dtufail/nuremberg-trials-corpus huggingface dataset:
M. GERTHOFFER: In any case, for the duration of the war uniform payment by Denmark is assured." The writer of this report says that the levies to 31 March 1944, for occupation expenses, amount to: 1940-1941, 531 million crowns; 1941-1942, 437 million crowns; 1942-1943, 612 million crowns; 1943-1944, 1,391 million crowns; which represents, up to 31 March 1944, levies amounting to 2,971 million crowns. This corresponds to the information given by the Danish Government for approximately the same period-2,723 million crowns. The same German report shows that the rate of exchange for the mark, as compared to the rate of exchange for the crown, had been fixed by the occupying powers at 47.7, then at 53.1 marks per 100 crowns. Even though the Germans claim, against all evidence, that Denmark was not an occupied territory, they levied in this country the total sum of 4,830 million crowns, an enormous sum in view of the number of inhabitants and the resources of the country. In reality, this was nothing other than a war tribute which Germany imposed under the pretext of furnishing means of payment to her army stationed in Denmark. The maintenance of the army necessary for occupying Denmark did not necessitate such large expenses. It is evident that the Germans used, as in other countries, the majority of the funds extorted from Denmark to finance their war effort. Chapter II clearing. In 1931 Germany faced financial difficulties, which she used as a pretext to declare a general moratorium on all her foreign obligations. Nevertheless, to be able to continue, to a certain extent, her commercial operations with foreign countries, she concluded with most of the other nations agreements permitting the payment of her commercial debts, and even of certain financial debts, on the basis of a system of compensation called "clearing". Ever since the beginning of the occupation, 9 April 1940, and for its duration, the Danish authorities. did everything they could, but in vain, to counteract German activity in this direction.
M. GERTHOFFER: Under the pressure of occupying forces Denmark could not prevent her credit in the clearing balance from constantly increasing, owing to the German purchases which were made without the guarantee of any equivalent. According to the Danish Government, the credit balance of the account progressed in the following way: 31 December 1940, 388,800,000 crowns; 31 December 1941, 784,400,000 crowns; 31 December 1942, 1,062,200,000 crowns; 31 December 1943, 1,915,800,000 crowns; 31 December 1944, 2,694,600,000 crowns; 30 April 1945, 2,900 million crowns. These data are corroborated by those of the German report which I submitted a few minutes ago under Exhibit Number RF-116 (Document Number EC-86), and according to which, on 31 March 1944, the Germans had procured for themselves means of payment, through clearing, amounting to a total sum of 2,243 million crowns. It has not been possible to establish the use the occupants made of the sum of 7,730 million crowns which they obtained fraudulently, to the detriment of Denmark, with the help of the indemnity of occupation and of clearing. The information which we have up to now does not enable us to estimate the extent of the operations carried out by the Germans on the black market. Nevertheless, the writer of the report of 10 October 1944, presented previously, indicates; and I quote: "An estimate of the amounts spent on the black market must not be made. Of course, one may assume that members of the Wehrmacht are buying at top prices butter and other products in Denmark. But it is impossible to fix these sums even approximately, for the black market seems to be less widespread and less well co-ordinated than in the other occupied territories of the West, and is closer to the structure of the German black market with its fluctuating prices. Nevertheless, the prices of the Danish black market can generally be considered as much lower than the German prices.
M. GERTHOFFER: It is, therefore, not possible to speak of an average high price, as for instance in France, Belgium, and Holland." It is worth noting that the Germans, and especially members of the Wehrmacht, used to operate on the black market and that payment was effected with funds extorted from Denmark. Concerning the apparently regular requisitions, we also lack the necessary information to be able to give precise details. Nevertheless, according to a secret report of 15 October 1944, addressed by the German officer of the Economic Staff for Denmark to his superiors in Frankfurt an der Oder, a document discovered by the United States Army and which I submit as Document Number RF-117, the following goods were requistioned by his department: "From January to July 1943, 30,000 tons of turf; in May 1944, 6,000 meters of wood...." The writer adds that they tried to push this production to 10,000 cubic meters per month. ". . . in September 1944, 5,785 cubic meters of cut timber, 1,110 meters of uncut timber, 1,050 square meters of plywood, 119 tons of paint for ships, and special wood for the navy." Gentlemen, this is but an enumeration of the requisitions which just one German section happened to make within a short time. Denmark had to furnish large quantities of cement. Germany furnished her, in exchange, with the coal necessary for this manufacture. According to this report which I have mentioned, in August 1944 the Germans bought in Denmark foodstuffs for over 8,312,278 crowns. These figures are less than the truth. According to the last information we have received from the Danish Government, the requisitions of agricultural items alone amounted, on an average, to 70 million crowns per month; which represents, for 60 months of occupation, requisitions to a value of 4,200 million crowns. Chapter III, requisitions not followed by payment.
M. GERTHOFFER: Apart from that which they managed to buy with the help of crowns which were deposited in their accounts under the pretext of the maintenance of the army of occupation and of clearing, the Germans appropriated an important quantity of things without having paid for them in any seemingly regular manner. It was in this way that they appropriated supplies from the Danish Army and Navy-lorries, horses, means of transport, furniture, clothing, the amount of which to date has not been evaluated but might be estimated at about 850 million crowns. Many requisitions and secret or even apparent purchases have not yet been estimated exactly. The same report, submitted under Document Number EF-115, contains, on the part of the Danish Government, an approximate and provisional estimate of the damages sustained by Denmark and of the German plunder, which amounts to 11,600 million crowns. The information which we have to date does not permit me to give any more particulars concerning Denmark. I will, therefore, if the Tribunal will permit me, begin with the particular case of Norway. The economic plundering of Norway. The German troops had only arrived in Norway when Hitler declared, on 18 April 1940, that the economic exploitation of that country should be proceeded with, and for that reason Norway must be considered as an enemy state. The information which we have on the economic plundering of Norway is rather brief; but it is, nevertheless, sufficient to estimate the German activity in this country during the entire period of the occupation. Norway was subjected to a regime of most severe rationing. As soon as they entered the country, the Germans tried-and this was contrary to the most elementary principles of International Law-to draw from Norway the maximum resources possible.
M. GERTHOFFER: In a document discovered by the United States Army, Document Number ECH-34, which I submit as Exhibit Number RF-118, a document which consists of the Journal de Marche of the economy and armament service in Norway, written in April 1940, we have excerpts of the directives relative to administration and economy in the occupied territories. Here are some excerpts from this document: "Directive of Armament Economy: "Norwegian industry, to the extent to which it does not directly supply the population, is, in its essential branches, of particular importance for the German war industry. That is why its production must be put, as soon as possible, at the disposal of the German armament industry, if this has not already been done. This production consists mainly of inter mediate products, which require a certain amount of time to be turned into useful products, and of raw materials which -such as aluminum, for example-can be used while we wait for our own factories, which are being built, to be in a position to produce. I "In this connection, above all, the following industrial branches must be taken into consideration: "Mining plants for the production of copper, zinc, nickel, titanium, wolfram, molybdenum, silver, pyrites. "Furnaces for the production of alumina, aluminum, copper, nickel, zinc. "Chemical industries for the production of explosives, synthetic nitrogen, calcium nitrate, superphosphate, calcium carbide, and sodium products. "Armament industries, naval dockyards, power stations, especially those which are supplying electric current to the above-named industries. "The production capacities of these industries must be maintained at the highest possible level for the duration of the occupation. "A certain measure of assistance by the Reich will, at times, be necessary to overcome industrial bottlenecks which are to be expected on account of the cutting off of English and overseas imports. "Of particular importance is the guaranteeing of raw material industries which to a considerable part depend on overseas imports.
M. GERTHOFFER: "For the moment it may be left undecided whether a future supply of bauxite from the German stocks is necessary for utilizing the capacities of the aluminum plants." As soon as the troops entered Norway, Germany issued notes of the Reichskreditkasse which were legal tender only in Norway and which could not be used in Germany. As in the other occupied countries, this was a means of pressure to obtain financial advantages, which were supposedly freely given by the brutally enslaved countries. The Germans did their best to become masters of the means of payment and of Norwegian credit by the two methods which have become classic: Imposition of a veritable war tribute, on the pretext of the maintenance of the army of occupation, and also the working of a system of clearing to their profit. German seizure of the means of payment. First, indemnities for the maintenance of the army of occupation. At the beginning of the occupation, the Germans used for their purchases notes of the Reichskreditkasse. The Norwegian holders of this paper money used to change it at the Bank of Norway, but this financial institution could not obtain from the Reichskreditkasse any real equivalent. In July 1940 the Bank of Norway had to absorb 135 million Reichsmark from the Reichskreditkasse. To avoid losing control over monetary circulation, the Bank of Norway was obliged to put the Norwegian notes at the disposal of the Germans, who drew checks on the Reichskreditkasse which the Bank of Norway was obliged to discount. The debit account of the Bank of Norway, following the German levies, amounted to: 1,450 million crowns at the end of 1940; 3,000 million crowns at the end of 1941; 6,300 million crowns at the end of 1942; 8,700 million crowns at the end of 1943; 11,676 million crowns at the liberation of the country. All the Norwegian protests were in vain in the face of German extortions.
M. GERTHOFFER: The constant threat of the new issuing of notes of the Reichskreditkasse as instruments of obligatory payment beside the Norwegian currency obliged the local financial authorities to accept the system of levies on account, without actual cover, which was less dangerous than the issuing of paper money over the circulation of which the Norwegian administration had no power of control. This may be seen in particular from a secret letter sent on 17 June 1941 by General Von Falkenhorst, Commander-in-Chief in Norway, to the Reich Commissioner, Reichsleiter Terboven, a copy of which was found not long ago in Norway and which I submit to the Tribunal as Document Number RF-119. In this document, after having stated that one could not reduce the expenses of the Wehrmacht in Norway, Von Falkenhorst writes: "I am, however, of the opinion that the problem cannot be solved at all in this manner. The only remedy is to abandon completely the actual monetary system by introducing Reich currency. But of course this does not come into my domain. I regret, therefore, that I am not able to propose any other remedies to you, although I am fully conscious of the seriousness of the situation in which you find yourself." To the indemnities for the alleged maintenance of the army of occupation must be added a sum of 3,600 million crowns paid by the Norwegian Treasury for the billeting of German troops. This information comes to us from a report from the Norwegian Government, which I submit as Document Number RP-120. From the sum of approximately 12,000 million crowns levied for the alleged 'maintenance of the occupation troops, a large part was used for other purposes; for the police and propaganda, in particular, the occupation spent 900 million crowns. This comes from a second report of the Norwegian Government, which I submit as Document Number RF-121. Secondly, clearing.
M. GERTHOFFER: The clearing agreement of 1937 for the barter of goods between Norway and Germany remained in force during the occupation but it was the Bank of Norway which had to advance the necessary funds for the Norwegian exporters. The Germans also concluded clearing agreements in the name of Norway with other occupied countries, neutral countries, and with Italy. At the liberation, the credit balance of Norwegian clearing amounted to 90 million crowns but this balance does not show the actual situation. In fact: 1) The imports destined to the German military needs in Norway were handled through clearing in a very improper manner; 2) For certain goods especially (pelts, furs, and fish) the Germans had demanded that exportation should be made to the Reich. Then they sold these products again in other countries, especially Italy as far as fish was concerned; 3) The Germans, who controlled the fixing of prices, systematically raised the price of all products imported into Norway which, moreover, were used for the greater part for the military needs of the occupation. On the other hand, they systematically lowered the prices of the products exported from Norway. In spite of all their efforts and sacrifices, and owing to the fraudulent operations of the occupiers, the Norwegian authorities could not prevent a very dangerous inflation. From the report of the Norwegian Government, which I submitted under Document Number RP-120 a few moments ago, it is seen that the paper currency which in April 1940 amounted to 712 million crowns, rose progressively to reach, on 7 May 1945, 3,039 million crowns. An inflation of this extent, resulting from the activities of the occupiers, enables us to measure the impoverishment of the country. The same report indicates that the Germans did not manage to seize the gold of the Norwegian Bank, as that had been hidden in good time. Let us now, Gentlemen, examine the levies in kind. The Germans proceeded, in Norway, to make numerous requisitions which were or were not followed by so-called regular payments.
M. GERTHOFFER: According to the report of the Norwegian Government, here is the list of requisitioned goods: Meat, 30,000 toils; dairy products and eggs, 61,000 tons; fish, 26,000 tons; fruit and vegetables, 68,000 tons; potatoes, 500,000 tons; beverages and vinegar, 112,000 tons; fats, 10,000 tons; wheat and flour, 3,000 tons; other foodstuffs, 5,000 tons; hay and straw, 300,000 tons; other fodder, 13,000 tons; soap, 8,000 tons. But this list which I have just read to the Tribunal includes only the official purchases, which were made with Norwegian currency and paid for through clearing ; it does not include the illicit purchases. At present, it is not yet possible to make estimates. As an example, we can say, however, that the export of fish, most of which went to Germany, for I year only (1942) came to about 202,400 tons, whereas the official requisitions during the whole occupation amounted only to 26,000 tons. As in other occupied territories, the Germans forced the continuation of work under threat of arrest. Most of the Norwegian merchant fleet escaped from the Germans; nevertheless, they requisitioned all the ships they could, especially most of the fishing boats. Even if the occupier could not seize all railway rolling stock, trams, as well as about 30,000 motor vehicles, were transported to Germany. If we refer to the report of 10 October 1944 of the German Economic Service, which I submitted under Exhibit RF-116 (Document Number EC-86), we will see that the writer of the report himself estimates that the effort demanded from Norway was beyond her possibilities; and he writes: "...Norwegian economy is especially heavily burdened by the demands of the occupation Forces. For this reason the cost of occupation had to be limited to cover only a part of the expenses of the Wehrmacht ......
M. GERTHOFFER: After having mentioned that the cost of occupation which had been collected up to January 1943 amounted to 7,535 million crowns, which corroborates the data given by the- Norwegian Government, the writer of the German report says: "This sum of more than 5,000 million Reichsmark is, indeed, very high for Norway. Much richer countries, as for example, Belgium, pay hardly more, and Denmark does not even supply half of this sum. These large payments can only be made possible by German additions. It is, therefore, not surprising that the German-Norwegian trade is in Germany's favor-that is, it is subsidized. Norway, owing to her very small population, can hardly put labor at the disposal of the German war economy. She is, therefore, one of the few countries which owe us certain amounts in clearing." Further on, the writer adds: ". . . If we deduct approximately 140 million Reichsmark from the expenses of the occupation and the various credits calculated above, we have Norwegian payments to the still considerable amount of approximately 4,900 million Reichsmark."
THE PRESIDENT: Perhaps that would be a good time to break off. [The Tribunal recessed until 1400 hours.]
M. GERTHOFFER: I had the honor, this morning, of relating to you how the occupiers were able to exact great quantities of the means of payment from Norway. We shall now see, from the first data which have been given us, the use to which the occupiers put these means of payment. The Germans seized, as in the other occupied countries, considerable private property on some pretext or other-property belonging to Jews, Freemasons, or Scout associations. It has been impossible, so far, to make a very exact evaluation of this spoliation. We can therefore only give some indication from memory. According to the report of the Norwegian Government, submitted under Document Number RF-121, in 1941 the Germans seized all the radio gets . , .
THE PRESIDENT: Have you any evidence to support the facts you are stating now?
M. GERTHOFFER: This is based on information contained in the report of the Norwegian Government which I have submitted under Document Number RF-121.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
M. GERTHOFFER: According to that report, in 1941 the Germans seized almost all the radio sets belonging to private individuals. The value of these radio sets is approximately 120 million kroner. The Germans imposed heavy fines on the Norwegian communities under the most varied pretexts, notably Allied bombing raids and acts of sabotage. In the report presented under Document Number RF-121 the Norwegian Government gives two or three examples of these collective fines: on 4 March 1941, after a raid on Lofoten, the population of the small community of Ostvagoy had to pay 100,000 kroner. Communities also had to support German families and families of "Quislings." On 25 September 1942, after a British raid on Oslo, one hundred citizens were obliged to pay 3,500,000 kroner., In January 1941 Trondheim, Stavanger, and Vest-Opland had to pay 60,000, 50,000, and 100,000 kroner, respectively. In September 1941 the municipality of Stavanger was obliged to pay 2 million kroner for an alleged sabotage of telegraph lines. In August 1941 Rogaland had to pay 500,000 kroner, and Aalesund had to pay 100,000 kroner. It can thus be stated in principle that, by various procedures which differed hardly from those employed in other countries, the Germans during the occupation of Norway not only exhausted all the financial resources of that country but placed it considerably in debt. It has not been possible to furnish a detailed account of German extortions, whether made after requisitions, followed or not by indemnities, or by purchase, apparently conducted by mutual agreement fictitiously settled with those very means of payment extorted from Norway. In the report which I have submitted under Document Number RF-121, the Norwegian Government tabulated the damages and losses suffered by its country. I shall give a summary of this table to the Tribunal.
M. GERTHOFFER: The Norwegian Government estimates that the damages suffered by industry and commerce amount to a total of 440 million kroner, of which the Germans have paid, fictitiously of course, only 7 million kroner; merchant vessels to the value of 1,733 million kroner, for which Germany has made no settlement; damage to ports and installations amounts to 74 million kroner, for which Germany has settled fictitiously only to the extent of I million kroner; for railroads, canals, airports, and their installations, the spoliation represents the sum of 947 million, for which Germany has fictitiously paid 490 million kroner; roads and bridges, 199 million kroner, for which the settlement amounts to 67 million; spoliation of agriculture reached 242 million kroner, of which only 46 million have been settled; personal property, 239 million, of which nothing has been settled; various requisitions, not included, in the preceding categories, amount to 1,566 million kroner, for which the occupier, fictitiously, has settled up to the amount of 1,154 million kroner. The Norwegian Government estimates that the years of man-labor applied to the German war effort represent a sum of 226 million kroner. It estimates, on the other hand, that the years of man-labor lost to the national economy by deportation to Germany and forced labor by the order of Germany amounts to 3,122 million kroner. Forced payments to German institutions amount to 11,054 million kroner, for which Germany has made no settlement. whatsoever. The grand total, according to the Norwegian Government, is 21,086 million kroner, which represents 4,700 million dollars. Norway suffered particularly during the German occupation. Indeed, though her resources are considerable, notably timber from the forests, minerals such as nickel, wolfram, molybdenum, zinc, copper, and aluminum, nevertheless Norway must import indispensable food products for feeding her population. As the Germans had absolute control over maritime traffic, nothing could come into Norway without their consent.