant Ribbentrop in this abominable matter of handing
over 50,000 Jews as required. It is quite evident that such
a step could not have been taken by a counsellor at an
Embassy without his Minister's full knowledge and consent.