The Nizkor Project: Remembering the Holocaust (Shoah)

Fifty-Fourth Day: Friday, 8th February, 1946
(Part 19 of 22)


[COLONEL Y. V. POKROVSKY continues]

[Page 202]

Count 2 of the Indictment contains a complete list of the wars which were provoked, prepared, initiated and waged with Fascist conspirators.

The insane imagination of the Hitlerites visualised the East as a paradise for the Fascist invaders, a paradise built on the bones and blood of the millions of people who inhabited these lands.

Sir David Maxwell Fyfe has informed the Tribunal that the Soviet Delegation would submit some new evidence regarding the criminal conspiracy against peace, and he also advised you that certain repetitions could not be avoided. While striving to reduce these repetitions to a minimum, I wish to draw the attention of the Tribunal to some of the documents relating to the criminal aggression of the Fascist conspirators.

As documentary evidence I submit to the Tribunal Exhibit USSR 60, an official Czechoslovak report. It begins with the following significant phrase -- and this phrase will be found on Page 10 of the document book, Volume I, Part 1 -- and is marked in red pencil:

"Czechoslovakia was an obstacle to the German 'Drang nach Osten' (Drive to the East) or to the domination of Europe."
That is followed by an analysis of the strategic and political aspects of the aggression against Czechoslovakia.

THE PRESIDENT: When you want to put in a document in evidence, you will produce the original document, will you not, and hand it to the Secretary of the Tribunal?

COLONEL POKROVSKY: As I stated, this document is followed by an analysis of the strategic and political aspects of the aggression against Czechoslovakia. I quote, beginning with the second sentence of sub-paragraph (a), which for convenience is marked with a red pencil.

"Czechoslovakia was, indeed, of foremost strategic importance as a natural obstacle and a fortified barrier against a military drive towards the Danube basin, and from there Eastwards, across the Eastern Carpathians and along the valley of the Danube, towards the Balkans."
The gist of sub-paragraph (b) is that Czechoslovakia was a democratic country, and finally sub-paragraph (c) gives an analysis of Czechoslovakia from the national point of view. I shall quote this sub- paragraph as it is formulated in the report. You will find this in Volume I, Part 1, end of Page 11 and beginning of Page 12:
"(c) From the national point of view, Czechoslovakia, as far as the vast majority of its population is concerned, was a Slav country, intensely conscious of the unity of all Slavs."
The Tribunal will remember that the annihilation of Slavism and the destruction of democratic principles was one of the basic aims of the Fascist conspiracy.

The Tribunal may have noticed that the methods of execution of aggression by the Hitlerite conspirators nearly always followed the same pattern. In all cases, lightning speed and suddenness of military attack were considered indispensable. They attempted to attain the element of surprise by giving the prospective enemy treacherous and hypocritical assurances of their sincerely peaceful intentions.

Simultaneously, wide use was made of the foul system of bribery, blackmail, provocation, financing of various kinds of pro-Fascist organisations, and using, as paid agents, unprincipled politicians and downright traitors to their respective countries.

Mr. Alderman began his presentation of documents by giving several examples of this nature. He told the Tribunal in detail and proved by documentary evidence that through Hans Karmazin, the representatives of the

[Page 203]

so-called Slovak autonomous movement were bought with German money. The same also applies to Deputy Prime Minister Dukanski, to the notorious Tuka and many other leaders of the Hlinka Party.

It was presented to you that at the beginning of March, 1939, i.e., immediately prior to the day planned for the final entry of the Fascists into Czechoslovakia, the activity of the Fifth Column reached its climax.


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