dtufail/nuremberg-trials-corpus huggingface dataset:
to the kreisleiter, and so no. The Fuehrer himself appointed all Gauleiter and Kreisleiter, all Reichsleiter, and all other political leaders within the Party Directorate (Reichsleitung) down to the grade of Gauamtsleiter, the head of a subdivision of the party organization within a Gau.
The Hoheitstraeger and Reichsleitung together constituted the all-powerful group of leaders by means of which the Nazi party reached into the lives of the people, consolidated its control over them, and compelled them to conform to the National Socialist pattern. For this purpose, broad powers were given them, including the right to call upon all party machinery to effectuate their plans. They could requisition the services of the SA and of the SS, as well as of the HJ and the NSKK.
The controlled party organizations (Gliederungen der NSDAP) actually constituted the party itself, and substantially the entire party membership was contained within these organizations, viz:
SA-NS Storm Troops (Sturmabteilungen).
SS-NS Elite Corps (Schutzstaffeln).
NSKK-NS Motor Corps (Kraftfahrkorps).
HJ-Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend).
NS Women's Organization (Frauenschaft).
NS German Students' Bund (Deutscher Studentenbund).
NS University Teachers' Bund (Deutscher Dozentenbund).
There were additional affiliated organizations (Angeschlossene Verbaende der NSDAP). Among these were included the following:
DAF-German Labor Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront).
NS Public Welfare Organization (Volkswohlfahrt).
NS War Victims' organization (Kriegsopferversorgung).
NS Bund for, German Technology (Bund Deutscher Technik).
German Civil Service (Reichsbund der deutschen Beamten).
NS Physicians' Bund (Deutscher Aerztebund).
NS Teachers' Bund (Lehrerbund).
NS League of Legal officials (Rechtswahrerbund).
A third group of organizations was officially Known as supervised organizations (Betreute Organisationen der NSDAP).
These included the following:
German Women's Work (Deutsches Frauenwerk).
German Students' Society (Deutsche Studentenschaft).
Teachers' Bund (Lehrerbund). NS League of Legal officials (Rechtswahrerbund). A third group of organizations was officially Known as supervised organizations (Betreute Organisationen der NSDAP). These included the following: German Women's Work (Deutsches Frauenwerk). German Students' Society (Deutsche Studentenschaft).
NS Bund of Former German Students (Altherrenbund der deutschen Studenten).
Reich League "German Family" (Reichsbund Deutsche Familie).
German Communal Congress (Deutscher Gemeindetag).
NS Bund for Physical Exercise (Reichsbund fuer Leibesuebungen).
According to the official party designations, there was a fourth classification known as Weitere Nationalsozialistische Organisationen, and in this category the following organizations appeared:
RAD-Reich Labor Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst), at one time subordinate to the Reich Labor leader (Reichsarbeitsfuehrer).
NSFK-NS Flying Corps (NS-Fliegerkorps), which was subordinate to the Reich Minister for Aviation.
2. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE THIRD REICH
The prosecution has prepared another chart (Chart No.18) delineating substantially the organizational structure of the government of the Third Reich, as it existed in March 1945, and "the chief leadership personnel of the Reich Government and the Reich administration during said years." This chart has been prepared on the basis of information contained in two well known official publications: The Taschenbuch fuer Verwaltungsbeamte, and the Nationalsozialistischer Jahrbuch, above mentioned, of which Robert Ley was publisher. The chart has been examined, corrected, and certified by Wilhelm Frick, whose affidavit is submitted with it. It seems plain that Frick, a former Minister of Interior of the Reich from January 1933 to August 1943, was well qualified, by reason of his position and long service in public office during the National Socialist regime, to certify to the substantial accuracy of the facts disclosed in this chart.
submitted with it. It seems plain that Frick, a former Minister of Interior of the Reich from January 1933 to August 1943, was well qualified, by reason of his position and long service in public office during the National Socialist regime, to certify to the substantial accuracy of the facts disclosed in this chart.
It may be useful to commence with consideration of the Reichsregierung, a word which may not be translated literally as "government of the Reich." the word Reichsregierung was a word of art applied collectively to the ministers who composed the German cabinet. The Reichsregierung, which has been named as a defendant group in this proceeding, includes the following:
a. Members of the ordinary cabinet after 30 January 1933, i.e. Reich ministers with and without portfolio and all other officials entitled to participate in the meetings of this cabinet.
b. Members of the Council of Ministers for the Defense of the Reich (Ministerrat fuer die Reichsverteidigung).
c. Members of the Secret Cabinet Council (Geheimer Kabinettsrat).
Unlike the cabinets and ministerial councils in countries not within the orbit of the former Axis, the Reichsregierung, after 30 January 1933 when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of the German Republic, did not remain merely the executive branch of the government. In short order it also came to possess, and it exercised, legislative and other functions in the governmental system developed under the domination of the national Socialist party.
30 January 1933 when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of the German Republic, did not remain merely the executive branch of the government. In short order it also came to possess, and it exercised, legislative and other functions in the governmental system developed under the domination of the national Socialist party.
It is proper to observe here that, unlike such NS party organizations as the SS and the SA, the Reichsregierung before 1933 was not a body created exclusively or predominantly for the purpose of committing illegal acts. The Reichsregierung was an instrument of government provided for by the Weimar Constitution. Under the Nazi regime, however, the Reichsregierung gradually became a primary agent of the party with functions formulated in accordance with the objectives and methods of the party. The party was intended to be a Fuehrerorden, an order of Fuehrers, a pool of political leaders; and whole the party was-in the words of a German law-"the bearer of the concept of the German State," it was not identical with the State. Hence, in order to realize its ideological and political objectives and to reach the German people, the party had to avail itself of official state channels. The Reichsregierung, and the agencies and offices established by it, were the chosen instruments by means of which party policies were converted into legislative and administrative acts binding upon the German people as a whole.
and to reach the German people, the party had to avail itself of official state channels. The Reichsregierung, and the agencies and offices established by it, were the chosen instruments by means of which party policies were converted into legislative and administrative acts binding upon the German people as a whole.
In order to accomplish this result, the Reichsregierung was thoroughly remodelled so as to coordinate party and state machinery, in order to impose the will of the Fuehrer on the German people. On 30 January 1933 the Reichsregierung contained but few National Socialists. but as the power of the party in the Reich grew, the composition of the cabinet came to include an ever-increasing number of Nazis until, by January 1937, no non-party member remained in the Reichsregierung. New cabinet posts were created and Nazis appointed to fill them. Many of these cabinet members were also in the Reichsleitung of the party.
To give a few examples: Rosenberg, the Delegate of the Fuehrer for Ideological Training and Education of the Party, was a member of the Reichsregierung as Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories (Reichsminister f. d. b. Ostgebiete). Frick, the leader of the National Socialist faction in the Reichstag, was also Minister of the Interior (Reichsinnenminister). Goebbels, the Reichsleiter for Propaganda, also sat in the cabinet as Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (Reichsminister fuer Volksaufklaerung und Propaganda).
Frick, the leader of the National Socialist faction in the Reichstag, was also Minister of the Interior (Reichsinnenminister). Goebbels, the Reichsleiter for Propaganda, also sat in the cabinet as Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (Reichsminister fuer Volksaufklaerung und Propaganda).
After 25 July 1934, party participation in the work of the cabinet was at all times attained through Rudolf Hess, the Deputy of the Fuehrer. By a decree of the Fuehrer, Hess was invested with power to take part in the editing of bills dealing with all departments of the Reich. Later this power of the Fuehrer's Deputy was expanded to include all executive decisions and orders published in the Reichsgesetzblatt. After Hess' flight to England in 1941, Martin Bormann took over, as his successor, the same function and, in addition, was given the authority of a Reich minister and made a member of the cabinet.
On 30 January 1937 Hitler accepted into the party those last few members of the cabinet who were not then party members. Only one cabinet member had the strength of character to reject membership in the party; he was the Minister of Ports and of Transportation, von Eltz-Ruebenach, who stated at the time that he was unable to reconcile membership in the NSDAP with his beliefs in Christianity. But such was not the case with Constantin von Neurath. He did not reject party membership. Nor did Erich Raeder reject party membership. And if Hjalmar Schacht was not already a party member at that time, then he too did not reject membership on 30 January 1937.
The chart shows many other instances where party members on the highest as well as on subordinate levels occupied corresponding or other positions in the organization of the state.
a. Hitler himself, the Fuehrer of the NSDAP, was also the Chancellor of the Reich, with which office the office of President of the German Republic was united after the death of President von Hindenburg in 1934.
on subordinate levels occupied corresponding or other positions in the organization of the state. a. Hitler himself, the Fuehrer of the NSDAP, was also the Chancellor of the Reich, with which office the office of President of the German Republic was united after the death of President von Hindenburg in 1934.
b. Goering, the successor designate of Hitler as Fuehrer of the NSDAP, was a member of the cabinet as Minister for Air (Luftfahrtminister), and he also held many other important positions, including that of Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe, the German air force, and Delegate for the Four Year Plan (Beauftragter f. d. Vierjahresplan).
c. Heinrich Himmler, the notorious head of the SS (Reichsfuehrer SS), was also Chief of the German Police, reporting to Frick. he himself later became Minister of the Interior after the attempted assassination of Hitler on 20 June 1944, which event also catapulted him into the position of Commander in Chief of the German Reserve Army.
The Reichstag, which was the German parliament, presents an anomaly in this picture. Under the Republic it had been the supreme law-making body of the Reich, subject only to a limited check by the Reichsrat (Council of the Reich), the President, and the German people themselves, by way of initiative and referendum. Putting their opposition to all forms of parliamentarism at once into effect, the Nazis proceeded  to curtail these legislative powers of the Reichstag, the Reichsrat, and the Reichspraesident.
By the Act of 24 March 1933 the cabinet was given unlimited legislative powers, including the right to deviate from the constitution. Subsequently the Reichsrat was abolished; and later, upon the death of President von Hindenburg in 1934, the posts of Chancellor and President were merged.
The development of the Reichstag into an emasculated legislative body was an intermediate step on the road to rule by Fuehrer decree, the ultimate goal of the National Socialist party-and one which it achieved.
death of President von Hindenburg in 1934, the posts of Chancellor and President were merged. The development of the Reichstag into an emasculated legislative body was an intermediate step on the road to rule by Fuehrer decree, the ultimate goal of the National Socialist party-and one which it achieved.
The Nazis then proceeded to delegate some of the functions of the Reichsregierung to various newly-created agencies. Cabinet functions were delegated:
1. To the Reichsverteidigungsrat, the Reich Defense Council, possibly as early as 4 April 1933 but certainly  not later than May 1935. This was a large war-planning group of which Hitler was chairman and Goering alternate. The group included many cabinet members, and a working committee, presided over by Fieldmarshal Wilhelm Keitel, was also composed of cabinet members and reich defense officials, the majority of whom were appointed by cabinet members and subordinate to them.
2. To the Plenipotentiary for War Economy (Generalbevollmaechtigter f. d. Kriegswirtschaft), Hjalmar Schacht (and later Walter Funk), who by the Secret Reich Defense Law of May 1935 was authorized to "begin his work already in peacetime."
3. To  the plenipotentiary for Administration (Generalbevollmaechtigter f. d. Reichsverwaltung), Wilhelm Frick, whose deputy, Himmler, later succeeded him, and who was appointed by a Secret Reich Defense Law. Subordinate to Frick as Plenipotentiary were the ministries of the Interior, Justice, Education, Church Affairs and Raumordnung (Spatial Planning).
4. To the Delegate for the Four Year Plan (Beauftragter f. d. Vierjahresplan), Goering.
5. To the Dreierkollegium, the College of Three, consisting of the two Plenipotentiaries for War Economy and Administration, and Fieldmarshal Keitel as chief of the OKW. The duties of this Dreierkollegium appear to have included the drafting of decrees in preparation of and for use during the war.
5. To the Dreierkollegium, the College of Three, consisting of the two Plenipotentiaries for War Economy and Administration, and Fieldmarshal Keitel as chief of the OKW. The duties of this Dreierkollegium appear to have included the drafting of decrees in preparation of and for use during the war.
6. To the Geheime Kabinettsrat, the Secret Cabinet Council, created by Fuehrer decree in February 1938, of which von Neurath was president; and
7. To the Ministerrat f. d. Reichsverteidigung, the Council of Ministers for the Defense of the Reich, established by Fuehrer decree on 30 August 1939 and responsible to him alone. Its membership was taken from the Reich Defense Council. It had broad powers to issue decrees with force of law insofar as the Reichsregierung itself had not legislated on the subject.
It should be stressed that this delegation of cabinet functions and authority to various secret and semi-secret groups composed largely of its own members, helped to conceal some of the most important policies of the Reichsregierung, particularly those relating to preparation for war.
Thus, step by step, the National Socialist party succeeded in putting its policies into effect through the machinery of the state, the Reichsregierung, in its revised from.
Chapter V
Contents
Chapter VII
MEANS USED BY THE NAZI CONSPIRATORS IN GAINING CONTROL OF THE GERMAN STATE 1. COMMON OBJECTIVES, METHODS, AND DOCTRINES OF THE CONSPIRACY In 1921 Adolf Hitler became the supreme leader or Fuehrer of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers Party), also known as the Nazi Party, which had been founded in Germany in 1920. He continued as such throughout the period covered by the Indictment. As will be shown, the Nazi Party, together with certain of its subsidiary organizations, became the instrument of cohesion among the defendants and their co-conspirators and an instrument for the carrying out of the aims and purposes of the conspiracy. And as will also be shown, each defendant became a member of the Nazi party and of the conspiracy, with knowledge of their aims and purposes, or, with such knowledge, became an accessory to their aims and purposes at some stage of the development of the conspiracy. A. aims and Purposes. the aims and purposes of the Nazi conspirators were: (1) To abrogate and overthrow the Treaty of Versailles and its restrictions upon the military armament and activity of Germany. The first major public meeting of the NSDAP took place in Munich on 24 February 1920. At that meeting Hitler publicly announced the Program of the Party. That program, consisting of 25 points (annually reprinted in the National socialist yearbook), was referred to as "The political foundation of the NSDAP and therewith the fundamental political law of the state," and "has remained unaltered" since the date of its promulgation. Section 2 of the Program provided as follows: "We demand equality of rights for the German people with respect to other nations, and abolition of the Peace Treaties of Versailles and St. Germain." (1708-PS) In a speech at Munich on 13 April 1923, Hitler said: "It was no peace Treaty which they have signed, but a betrayal of Peace. So long as this Treaty stands there can be no resurrection of the German people: no social reform of any kind is possible. The Treaty was made in order to bring 20 million Germans to their deaths and to ruin the German nation. but those who made the Treaty cannot set it aside. At its foundation our movement formulated three demands: 1. Setting aside of the Peace Treaty 2. Unification of all Germans
no social reform of any kind is possible. The Treaty was made in order to bring 20 million Germans to their deaths and to ruin the German nation. but those who made the Treaty cannot set it aside. At its foundation our movement formulated three demands: 1. Setting aside of the Peace Treaty 2. Unification of all Germans 3. land and soil (Grund and Boden) to feed our nation." (2405-PS) On August 1, 1923 Hitler declared: "The day must come when a German government shall summon up the courage to declare to the foreign powers: 'The Treaty of Versailles is founded on a monstrous lies' We fulfill nothing more. Do what you will! If you want battle, look for it! Then we shall see whether you can turn 70 million Germans into serfs and slaves!" (2405-PS; see also additional statements of Hitler contained in 2405-PS castigating those Germans who shared responsibility for the Treaty of Versailles, viz; the "November criminals.") In his speech of 30 January 1941 Hitler alluded to the consistency of his record concerning the aims of National Socialist foreign policy: "My foreign policy had identical aims. My program was to abolish the treaty of Versailles. It is futile nonsense for the rest of the world to pretend today that I did not reveal this program until 1933 or 1935 or 1937. Instead of listening to the foolish chatter of emigres, these gentlemen would have been wiser to read what I have written thousands of times. "No human being has declared or recorded what he wanted more than I. Again and again I wrote these words: 'The abolition of the Treaty of Versailles'. * * *" (2541-PS) Similar views were expressed by other Nazi conspirators. Rosenberg stated that the lie of Germany's war guilt was the basis of the Treaties of Versailles and St. Germain. he rejected the idea of a "revision" of those Treaties and demanded outright cancellation. (2433-PS) Hess, in advocating rearmament in violation of treaty restrictions, stated in 1936 that "guns instead of butter" were necessary lest "one day our last butter be taken from us." (2426-PS) (2) To acquire the territories lost by Germany as the result of the World war of 1914-1918, and other territories in Europe asserted to be occupied by so-called "racial Germans." Section I of the Nazi
in 1936 that "guns instead of butter" were necessary lest "one day our last butter be taken from us." (2426-PS) (2) To acquire the territories lost by Germany as the result of the World war of 1914-1918, and other territories in Europe asserted to be occupied by so-called "racial Germans." Section I of the Nazi Party Platform gave advance notice of the intentions of the Nazi conspirators to claim territories occupied by so-called racial Germans. It provided: "We demand the unification of all Germans in the Greater Germany on the basis of the right of self-determination of people." (1708-PS) While Rosenberg pointed out in 1922 that it was not possible at that time to designate "such European and nonEuropean territories which would be taken into consideration for colonization" he nevertheless stated that the following could be laid down as a basic objective, namely that "* * * German Foreign Policy must make its most important primary goal the consolidation of all Germans living closely together in Europe in one state and to secure the territory of what today is the Polish-Czech East." (2433-PS) In his Reichstag speech of 20 February 1928 Hitler said: "The claim, therefore, for German colonial possession will be voiced from year to year with increasing vigor, possessions which Germany did not take away from other countries, and which today are virtually of no value to these powers, but appear indispensable for our own people." (2772-PS) Again, in his Reichstag speech of 30 January 1939 Hitler declared: "The theft of the German colonies was morally unjustified. Economically, it was utter insanity. The political motives advanced were so mean that one is tempted to call them silly. In 1918, after the end of the war, the victorious Powers really would have had the authority to bring about a reasonable settlement of international problems. *** "The great German colonial possessions, which the Reich once acquired peacefully by treaties and by paying for them, have been stolen-contrary indeed to the solemn assurance given by President Wilson, which was the basic condition on which Germany laid down her arms. The objection that these colonial possessions are of no importance in any case should only lead to their being returned to us with an easy mind." (2773-PS) (3) To acquire further