The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-08-08
Nuzis Killed Commissors For Skulls
 Undamaged Heads
 Of Jews Were Kept
 For Anatomical Study


 For Anatomical Study
 Nuremberg, Aug 8.-(UP)-The war crimes court today received ev- idence of ghoulish Nazi scheme to collect the undamaged skulls of live Jewish BolShevik commisSars" for an anatomical museum at Stras- bourg.
 SS Col. Wolfram Sievers was charged with taking part in the skull collecting experiment, and admit ted that he knew about the plan. The prosecution presented the evil dence in rounding out its case against the Nazi SS or Elite Guard, one of the organizations on trial here.
 Documents presented to the tribu- nal sketclled the scheme, the origin of which was attributed to Heinrich Himnller, Gestapo chief who gulped poison after he was arrested at the end of the war.
 Knew About Collection
 The bearded Sievers admitted that he knew about collection of skulls which were sent in individual metal containers to StraSbourg, but denied that he had any part in it.
 The documents showed that the victims were taken alive to a secret place, where great care was taken in killing them to see that the skulls were not damaged.
 ElWyn Jones, British prosecutor charged Sievers with perjury, the first such charge in the trial. He said SieVerS, head of the ancestral and hereditary department of the SS, was vital cog in this machine of murder"
 Jones cited contradictions between Sievers' testimony to the commission of the tribunal and facts revealed in 12 newly discovered documents found in Berlin and represented as having been prompted by Hitler.
 Assisted in Work
 Jones confronted Sievers with letter from Himmler's adjutant written in November, 1942. It men, tioned that Sievers assisted Dr. Hirt in collecting skulls for the museum.
 Sievers, tugging nervously at his beard, said the skulls had been col lected for academic research" He said they were to come from the Os- Wiecim concentration camp.
 Jones then read from letter Sievers sent to Hin1nler'S adjutant enclosing a report from Hirt which said
 We have a nearly complete col lection of skulls of all races and people at our disposal"
 Lacked Specimens
 Of the Jewish races, however" the letter, only a few specimens are available, and as a result t Ks impossible to arrive at precise con- eluSions by examining them. The war in the east now presents us with an opportunity to overcome this deficiency.
 By procuring the skulls of Jew ish Bolshevik commissarS who rep resent prototype Of repulsive but characteristic sub-human, We have chance now to obtain scientific document"
 The order specified that the con- miSsarS were to be taken alive and treated well while their heads were measured and casts made.
 Following the subsequently, in duced death of the Jew, whose head should not be damaged, the delegate will separate the head from the body and will forward 1t to it's proper point of destination in a hermatical- ly sealed tin can" the letter said.
 Hesitating and gesturing helpless ". the witness said he acted only as a mail man. in the matter and knew nothing Of the details. Jones snapped, another distinguished Nazi poStman"
 The prosecutor then revealed aa- other letter from Himmler'S office ordering Sievers to take charge Of assembling the skulls. When Sievers repeatedly refused to give informa- ton on the origin of the skulls, Jones said, q have given you second chance to tell the truth, and again you chose perjury"
 Upon the mention of perjury, Sievers broke down and admitted that the skulls came from Oswiecim. Dr. Konrad Morgen. former SS major. earlier told the court that Jews with connections abroad were allowed to live comfortably in a concentration camp.
 Bodies Destroyed Jones produced letter from Sievers recommending that with the approach of the Allied armies to the bodies of ll5 persons exterminated to. form the skeleton collection be "defeshed" to prevent their identification.
 He recommended that if his sug- gestion was not approved by Hitler's office that the bodies could be de- clared as having been left by the French at the time we took over the anatomical institute" Other documents showed that the | bodies were in fact, destroyed
 Sievers admitted that Hirt used | 30 persons in experiments with new poison gas called Host gas but l described them as volunteers.