Chapter X: ) and the former defendant and co-conspirator, Krupp von Bohlen

und Halbach, in the conspiracy to commit Crimes against Peace, War Crimes against Humanity, as alleged in Count I of the Indictment. These sections are by no means exhaustive but merely indicate the general lines of a particular defendant’s participation. Further and more detailed discussion of the parts played by the conspirators in particular phases of the conspiracy will be found under the pertinent subject matter in the preceding chapters.

1. HERMANN WILHELM GOERING

For more than two decades Hermann Goering played one of the foremost roles amongst the Nazi conspirators. He, who called himself the most faithful paladin of the Fuehrer, was a key figure within the conspiracy, participating in nearly all phases of the conspiratorial activities. He took part in the Munich Beer Hall putsch of 1923; he promoted Hitler’s rise to power in 1933; he founded the Gestapo in 1933 and the concentration camps in 1934; and he created the German Luftwaffe, making it an instrument for aggressive war and using it to destroy other countries. As Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan and chairman of the Ministerial Council for Defense, Goering became the Czar of German economy and administration and eventually the executive manager of the entire conspiracy.

The following list, the correctness of which has been certified by Goering and his attorney (_2836-PS_) is a partial statement of positions and offices held by him from 1922 to 1945:

1. Party member (1922-1945).

2. Supreme Leader of the SA (1923—November 1923).

3. Member of the Reichstag (1928).

4. President of the Reichstag (1932).

5. Prussian Minister of the Interior (1933-34).

6. Prussian Prime Minister (1933-45).

7. Prussian Chief of Secret State Police (1933-36).

8. Prussian Chief of State Council (1933-36).

9. Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan (1936-45).

10. Reichsminister for Air (1933-45).

11. Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force (1935-45).

12. President of the Cabinet Council for the Defense of the
Reich (1939-45).

13. Member of the Secret Cabinet Council (1938-45).

14. Reichsmarschall (1939-45).

15. Successor Designate to Hitler (1939-45).

16. Head of Reichswerke Hermann Goering (1938-45).

17. Head of Gestapo in Prussia (1933-34).

Goering was a member of and assisted in the Nazi conspiracy to commit crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, in the following ways:

A. _CRIMES AGAINST PEACE._

(1) _Acquisition and Consolidation of Power in Germany._

(_a_) _Before 1933._ Soon after joining the Party, Goering in 1923 was placed in command of the entire SA (_2168-PS_). In November 1923, he took part in the ill-fated attempt at Munich to gain control of the German State by force. In the encounter with the police, Goering was wounded and fled from Germany. (_2532-PS_)

After his return, Goering became more than a commander of street fighters. He was designated Hitler’s first political assistant.

“The movement was conducted by the Fuehrer from Munich. But one
man has to act for him in Berlin, while Gauleiter Goebbels stirs
up the masses and makes them ripe for National Socialism, a man
on whom he could rely unconditionally to the same extent as if
he acted himself. And thus, Hermann Goering became the political
deputy of Adolf Hitler.” (_3252-PS_)

Goering’s official biographer, the Ministerial Dirgent Gritzbach, tells of his dealings with the Bruening government, his attempts to “break down the barrier” around the Reich President, von Hindenburg, and of his “coup” as Reichstag President in September 1932 in procuring a vote of nonconfidence against the Papen government just before the Reichstag could be dissolved (_3252-PS_). Goering says in his own book, _Aufbau einer Nation_:

“The moment was unforgettable for me who have gone back and
forth as representative so often between the Kaiserhof and the
Wilhelmstrasse during the past year, when I hurried out to my
car and could report to the questioning masses as the first one:
‘Hitler has become Reich Chancellor.’” (_3251-PS_)

Goebbels also gave him full measure of credit:

“‘This is surely Goering’s happiest hour’ wrote Dr. Goebbels in
his book Von Kaiserhof zur Reichskanzlei, and, quoting from it,
said: that ‘Goering prepared diplomatically and politically in a
long lasting all hard struggle the basis for Hitler’s rise.”
(_3252-PS_)

In a letter written in 1935, Hitler summarized Goering’s contributions as follows:

“My dear Goering: When in November 1923 the Party tried for the
first time to conquer the power of the State, you as Commander
of the SA created within an extraordinarily short time that
instrument with which I could bear that struggle. Highest
necessity had forced us to act, but a wise providence at that
time denied that success. After receiving a grave wound you
again entered the ranks as soon as circumstances permitted as my
most loyal comrade in the battle for power. You contributed
essentially to creating the basis for the 30th of January.
Therefore, at the end of a year of the National Socialist
Revolution, I desire to thank you whole-heartedly, my dear Party
Comrade Goering, for the great values which you have for the
National Socialist Revolution and consequently, for the German
people. In cordial friendship and grateful appreciation.

Yours,
Adolf Hitler.”
(_3259-PS_)

Goering himself has boasted:

“Numerous titles and honors have been bestowed on me during the
past months, and still no title and no decoration could make me
so proud, as the designation, given to me by the German people:
‘The most faithful paladin of our Fuehrer.’ In that, my
relationship to the Fuehrer finds expression. I followed him for
over a decade with unreserved faith, and I will follow him with
the same unconditional faith until my end.” (_3251-PS_)

(_b_) _Prussia, 1933-36._ Immediately after the 30th of January 1933, Goering was awarded the key post of acting Prussian Minister of the Interior, and shortly thereafter, that of Minister President of Prussia. In these capacities, he proceeded promptly to establish a regime of terror in Prussia designed to suppress all opposition to the Nazi program.

His chief tool was the Prussian police, which remained under his jurisdiction until 1936. As early as February 1933, he ordered the entire police forces to render unqualified assistance to the para-military organizations supporting the new government, such as the SA and the SS, and to crush all political opponents with firearms, if necessary, regardless of the consequences. (Directive of 10 February 1933, Ministerialblatt fuer die Preussische innere Verwaltung 1933, p. 148; Directive of 17 February 1933, _id_, p. 169). Goering has frequently and proudly acknowledged his own personal responsibility for the crimes committed pursuant to orders of this character:

“I declared at that time before thousands of fellow Germans,
each bullet which leaves the barrel of a police pistol now is my
bullet. If one calls this murder, then I have murdered; I
ordered all this, I back it up. I assume the responsibility, and
I am not afraid to do so.” (_2324-PS; 3252-PS._)

Soon after he became Prussian Minister President, Goering began to develop the Gestapo, or Secret State Police. To quote from his own book:

“The most important thing for me was first, to get the
instrument of power of the protective police and political
police firmly in my hand. Here I undertook the first sweeping
changes of personnel. Of the 32 available colonels of the
protective police, I dismissed 22. Hundreds of officers and
thousands of sergeants followed them in the course of the next
months. New forces were procured, and everywhere, these forces
were taken out of the large reserve pool of the SA and the SS.

“For weeks, I personally worked on this transformation, and
finally I created alone and from my own conviction and own
thought the ‘Secret State Police Office’. That instrument,
feared so much by the enemies of the state, which above all has
contributed so much, that today a Communist or Marxist danger in
Germany or Prussia is hardly worth talking about anymore.”
(_3251-PS_)

In a public address delivered on 11 December 1934, Goering boasted:

“We were firmly determined after assumption of power to hit the
Communists so that in Germany they would never recover from our
blow. For that we do not require a Reichstag fire. That has been
one of the most important points on our program. In the former
Weimar Constitution the destruction of Communism was
unthinkable. For the execution of these measures we needed the
instrument of a through and through reliable, and of the highest
degree powerful, police force. I have created this instrument
through the reorganization of the field police (_Landespolizei_)
and the formation of a Secret State Police. These organizations
will constitute a means for implanting fear in all enemies of
the State, which a State needs if it wishes to defend itself for
always”. (_3440-PS_)

On 26 April 1933 Goering signed the first law officially establishing the Secret State Police in Prussia (_2104-PS_). On 30 November 1933, Goering signed a law naming himself, as Prime Minister, Chief of the Prussian Secret State Police (_2105-PS_). He continued in this position until sometime in 1936, when Himmler secured control of all police in the Reich.

Men and women taken into custody by the Gestapo were thrown, without judicial or other form of trial, into concentration camps, which had been established in Prussia as early as the spring of 1933. (_3252-PS_; _L-83_.)

As explained by Goering in his own book:

“Against the enemies of the State, we must proceed ruthlessly.
It cannot be forgotten, that at the moment of our rise to power,
according to the official election figures of March 1933, six
million people still confess their sympathy for Marxism. * * *
Therefore the concentration camps have been created, where we
have first confined thousands of Communists and Social Democrat
functionaries. * * *” (_2344-PS_)

On 10 February 1936, Goering, as Prussian Minister President, signed a further basic law on the Prussian Secret State Police. Article 7 of this law provided:

“Orders in matters of the Secret State Police are not subject to
the review of the administrative courts”. (_2107-PS_)

Thus it was made quite clear by Goering’s own law that those imprisoned in concentration camps without trial of any kind were to have no recourse to any court. On the same day Goering signed a decree for the execution of the foregoing law, which further acknowledged his responsibility for Prussian concentration camps. Its provisions included the following:

“Art. 2 * * * (4) The Secret State Police Bureau administers the
state concentration camps.” (_2108-PS_)

The range of police terrorism under Goering’s leadership was almost limitless. A glance at a few of his police directives in these early days will indicate the extent and thoroughness with which every dissident voice was silenced:

_Directive of 22 June 1933_ (_Ministerial-Blatt fuer die
Preussische innere Verwaltung, 1933, p. 731_): Ordered all
officials to watch the statements of employees of the Prussian
civil service and to denounce to Goering those who made critical
remarks (“_Miesmacher_”); failure to do so regarded as proof of
hostile attitude.

_Directive of 23 June 1933_ (_Ministerial-Blatt fuer die
Preussische innere Verwaltung, 1933, p. 749_): Suppressed all
activities of the Social Democratic Party, including meetings
and press, and ordered confiscation of its property.

_Directive of 30 June 1933_ (_Ministerial-Blatt fuer die
Preussische innere Verwaltung, 1933, p. 793_): Ordered the
Gestapo authorities to report to the Labor Trustees on political
attitudes of workers, particularly in cases of criticism of the
regime.

_Directive of 15 January 1934_ (_Ministerial-Blatt fuer die
Preussische innere Verwaltung, 1933, p. 137_): Ordered the
Gestapo and frontier police to keep track of and to watch
emigres, particularly political emigres and Jews, residing in
neighboring countries, and ordered them arrested and put into
concentration camps if they returned to Germany.

After the elimination of the forces of the opposition, the Nazis felt it necessary to dispose of nonconformists within their own ranks. During the Roehm purge of 30 June 1934, many people were murdered who had nothing to do with the internal SA revolt but were just “not liked very well” (_2950-PS_). Goering’s role in this bloody affair was related less than two weeks later by Hitler in a speech to the Reichstag:

“Meanwhile Minister President Goering had previously received my
instructions that in case of a purge, he was to take analogous
measures at once in Berlin and in Prussia. With an iron fist he
beat down the attack on the National Socialist State before it
could develop.” (_3442-PS_)

(_c_) _The Reich, 1933-39._ Meanwhile, in the central Reich government, Goering occupied a series of the highest and most influential positions. The broad powers which devolved upon him made him, under Hitler, the Chief Executive of the Nazi State.

With the accession to power, Goering retained the somewhat empty title of Reichstag President but was also appointed Minister Without Portfolio and became a cabinet member. When in an early meeting (15 March 1933) the cabinet discussed the pending Enabling Act (which gave the Cabinet plenary powers of legislation) he offered the suggestion that the required two-thirds majority might be obtained simply by refusing admittance to the Social Democratic delegates (_2962-PS_). He became Reich Air Minister in May 1933 (_2089-PS_). In his capacity as Air Minister and Supreme Commander of the Luftwaffe, he sat as a member of and the Fuehrer’s deputy on the Reich Defense Council, which was established by the secret law of 21 May 1933 and continued by the secret law of 4 September 1938 (_2261-PS_; _2194-PS_). This Council was a war planning group whose purpose was “to plan preparations and decrees in case of war which later on were published by the Ministerial Council for the Defense of the Reich.” (_2986-PS_)

In 1936, Goering was made Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan and acquired plenary legislative and administrative powers over all German economic life. (_1862-PS_)

Goering was a member of the Secret Cabinet Council established in 1938 to act as “an advisory board in the direction of foreign policy” (_2031-PS_).

The Ministerial Council for the Defense of the Reich, created in 1939, took over, in effect, all the legislative powers of the Cabinet which had not been reserved to Hitler’s personal control or to Goering as the Delegate for the Four-Year Plan. Goering became the Chairman of this Council. (_2018-PS_)

Finally, as the invading Nazi armies marched into Poland, Hitler announced the designation of Goering as successor designate, the heir apparent of the “New Order.”

(_d_) _Economic Preparation for War, 1933-1939._

In April 1936, Goering was appointed Coordinator for Raw Materials and Foreign Exchange and empowered to supervise all State and Party activities in these fields (_2827-PS_). In this capacity he convened the War Minister, the Minister of Economics, the Reich Finance Minister, the President of the Reichsbank, and the Prussian Finance Minister to discuss inter-agency problems connected with war mobilization. At a meeting of this group on 12 May 1936, when the question of the prohibitive cost of synthetic raw material substitutes arose, Goering said:

“If we have war tomorrow, we must help ourselves by substitutes.
Then money will not play any role at all. If that is the case,
then we must be ready to create the prerequisites for that in
peace.” (_1301-PS_)

At a subsequent meeting of the same men on 27 May 1936, Goering suggested a program of plant construction for the production of synthetic substitutes but warned against the financial strain involved in excessive overexpansion. He opposed any limitations dictated by orthodox financial policy and stated:

“All measures are to be considered from the standpoint of an
assured waging of war.

“Ready reserves must ordinarily be accumulated already in

On the Nurnberg Party Day in the fall of 1936, Hitler proclaimed the establishment of the Four-Year Plan, a comprehensive program of national self-sufficiency, and announced the appointment of Goering as “Plenipotentiary” in charge. In October, a decree was promulgated which implemented this announcement and provided for the execution of the plan. (_1862-PS_)

It is clear from Goering’s own statements in an interrogation on 25 June 1945 that the purpose of the Plan was to place Germany on a war footing economically:

“Goering: ‘My job was to organize the German economy and my
energy was put to work to get things started and carried through
* * *. My main task was to secure the food supply for Germany
for many years ahead and to make Germany self-sufficient. The
most important items were iron, petroleum and rubber. * * * The
industry only wanted to have very high grade Swedish iron for
business reasons. There was danger that during the war Germany
would not be able to get iron from Sweden and there would be no
iron.’

Interrogator: ‘What war are you talking about? This is 1936
you’re speaking of.’

Goering: ‘Any possibility of war. Perhaps with Russia, or in
case there was war with anyone at any time and anywhere.’”

When asked the reasons why the Four-Year Plan lost importance in 1942, Goering explained that his preoccupation with the Air Force did not allow him the necessary concentration on the affairs of the Four-Year Plan, and stated:

“The main task of the Four-Year Plan had been accomplished. This
task was to get Germany ready.”

These answers confirm the comment Goering made in 1936, that his chief task as Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan was “to put the whole economy on a war footing within four years.” (_EC-408_) As Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan, Goering was virtually the economic dictator for Germany with control over all other interested Reich agencies. He was the “boss of the economy,” and all important decisions had to be referred to him.

Two important conferences show clearly how Goering inspired and directed the preparation of the German economy for aggressive war. On 8 July 1938 he addressed a number of leading German aircraft manufacturers, explained the political situation, and laid the groundwork for a vast increase in aircraft production. After stating that war with Czechoslovakia was imminent and boasting that the German air force was already superior in quality and quantity to the English, he continued:

“If Germany wins the war, she will be the greatest power in the
world, dominating the world market, and Germany will be a rich
nation. For this goal, risks must be taken. The only thing that
matters is increased output regarding quantity and quality. Even
if the manufacturers know that their present policies may mean
their bankruptcy within three years, they will have to do it all
the same * * * I want you to be perfectly resolved, today
already, how you will run your business when war comes. The
earlier the manufacturers make their preparations for
mobilization today, the less danger there will be of work being
held up. It must be determined for every worker whether he is
essential for production upon outbreak of war, and measures must
be taken to secure his deferment in case of mobilization.
(_3441-PS_). An executive will be put in charge to work on
nothing but the complete preparation of each plant for
mobilization day.” (_R-140_)

A few weeks after the Munich agreement, on 14 October 1938, another conference was held in Goering’s office. He began with the statement that Hitler had instructed him to organize a gigantic armament program which would make insignificant all previous achievements. He indicated that he had been ordered to build as rapidly as possible an air force five times as large, to increase the speed of Army and Navy armament, and to concentrate on offensive weapons, principally heavy artillery and heavy tanks. He then proposed a specific program designed to accomplish these ends. (_1301-PS_)

(_e_) _Military Mobilization for War._ In his dual role as Reich Air Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the German Air Force, it was Goering’s function to develop the Luftwaffe to practical war strength. As early as March 1935 Goering frankly announced to the world that he was in the process of building a true military air force:

“After the German government expressed willingness to help, it
became necessary to make a clear demarcation within German
aviation, namely in this respect: which air force will be able
to be made available? This situation brought about the decision
as to those of the German aviation who will in future belong to
the Air Force and those who will in future remain in civil
aviation or in sport aviation. It was necessary to mark this
separation also outwardly, so that the members of the German Air
Force became soldiers according to the law and their leaders
became officers.” (_2292-PS_)

Two months later, in a speech to 1,000 Air Force officers, Goering spoke in a still bolder vein:

“I repeat: I intend to create a Luftwaffe which, if the hour
should strike, shall burst upon the foe like a chorus of
revenge. The enemy must have a feeling of being lost already
before even having fought. * * *”

In the same year, he signed his name to the Conscription Law which provided for compulsory military service and constituted an act of defiance on the part of Nazi Germany in violation of the Versailles Treaty. (_1654-PS_)

Goering’s statements during this period left no doubt in the minds of Allied diplomats that Germany was engaged in full mobilization of air power for an impending war.

“Goering and Milch often said to me or in my presence that the
Nazis had decided to concentrate on air power as the weapon of
terror most likely to give Germany a dominant position and the
weapon which could be developed the most rapidly and in the
shortest time . . . High ranking Nazis with whom I had to
maintain official contact, particularly men such as Goering,
Goebbels, Ley, Frick, Frank, Darré and others, repeatedly
scoffed at my position as to the binding character of treaties
and openly stated to me that Germany would observe her
international undertakings only so long as it suited Germany’s
interests to do so.” (_2385-PS_)

(2) _The Launching of Aggressive War._ Goering was the central figure in the preparation of Germany for military aggression. In German economic development and military growth he held the key positions throughout the prewar period. Although he held no official position in the field of foreign affairs, Goering also figured prominently in all of the major phases of Nazi international aggression between 1937 and 1941. As “No. 2 Nazi” he was a leading participant in every major plan of territorial aggrandizement or offensive military strategy.

Goering was the prompter and director of the diplomatic tragi-comedy leading to the Austrian Anschluss. In the middle of November 1937, Mr. Bullitt, the American Ambassador to France, reported the following conversation with Goering:

“I asked Goering if he meant that Germany was absolutely
determined to annex Austria to the Reich. He replied that this
was an absolute determination of the German Government. The
German Government at the present time was not pressing this
matter because of certain momentary political considerations,
especially in their relations with Italy; but Germany would
tolerate no solution of the Austrian question other than the
consolidation of Austria in the German Reich. He then added a
statement which went further than any I have heard on this
subject: He said, ‘There are schemes being pushed now for a
union of Austria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, either with or
without a Hapsburg at the head of the unit. Such a solution is
absolutely inacceptable to us, and for us the conclusion of such
an agreement would be an immediate _casus belli_’.” (_L-151_)

When the time came, on 11 March 1938, Goering was in complete command. Throughout the afternoon and evening of that day he directed by telephone the activities of Seyss-Inquart, also of Keppler, Ullrich, and the other Nazi operatives in Vienna. (_2949-PS_); (the pertinent portions of these telephone conversations have already been referred to in Section 3 of Chapter IX on Aggression Against Austria.)

In the late afternoon Goering gave the following order to Seyss-Inquart:

“Now, remember the following: You go immediately together with
Lt. General Muff and tell the Federal President that if the
conditions which are known to you are not accepted immediately,
the troops who are already stationed in and advancing to the
frontier will march in tonight along the whole line, and Austria
will cease to exist.” (_2949-PS_)

Early the same evening he dictated to Seyss-Inquart the telegram which the latter was to send to Berlin requesting the Nazi Government to send German troops to “prevent bloodshed”. Two days later he was able to call Ribbentrop in London and say:

“Yes, the last march into the Rhineland is completely
over-shadowed. The Fuehrer was deeply moved, when he talked to
me last night. You must remember it was the first time that he
saw his homeland again. Now, I merely want to talk about
political things. Well, this story we have given an ultimatum,
that is just foolish gossip.” (_2949-PS_)

Goering played a similarly important role in the attack on Czechoslovakia. In March of 1938, at the time of the Anschluss with Austria, he had given a solemn assurance to the Czechoslovakian Minister in Berlin that the developments in Austria would in no way have a detrimental influence on the relations between Germany and Czechoslovakia, and had emphasized the continued earnest endeavor on the part of Germany to improve these mutual relations. In this connection, Goering used the expression: “_Ich gebe Ihnen mein Ehrenwort._ (I give you my word of honor)” (_TC-27_). On the other hand, in his address to German airplane manufacturers on 8 July 1938, he made his private views on this subject clear:

“Beyond this they fear that once we have pocketed
Czechoslovakia, we will attack Hungary, the Rumanian oil wells,
etc. Moreover, since there are democratic countries on the one
hand, and authoritarian ones on the other, there is enough
inflammable matter in the world anyway. When, how and where this
inflammable matter will explode, no one among us can say. It may
happen within some months, but it may also take some years. At
present, the situation is this that Czechoslovakia has promised
the Sudeten Germans to meet them half way. I am convinced that
they will satisfy no more than some of their unimportant
demands. Such action on their part would probably suit our
policy best, since in this case we could put the entire
responsibility on England because she has engaged herself so
deeply in this business.” (_R-140_)

On 14 October 1938, shortly after the Munich agreement, Goering gave his views on the Czechoslovakian question at a conference in the Air Ministry:

“The Sudetenland has to be exploited with all the means. General
Field Marshal Goering counts upon a complete industrial
assimilation of the Slovakia. Czech and Slovakia would become
German dominions. Everything possible must be taken out. The
Oder-Danube Canal has to be speeded up. Searches for oil and ore
have to be conducted in Slovakia, notably by State Secretary
Keppler.” (_1301-PS_)

Meanwhile, he was deceiving the representatives of the puppet Slovakian government to the same end:

“The Field Marshal considers that the Slovak negotiations toward
independence are to be supported in a suitable manner.
Czechoslovakia without Slovakia is still more at our mercy.”
(_2801-PS_)

In the following year, with the rape of Czechoslovakia complete Goering frankly stated what Germany’s purpose had been throughout the whole affair:

“In a rather long statement the field marshal explained that the
incorporation of Bohemia and Moravia into the German economy had
taken place, among other reasons to increase the German War
potential by exploitation of the industry there.” (_R-133_)

Goering was also a moving force in the later crimes against the peace. As the successor designate to Hitler, as Chief of the Air Forces, and as economic czar of Greater Germany, he was a party to all the planning for military operations of the Nazi forces in the East and the West. In the Polish affair, for example, it was Goering who in 1935 gave assurances to the Polish government that “there should be not the slightest fear in Poland that on the German side it (the German-Polish alliance) would not be continued in the future.” Yet, four years later, Goering helped formulate plans for the invasion of Polish territory.

With regard to the attack upon the Soviet Union, plans for the ruthless exploitation of Russian territory were made months in advance of the opening of hostilities. Goering was placed in charge of this army of spoliation, whose mission was that of “seizing raw materials and taking over all important concerns.” (_1317-PS_; _1157-PS_.)

These specific instances cover only a small part of Goering’s activities in the field of aggressive war. There follows a partial list of additional documents which demonstrate Goering’s knowledge of and continued participation in the Nazi war program. They deal either with conferences on the highest war-planning levels which he attended, or with secret orders communicated to him outlining in advance the official plans for the execution of the successive acts of aggression.

_Meetings and Conferences Attended:_

Conference in Reichskanzlei, 5 November 1937, to outline the necessity for expanding German foreign policy; plans discussed for the acquisition of Austria and Czechoslovakia. (_386-PS_)

Entry in Jodl diary, 10 March 1938, referring to meeting attended by Goering and others at which the preparation of “Case Otto” and the mobilization of the army and the air force were ordered. (_1780-PS_)

Top secret conference with Hitler on 23 May 1939, the subject of which was indoctrination on the political situation and foreign aims. (_L-79_)

Meeting with Hitler, 22 August 1939, attended by commanders of the armed forces at which immediate plans for Polish invasion were discussed. (_L-3_; _798-PS_; _1014-PS_)

Hitler’s speech to all military commanders on 23 November 1939, regarding the invasion of the low countries. (_789-PS_)

Meetings of 8 February 1941 and 27 March 1941, at which Hitler outlined the prospective operations against Yugoslavia and Greece. (_1746-PS_)

_Orders and Other Directives Received:_

Directive of Blomberg to the armed forces containing plans for military operations in the event that sanctions were applied against German withdrawal from League of Nations. (_C-140_)

Top secret directive of Blomberg of 2 May 1935, with plans for operation “Schulung” (the reoccupation of the Rhineland). (_C-139_)

Top secret letter from Blomberg dated 24 June 1935, enclosing copy of secret Reich Defense Law of 21 May 1935 and decision of Reich Cabinet of the same date. (_2261-PS_)

Order of Blomberg of 2 March 1936, giving the operational basis for the Rhineland occupation. (_C-159_)

Directives from Hitler and Keitel April to August 1939 on preparation and invasion of Poland. (_C-120_)

Operational file, “Fall Weiss,” the code name for the Polish operation. (_C-126_)

Directive from GAF, dated 25 August 1938, regarding the acquisition of bases in the low countries. (_375-PS_)

Directive No. 6 for the conduct of the war, dated 9 October 1939, signed by Hitler, and orders of Keitel, dated 15 November 1939, on the plans for “Fall Gelb”, (operation in the West). (_C-62_)

Orders of the Supreme Command from 7 November 1939 to 9 May 1940, regarding the opening of the invasion in the West. (_C-72_)

Order of Hitler No. 8, 20 November 1939, for the execution of “Fall Gelb”. (_440-PS_)

Operational plans signed by Keitel on 28 November 1939, on action near the French-Belgium borders. (_C-10_)

Entries in Jodl diaries from 1 February to 26 May 1940 confirming plans for invasion of the West. (_1809-PS_)

OKW orders, 27 January 1940, signed by Keitel on preparation for “Fall Weseruebung” (Invasion of Norway and Denmark). (_C-63_)

Fuehrer order of 1 March 1940 for the execution of “Fall Weseruebung.” (_C-174_)

Most secret order from Hitler’s headquarters, dated 19 February 1941, on plans for the invasion of Greece. (_C-59_)

Top secret operational order on “Case Barbarossa” (invasion of the Soviet Union), dated 13 March 1941, signed by Keitel. (_447-PS_)

Time table for “Case Barbarossa,” signed by Keitel. (_C-39_)

Top secret memorandum of 29 October 1940, signed by Falkenstein, Luftwaffe liaison officer with OKW, discussing need for the seizure of air bases in the event of future war with the United States. (_376-PS_)

Basic order No. 24, dated 5 March 1941, signed by Keitel, regarding German collaboration with Japan. (_C-75_)

B. _WAR CRIMES._

(1) _Forced Labor, Deportation, and Enslavement of Residents of Occupied Territories._

The slave labor program of the Nazi conspirators had two criminal purposes. The first was to satisfy the labor requirements of the Nazi war machine by forcing residents of occupied countries to work in Germany, often directly in the German armament industry, and the second was to destroy or weaken the peoples of the occupied territories. Millions of foreign workers were taken to Germany, for the most part under pressure and generally by physical force. These workers were forced to labor under conditions of undescribable brutality and degredation, and often they were used in factories and industries devoted exclusively to the production of munitions of war. (_See Chapter X on The Slave Labor Program._)

Goering was at all times implicated in the slave labor program. Recruitment and allocation of manpower and determination of working conditions were included in his jurisdiction as Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan, and from its beginning a part of the Four-Year Plan Office was devoted to such work. (_1862-PS_; _2827-PS_.)

The defendant Goering was present at a meeting in Hitler’s study on 23 May 1939 at which Hitler, after declaring his intention to attack Poland at the first suitable opportunity, said:

“If fate brings us into conflict with the West, the possession
of extensive areas in the East will be advantageous. * * * The
population of non-German areas will perform no military service
and will be available as a source of labor.” (_L-79_)

Soon after the fall of Poland, Goering as Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan, began the enslavement of large numbers of Poles. On 25 January 1940, the defendant Frank, then Governor General of Poland, reported to Goering as follows:

“For the execution of the task of systematically placing the
economic strength of the Generalgouvernement, within the
framework of the Four-Year Plan, in the service of the German
defense industry, I give the following

_DIRECTIVES_

“1. In view of the present requirements of the Reich for the
defense industry, it is at present fundamentally impossible to
carry on a long-term economic policy in the Generalgouvernement.
Rather, it is necessary so to steer the economy of the
Generalgouvernement that it will, in the shortest possible time,
accomplish results representing the maximum that can be gotten
out of the economic strength of the Generalgouvernement for
immediate strengthening of our capacity for defense. * * *

“2. (g) Supply and transportation of at least 1 million male and
female agricultural and industrial workers to the Reich—among
them at least 7500 000 [sic] agricultural workers of which at
least 50% must be women—in order to guarantee agricultural
production in the Reich and as a replacement for industrial
workers lacking in the Reich. * * *” (_1375-PS_)

That orders for this enormous number of workers originated with the defendant Goering is clear from the following statement in Frank’s Diary for 10 May 1940:

“Then the Governor General deals with the problem of the
_Compulsory Labor Service_ of the Poles. Upon the demands from
the Reich it has now been decreed that compulsion may be
exercised in view of the fact that sufficient manpower was not
voluntarily available for service inside the German Reich. This
compulsion means the possibility of arrest of male and female
Poles. Because of these measures a certain disquietude had
developed which, according to individual reports, was spreading
very much, and which might produce difficulties everywhere.
General Fieldmarshal Goering some time ago pointed out in his
long speech the necessity to deport into the Reich a million
workers. The supply so far was 160,000. However, great
difficulties had to be overcome. Therefore it would be advisable
to consult the district and town chiefs in the execution of the
compulsion, so that one could be sure from the start that this
action would be reasonably successful. The arrest of young Poles
when leaving church service or the cinema would bring about an
increasing nervousness of the Poles. Generally speaking, he had
no objections at all if the rubbish, capable of work yet often
loitering about, would be snatched from the streets. The best
method for this, however, would be the organization of a raid,
and it would be absolutely justifiable to stop a Pole in the
street and to question him what he was doing, where he was
working, etc.” (_2233-A-PS_)

Goering was also responsible for the harsh treatment given these workers when they reached Germany. On 8 March 1940, as Plenipotentiary of the Four-Year Plan and as Chairman of the Cabinet Counsel for the Defense of the Reich, he issued a directive to the Supreme Reich authorities, entitled: “Treatment of male and female civilian workers of Polish Nationality in the Reich.” In this directive Goering provided in part:

“The mass employment of male and female civilian workers of
Polish nationality in the Reich necessitates a comprehensive
ruling on treatment of these workers.

“The following orders are to be executed at once:

* * * * * *

“4. The blameless conduct of the Poles is to be assured by
special regulations. The legal and administrative regulations,
necessary for this, will be issued by the Reichsfuehrer-SS and
Chief of the German Police at the Reich Ministry of the
Interior.

“6. Attention is drawn to the explanations enclosed as
appendix.” (_R-148_)

Attached to this directive, and also dated 8 March 1940, were a series of regulations issued by Himmler, as Reichfuehrer SS and Chief of the German Police. These regulations provided for stringent measures and discrimination against Polish workers in the Reich. In a covering Express Letter addressed to all State Police district-offices and State Police offices, also dated 8 March 1940, Himmler made clear what was intended in order to secure “blameless conduct”. He stated:

“The steps to be taken to combat insubordination and
noncompliance with the duty to work, must be decided according
to the severity of the case and to the spirit of resistance of
the offender. It is of most importance that they be taken
immediately after the offense is committed so that they have a
decisive effect. In accordance with my instructions in the
appended decrees, especially severe measures must be taken
during the first eight weeks, in order to bring home to the
workers of Polish nationality from the outset the consequences
of noncompliance with the orders issued. * * *

“In general, in all cases where a warning, by the State Police
or a short imprisonment is not sufficient to induce the worker
to fulfill his duties, application is to be made for his
transfer to a labor training camp, and an opinion given on what
treatment he should receive there. The treatment in the labor
training camps will have to be in accordance with, the severity
of the offense. It is suitable, e.g., to make obstinate shirkers
work in the stone-quarries of the Mauthausen camp. By a special
decree, to the heads of SS-Deathshead Units and concentration
camps, I have ordered that the treatment of these persons under
protective custody be undertaken in a concentration camp.

“Extraordinarily serious cases have to be reported to the Chief
of the Security Police and the SD who, after examination, make
the decision on a special treatment of the workers of Polish
nationality in question.” (_R-148_)

On 29 January 1942 the Division for the Employment of Labor in the Four-Year Plan Office issued a circular, signed by Dr. Mansfeld, the General Delegate for Labor Employment in the Four-Year Plan Office, and addressed to various civilian and military authorities in the occupied territories, explaining the various means to be used to force workers to go to Germany. The circular provides in part:

“Subject: Increased mobilization of man-power for the German
Reich from the occupied territories and preparations for
mobilization by force.

“On the one hand, the labor shortage which was rendered more
acute by the draft for the Wehrmacht, and on the other hand, the
increased scope of the armament problem in the German Reich,
render it necessary that manpower for service in the Reich be
recruited from the occupied territories to a much greater extent
than heretofore, in order to relieve the shortage of labor.
Therefore, any and all methods must be adopted which make
possible the transportation, without exception and delay, for
employment in the German Reich, of manpower in the occupied
territories which is unemployed or which can be released for use
in Germany after most careful screening.

“This mobilization shall first of all, as heretofore, be carried
out on a voluntary basis. For this reason, the recruiting effort
for employment in the German Reich must be strengthened
considerably. But if satisfactory results are to be obtained,
the German authorities, who are functioning in the occupied
territories, must be able to exert any pressure necessary to
support the voluntary recruiting of labor for employment in
Germany. Accordingly, to the extent that may be necessary, the
regulations in force in the occupied territories in regard to
shift in employment and withdrawal of support upon refusal to
work, must be tightened. Supplementary regulations concerning
shift in employment must above all insure that older personnel
who are freed must be exchanged for younger personnel to make up
for it, so that the latter may be made available for the Reich.
A far-reaching decrease in the amount of relief granted by
Public Welfare must also be effected in order to induce laborers
to accept employment in the Reich. Unemployment relief must be
set so low that the amount in comparison with the average wages
in the Reich and the possibilities there for sending remittances
home may serve as an inducement to accept employment in the
Reich. When refusal to accept work in the Reich is not
justified, the compensation must be reduced to an amount barely
enough for subsistence, or even be cancelled. In this
connection, partial withdrawal of ration cards and assignment to
particularly heavy obligatory labor may be considered.

“However, all misgivings must give way before the necessity of
supplying the deficit in manpower caused by excessive draft
calls into the Armed Forces, in order to avoid detriment to the
armament industry. For this purpose the forcible mobilization of
workers from the occupied territories cannot be disregarded, in
case the voluntary recruiting is unsuccessful. The mere
possibility of mobilization by force will, in many cases, make
recruiting easier.

“Therefore, I ask you immediately to take any measures in your
district which will promote the employment of workers in the
German Reich on a voluntary basis. I herewith request you to
prepare for publication regulations applying to forced
mobilization of laborers from your territory for Germany, so
that they may be decreed at once, in case recruiting on a
voluntary basis will not have the desired result, that is relief
of the manpower shortage in the Reich. I request you to inform
me of the measures taken by you.” (_1183-PS_)

On 21 March 1942, Hitler promulgated a decree appointing Sauckel Plenipotentiary General for Man Power. This decree provided in part:

“In order to secure the manpower requisite for the war
industries as a whole, and particularly for armaments, it is
necessary that the utilization of all available manpower,
including that of workers recruited [erwerben] abroad and of
prisoners of war, should be subject to a uniform control,
directed in a manner appropriate to the requirements of war
industry, and further that all still incompletely utilized
manpower in the Greater German Reich, including the
Protectorate, and in the General Government and in the occupied
territories, should be mobilized.

“Reichsstatthalter and Gauleiter Fritz Sauckel will carry out
this task within the framework of the Four-Year Plan, as
plenipotentiary general, for the employment of manpower. In that
capacity he will be directly responsible to the Commissioner for
the Four-Year Plan.” (_1666-PS_)

On 27 March 1942, Goering, as Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan, issued a decree in pursuance of the Fuehrer’s decree of 21 March 1942. This decree provided:

“In pursuance of the Fuehrer’s Decree of 21 March 1942 (RGBl I,
179), I decree as follows:

“1. My manpower sections (_Geschaeftsgruppen Arbeitseinsatz_)
are hereby abolished (circular letter of 22 Oct 1936/ St M. Dev.
265). Their duties (recruitment and allocation of manpower,
regulations for labor conditions (_Arbeitsbedingungen_)) are
taken over by the Plenipotentiary General for Arbeitseinsatz,
who is directly under me.

“2. The Plenipotentiary General for Arbeitseinsatz will be
responsible for regulating the conditions of labor (wage policy)
employed in the Reich Territory, having regard to the
requirements of Arbeitseinsatz.

“3. The Plenipotentiary General for Arbeitseinsatz is part of
the Four-Year Plan. In cases where new legislation is required,
or existing laws required to be modified, he will submit
appropriate proposals to me.

“4. The Plenipotentiary General for Arbeitseinsatz will have at
his disposal for the performance of his task the right delegated
to me by the Fuehrer for issuing instructions to the higher
Reich authorities, their branches and the Party offices, and
their associated organisms and also the Reich Protector, the
General Governor, the Commander-in-Chief, and heads of the civil
administrations. In the case of ordinances and instructions of
fundamental importance a report is to be submitted to me in
advance.” (_1666-PS_)

Since Sauckel was an authority of the Four-Year Plan, it is clear that Goering remains responsible for the war crimes committed by Sauckel as Plenipotentiary-General for Manpower. (_See Chapter X on The Slave Labor Program._)

(2) _Employment of Prisoners of War in War Industry._ The Nazi conspirators ordered prisoners of war to work under dangerous conditions, and in the manufacturing and transportation of arms or munitions, in violation of the Laws of War and of Articles 31 and 32 of the Geneva Convention of 27 July 1929 on Prisoners of War. (_See Chapter X on The Illegal Use of Prisoners of War._)

Goering had a part in these crimes. At a conference on 7 November 1941, the subject of which was the employment of Russians, including Russian prisoners of war, it appears from a memorandum signed by Koerner, State Secretary to the defendant Goering as Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan, that Goering gave the following directives for use of Russians as laborers:

“I. _The stronger labor reserves in the zone of the interior are
also decisive for the war._

“The Russian workers have proved their productive capacity
during the development of the huge Russian industry. Therefore
it must be made available to the Reich from now on. Objections
against this order of the Fuehrer are of the secondary nature.
The disadvantages which can be created by the Arbeitseinsatz
have to be reduced to a minimum: the task especially of
counter-intelligence and security police.

“II. _The Russian in the zone of operations._

“He is to be employed particularly in building roads and
railroads, in clearing work, clearing of mines and in building
airports. The German construction battalions have to be
dissolved to a great extent (Example: Air Forces!); the German
skilled workers belong to the war industry; it is not their task
to shovel and to break stones, the Russian is there for that.”

* * * * * *

“IV. _The Russian in the Reich territory including the
Protectorate._

“The number of the employed depends on the requirement. By
determining the requirement, it is to be considered that workers
of other states who produce little and eat much are to be
shipped out of the Reich and that in the future the German woman
should come less into the foreground in the labor process.
Beside the Russian prisoners of war, free Russian workers should
also be used.

“A. _The Russian Prisoner of War._

“1. The _selection_ has to take place already in the collecting
camps, beyond the Reich border. The profession and physical
condition are decisive. At the same time screening as to
nationality and according to the requirements of the security
police and counter-intelligence must take place.

“2. The _transportation_ has to be organized just as the
selection and not improvised. The prisoners are to be forwarded
rapidly. Their feeding should be orderly and their guarding
unconditionally secured.

“3. _Officers_ are to be excluded from the work as much as
possible, _commissars_ as a matter of principle.

“4. The Russian belongs in first line to the following _work
places_ (in order of priorities):

Mining.

Railroad maintenance (including repair shops and
construction of vehicles).

War industry (tanks, artillery pieces, airplane parts).

Agriculture.

Building industry.

Large scale workshops (shoe shops!)

Special units for urgent, occasional and emergency work.

* * * * * *

“B. _The Free Russian Worker._

_Employment and treatment_, will not be handled in practice
differently than for Russian prisoners of war. In both
categories, particularly good production can be acknowledged by
a limited distribution of luxury items. Sufficient, adequate
nourishment is also the main thing for the free workers.”
(_1193-PS_)

In a set of top secret notes on what was apparently the same conference, the following appears:

“NOTES

On outlines layed down by the Reichsmarschall in the meeting of
7 November 1941 in the Reich Ministry for Air (RLM)

“SUBJECT: Employment of laborers in war industries.

“The Fuehrer’s point of view as to employment of prisoners of
war in war industries has changed basically. So far a total of 5
million prisoners of war—employed so far 2 million.

“Directives for employment:

“Frenchmen: Individual employment, transposition into armament
industry (Rue-wirtschaft)
“Serbs: Preferably agriculture.
“Poles: If feasible no individual employment achievement
of Russian armament industry surpasses the German
one. Assembly linework, a great many mechanical
devices with relatively few skilled workers.

“Readiness of Russians in the operational area to work is
strong. In the Ukraine and other areas discharged prisoners of
war already work as free labor. In Krivoy Rog, large numbers of
workers are available due to the destruction of the factories. *
* *

“_Some points as to general Arbeitseinsatz_

“Rather employ PW’s than _unsuitable foreign workers_. Seize
Poles, Dutchmen, etc. if necessary as PW’s and employ them as
such, if work through free contract cannot be obtained. Strong
action.” (_1206-PS_)

In a secret letter from the Reichsminister of Labor to the Presidents of the Regional Labor Exchange Offices, the following appears:

“Upon personal order of the Reich Marshal, 100,000 men are to be
taken from among the French PW’s not yet employed in the
armament industry, and are to be assigned to the armament
industry (airplane industry). Gaps in manpower supply resulting
therefrom will be filled by Soviet PW’s. The transfer of the
above-named French PW’s is to be accomplished by 1 October.”
(_3005-PS_)

(3) _Looting and Destruction of Works of Art._ The Nazi conspirators planned and organized the cultural impoverishment of every country in Europe: the plunder of works of art by the Government General in occupied Poland and the activities of the Einsatzstab Rosenberg are outstanding examples. (_See Chapter XIV on the Plunder of Art Treasures._)

Goering was continuously connected with these activities. In October 1939 he requested a Dr. Kajetan Muehlmann to undertake immediately the “securing” of all Polish art treasures. In an affidavit, Dr. Muehlmann states:

“I was the special deputy of the Governor General of Poland,
Hans Frank, for the safeguarding of art treasures in the General
Government, October 1939 to September 1943.

“Goering, in his function as chairman of the Reich Defense
Council, had commissioned me with this duty.

“I confirm, that it was the official policy of the Governor
General, Hans Frank, to take into custody all important art
treasures, which belonged to Polish public institutions, private
collections and the Church. I confirm, that the art treasures,
mentioned, were actually confiscated, and it is clear to me,
that they would not have remained in Poland in case of a German
victory, but that they would have been used to complement German
artistic property.” (_3042-PS_)

Indicative of the continued interest taken by Goering in these operations, it appears from Dr. Muehlmann’s report that at one time 31 valuable sketches by the artist Albrecht Durer were taken from a Polish collection and personally handed to the defendant Goering, who took them to the Fuehrer’s headquarters. (_1709-PS_)

The part played by Goering in looting of art by the _Einsatzstab Rosenberg_ has been shown in Chapter XIV. On 5 November 1940 Goering issued an order under his own signature directed to the Chief of the Military Administration Paris, and to the _Einsatzstab Rosenberg_, as follows:

“In conveying the measures taken until now, for the securing of
Jewish art property by the Chief of the Military Administration
Paris and the special service staff Rosenberg (the Chief of the
Supreme Command of the Armed Forces 2 f 28.14. W.Z.Nr 3812/40
g), the art objects brought to the Louvre will be disposed of in
the following way:

“1. Those art objects about which the Fuehrer has reserved for
himself the decision as to their use.

“2. Those art objects which serve to the completion of the Reich
Marshal’s collection.

“3. Those art objects and library stocks the use of which seem
useful to the establishing of the higher institutes of learning
and which come within the jurisdiction of Reichsleiter
Rosenberg.

“4. Those art objects that are suited to be sent to German
museums, of all these art objects a systematic inventory will be
made by the special purpose staff Rosenberg; they will then be
packed and shipped to Germany with the assistance of the
Luftwaffe.” (_141-PS_)

In view of the high priority afforded by the foregoing order to the completion of Goering’s own collection, it is not surprising to find that he continued to aid the operations of the _Einsatzstab Rosenberg_. Thus, on 1 May 1941, Goering issued an order to all Party, State, and Wehrmacht Services, under his own signature, requesting them—

“* * * to give all possible support and assistance to the Chief
of Staff of Reichsleiter Rosenberg’s staffs. * * * The
above-mentioned persons are requested to report to us on their
work, particularly on any difficulties that might arise.”
(_1117-PS_)

By 30 May 1942, Goering was able to boast of the assistance which he had rendered to the work of the _Einsatzstab Rosenberg_. In a letter to Rosenberg, of that date, he stated:

“* * * On the other hand I also support personally the work of
your Einsatzstab wherever I can do so, and a great part of the
seized cultural goods can be accounted for because I was able to
assist the Einsatzstab with my organization.” (_1015-I-PS_)

(4) _Germanization and Spoliation._ With respect to Poland the Nazi conspirators’ plans for Germanization and spoliation commenced with the incorporation of the four western provinces of Poland into the German Reich. In the remaining portions occupied by Germany they set up the Government General. The Nazis planned to Germanize the so-called incorporated territories ruthlessly by deporting Polish intelligentsia, Jews, and dissident elements to the Government General, for eventual elimination; by confiscating Polish property, particularly farms; by sending those so deprived of their property to Germany as laborers; and by importing German settlers. It was specifically planned to exploit the people and material resources of the territory within the Government General by taking whatever was needed to strengthen the Nazi war machine, thus impoverishing this region and reducing it to a vassal state. (_See Chapter XIII on Germanization and Spoliation._)

Goering, together with Hitler, Lammers, Frick, and Hess, signed the decree purporting to incorporate certain parts of Polish territory into the Reich. (Decree of the Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor concerning the Organization and Administration of the Eastern Territories, 8 October 1939, 1939 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, p. 2042.)

Purporting to act by virtue of section 8 of the foregoing decree, Goering, as Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan, signed an order concerning the introduction of the Four-Year Plan in the Eastern Territories. (Order concerning the Introduction of the Four-Year Plan in the Eastern Territories, 30 October 1939, 1939 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, p. 2125.)

Goering in a directive dated 19 October 1939 stated:

“In the meeting of October 13th, I have given detailed
instructions for the economical administration of the occupied
territories. I will repeat them here in short: 1. The task for
the economic treatment of the various administrative regions is
different depending on whether a country is involved which will
be incorporated politically into the German Reich or whether we
deal with the Government General, which, in all probability,
will not be made a part of Germany.

“In the first mentioned territories the reconstruction and
expansion of the economy, the safeguarding of all their
production facilities and supplies must be aimed at, as well as
a complete incorporation into the Greater German economic system
at the earliest possible time. On the other hand there must be
removed from the territories of the Government General all raw
materials, scrap materials, machines, etc., which are of use for
the German war economy. Enterprises which are not absolutely
necessary for the meager maintenance of the naked existence of
the population must be transferred to Germany, unless such
transfer would require an unreasonably long period of time and
would make it more practical to exploit those enterprises by
giving them German orders to be executed at their present
location.” (_EC-410_)

Goering acted as chairman of a meeting on 12 February 1940 to discuss “questions concerning the East,” attended also by Himmler and Frank. From the minutes of this meeting it appears:

“By way of introduction, the General Field Marshal explained
that the strengthening of the war potential of the Reich must be
the chief aim of all measures to be taken in the East.”
(_EC-305_).

The hand of Goering may also be found in the remainder of the Nazi plans for Poland. It was he, for example, who signed, with Hitler and Keitel, the secret decree which entrusted Himmler with the task of executing the Germanization program (_686-PS_). Similarly, it was Goering who, by virtue of his powers as Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan, issued a decree concerning confiscations in the incorporated eastern territories. This decree applied to “property of citizens of the former Polish State within the territory of the Greater German Reich, including the incorporated Eastern Territories”, and provided in part:

“SECTION 1. (1) The property of citizens of the former Polish
State within the territory of the Greater German Reich,
including the incorporated Eastern territories, shall be subject
to sequestration, trustee administration, and confiscation in
accordance with the following provisions.

“(2) Subsection 1 shall not apply to the property of persons
who, in accordance with Section 6 of the decree of the Fuehrer
and Reich Chancellor relating to the organization and
administration of the Eastern Territories of October 8, 1935
(RGBl, I, p. 2042), have acquired German nationality. The agency
having jurisdiction in accordance with Section 12 may allow
further exemptions.

* * * * * *

“SECTION 2. (2) Sequestration shall be ordered in connection
with the property of:

_a_. Jews.

_b_. Persons who have fled or are not merely temporarily
absent.

“(2) Sequestration may be ordered:

_a_. If the property is required for the public welfare,
particularly in the interests of Reich defense or the
strengthening of Germanism.

_b_. If the owners or other title holders immigrated
into the territory of the German Reich as it was then
delimited, after October 1, 1918.

* * * * * *