dtufail/nuremberg-trials-corpus huggingface dataset:
issued and if it is necessary." "I mean the clearing out of the Jews, the extermination of the Jewish race. It's one of those things. It is easy to talk about 'the Jewish race is being exterminated,' says one Party member, 'that's quite clear, it's in our program, elimination of the Jews and we're doing it, exterminating them.' And then they come, 80 million worthy Germans, and each one has his decent Jew. Of course the others are vermin, but this one is an A-1 Jew. Not one of all those who talk this way has witnessed it, not one of them has been through it. Most of you must know what it means when one hundred corpses are lying side by side, or five hundred, or a thousand. To have stuck it out and at the same time apart from exceptions caused by human weakness to have remained decent fellows, that is what has made us hard. This is a page of glory in our history which has never been written, for we know how difficult we should have made it for ourselves, if with the bombing raids, the burdens, and the deprivations of war we still had Jews today in every town as secret saboteurs, agitators, and trouble-mongers. We would now probably have reached the 1916-17 stage when the Jews were still in the German national body. "We have taken from them what wealth they had. I have issued a strict order, which SS Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl has carried out, that this wealth should, as a matter of course, be handed over to the Reich without reserve." And so the arm of destruction was the SS. On 31 July 1941 Heydrich, chief of the Security Police and SD, was charged with the "final solution" of the Jewish question in the German sphere of influence in Europe. With the advance of the German armies in Russia, Einsatzgruppen of the Security Police and SD murdered Jews and Communist intellectuals by the hundreds of thousands. The slaughter was so wanton and sadistic that one administrative official of the Reich Minister for the occupied territories was prompted to write: "I have forbidden the wild executions of Jews in Liepaja [Lepaya] because they were not justifiable in the manner in which they were carried out. "I should like to be informed whether your inquiry of 31 October is to be regarded as a directive to liquidate all Jews in the
was prompted to write: "I have forbidden the wild executions of Jews in Liepaja [Lepaya] because they were not justifiable in the manner in which they were carried out. "I should like to be informed whether your inquiry of 31 October is to be regarded as a directive to liquidate all Jews in the East? Shall this take place without regard to age, sex, and economic interests (of the Wehrmacht, for instance in specialists in the armament industry)?" The answer came back that "economic considerations should fundamentally remain unconsidered in the settlement of the problem" and that "questions arising (should) be settled directly with the Higher SS and Police Leaders". Cases were reported where persons who had been shot worked themselves out of their graves some time after they had been covered. The extermination of the Jews was not limited to the Einsatzgruppen. Indeed, the slaughter in the charnel houses of Auschwitz, Treblinka, Majdanek, Belsec, and Sobibor was on a vaster scale. These extermination camps were all located in Poland. After the invasion of Poland, all Jews were forced to register, live in ghettos, and wear the yellow star. The "final solution" of the Jewish problem could be resolved, therefore, with almost assembly line precision. Train loads of Jews were evacuated from the ghettos to such camps as Auschwitz where the test of life or death was physical ability to work. Hoess, the commandant of Auschwitz until 1 Decmeber 1943, described the screening process in the following language: "We had two SS doctors on duty at Auschwitz to examine the incoming transports of prisoners. The prisoners would be marched by one of the doctors who would make spot decisions as they walked by. Those who were fit for work were sent into the camp. Others were sent immediately to the extermination plants. Children of tender years were invariably exterminated since by reason of their youth they were unable to work. Still another improvement we made over Treblinka was that at Treblinka the victims almost always knew that they were to be exterminated and at Auschwitz we endeavored to fool the victims into thinking that they were to go through a delousing process. Of course, frequently they realized our true intentions and we sometimes had riots and difficulties due to that fact.
the victims almost always knew that they were to be exterminated and at Auschwitz we endeavored to fool the victims into thinking that they were to go through a delousing process. Of course, frequently they realized our true intentions and we sometimes had riots and difficulties due to that fact. Very frequently women would hide their children under their clothing, but of course, when we found them we would send the children in to be exterminated." From 3 March 1942 until the end, Auschwitz was one of the many concentration camps under the jurisdiction of the WVHA. The great influx of Jews in 1942 apparently so overtaxed the facilities at Auschwitz that the defendant Pohl, in November of that year, wrote to the Reich Minister of Finance in an effort to have the camp enlarged. Extermination centers similar to Auschwitz existed at Treblinka, Majdanek, Belsec, and Sobibor in the vicinity of Lublin. There the procedure was the same. The victims were stripped of their clothes, money, and valuables. The hair of the women was cut off, later to be manufactured into mattresses. Then, herded like so many cattle, the naked men, women, and children were driven to their death in the gas chambers. Gold teeth were pulled from the mouths of the corpses. An attempt was even made to manufacture soap from the fatty parts of the bodies, while the ashes remaining after cremation were used for fertilizer. This was indeed a gruesomely commercial exploitation of death on a mass basis. In this compounded crime of genocide, the WVHA played a very essential part. This extermination of peoples, this mass deportation of slave labor in concentration camps, gave rise to the confiscation, or to put it more precisely, the theft of property on a gigantic scale. To the defendant Pohl and his collaborators in the WVHA fell the task of collecting that property and mustering those slaves for use by the Third Reich. As to Auschwitz, no problem existed as it was already under the control of the WVHA. As to the operations of the Einsatzgruppen and the Higher SS and Police Leaders in occupied Europe, however, new administrative machinery had to be created by Pohl. In August 1942, with the approval of Himmler, he appointed SS economic administrators to be attached to the staffs of
the WVHA. As to the operations of the Einsatzgruppen and the Higher SS and Police Leaders in occupied Europe, however, new administrative machinery had to be created by Pohl. In August 1942, with the approval of Himmler, he appointed SS economic administrators to be attached to the staffs of the Higher SS and Police Leaders. Among other things, it was the duty of the SS economic administrator to hold all booty and raw material for disposal by the WVHA. He had supervisory rights over all concentration and labor camps under the jurisdiction of the Higher SS and Police Leader. Allocations of labor were directed by him and economic enterprises were under his supervision. Executions in concentration camps had to be reported to him and then to the WVHA. The extermination camps in the vicinity of Lublin, such as Treblinka and Majdanek, gave rise to special problems because of the magnitude of their operations. These camps were, until the latter part of 1943, under the jurisdiction of one Odilo Globocnik, the Higher SS and Police Leader, Lublin. In order to coordinate the undertaking, a special staff "G" was created within the framework of the WVHA. The head of this staff was Globocnik while the administrative and accounting personnel was supplied by the WVHA. It was the task of special staff "G" to seize and account for all property in the Government General of occupied Poland derived from the extermination and enslavement of Jews. This ghoulish program was called "Action Reinhardt" presumably in honor of Reinhard Heydrich who was assassinated in the summer of 1942. In order to appreciate the extent of Action Reinhardt and the criminal participation of the WVHA in carrying it out, it will be convenient to consider the action in three steps; first, the deportation of Jews; second, the exploitation of personal property; and third, the exploitation of Jewish manpower and industrial equipment. The removal of Jews from the Warsaw ghetto for extermination or enslavement in the camps of Lublin is a typical example of the deportation phase of Action Reinhardt. The final destruction of the Warsaw ghetto in April and May 1943 was one of the most horrible chapters in Jewish persecution. The ghetto was established in Warsaw in November 1940.
ghetto for extermination or enslavement in the camps of Lublin is a typical example of the deportation phase of Action Reinhardt. The final destruction of the Warsaw ghetto in April and May 1943 was one of the most horrible chapters in Jewish persecution. The ghetto was established in Warsaw in November 1940. It was separated from the rest of the city by the walling up of streets, windows, doors, open spaces, and the like. Approximately 400,000 Jews were forced to live within its confines. Conditions were such that there was only one room for every six persons. The first large evacuation of Jews from Warsaw to the extermination centers took place between 22 July 1942 and 3 October 1942. In this action over 300,000 were removed. In a secret memorandum dated 9 October 1942, Himmler ordered Pohl and SS Obergruppenfuehrer Krueger, the Higher SS and Police Leader East, to assemble in concentration camps in Warsaw and Lublin all Jews working in shoe, fur, and tailor shops. Jews working in actual armament firms were to be replaced gradually and segregated in a few concentration camp factories in the eastern part of the Government General. Himmler concluded with the statement that: "Of course, there too, the Jews shall one day disappear, in accordance with the Fuehrer's wishes." in January 1943, Himmler made a visit to Warsaw and to his great amazement discovered that 40,000 Jews were still in the ghetto. Many of them were working in textile and fur plants contrary to his order of 9 October 1942. He instructed Krueger and Pohl to transfer them immediately to Lublin. On 16 February this order was amplified to include all Jews and all private enterprises in the Warsaw ghetto. Himmler was angry because private employers in the ghetto were profiteering from cheap Jewish labor and he wanted this benefit to accrue to the SS. As I shall explain a little later, Pohl immediately took steps to form a company for the purpose of employing the Jewish manpower and exploiting the industries in Lublin. Himmler further ordered Krueger to submit plans for the complete destruction of the ghetto. He said: "For the razing of the ghetto, a master plan is to be submitted me. It must be achieved, in any case, that the existing living pace for 500,000
of employing the Jewish manpower and exploiting the industries in Lublin. Himmler further ordered Krueger to submit plans for the complete destruction of the ghetto. He said: "For the razing of the ghetto, a master plan is to be submitted me. It must be achieved, in any case, that the existing living pace for 500,000 subhumans, which will never be suitable for Germans, disappears from the picture, and that the metropolis of Warsaw, which is always a dangerous focal point of disintegration and mutiny, be reduced in size. A graphic description of the end of the ghetto is in the report of Juergen Stroop (7) , Higher SS and Police Leader in Warsaw, who supervised the final deportation action under Krueger. The original plan was to transfer to Lublin the armament factories and other enterprises of military importance which were situated within the ghetto, together with the personnel and machines, in three days. The hapless Jews, well aware of the fate in store for them, put up such a heavy resistance that, instead of three days, the action lasted from 19 April 1943 to 16 May 1943. Stroop said: "The resistance put up by the Jews and bandits could be broken only by relentlessly using all our force and energy by day and night. On 23 April 1943 the Reich Leader SS issued through the Higher SS and Police Fuehrer East, of Krakow, his order to complete the combing out of the Warsaw ghetto with the greatest severity and relentless tenacity. I therefore decided to destroy the entire Jewish residential area by setting every block on fire, including the blocks of residential buildings near the armament works. One concern after the other was systematically evacuated and subsequently destroyed by fire. The Jews then emerged from their hiding places and dugouts in almost every case. Not infrequently the Jews stayed in the burning buildings until, because of the heat and the fear of being burned alive, they preferred to jump down the upper stories after having thrown mattresses and other upholstered articles into the street from the burning buildings. With their bones broken, they still tried to crawl across the street into blocks of buildings which had not yet been set on fire or were only partly in flames. Often the Jews changed their hiding places during the night by moving into the ruins of burned-out buildings, taking refuge
articles into the street from the burning buildings. With their bones broken, they still tried to crawl across the street into blocks of buildings which had not yet been set on fire or were only partly in flames. Often the Jews changed their hiding places during the night by moving into the ruins of burned-out buildings, taking refuge there until they were found by our patrols. Their stay in the sewers also ceased to be pleasant after the first week. Frequently from the street, we could hear loud voices coming through the sewer shafts. Then the men of the Waffen SS, the police, or the Wehrmacht engineers courageously climbed down the shafts to bring out the Jews, and not infrequently they stumbled over Jews already dead, or were shot at. It was always necessary to use smoke candles to drive the Jews out. Thus one day we opened 183 sewer entrance holes and at a fixed time, lowered candles into them with the result that the bandits fled from what they believed to be gas to the center of the former ghetto. They could then be pulled out of the sewer holes there. A great number of Jews, who could not be counted, were exterminated by blowing up sewers and dugouts. "Of the total of 56,065 Jews caught, about 7,000 were exterminated within the former ghetto in the course of the largescale action, and 6,929 by transporting them to T II (an obvious reference to Treblinka), which means 14,000 Jews exterminated altogether. Beyond the number of 56,065 Jews an estimated number of five to six thousand were killed by explosions or in fires." The loot from this action included about five million Reichsmarks in Polish currency, large sums of foreign currency, and great quantities of valuables such as rings, watches, and jewels. As we shall see later this property was transferred to the WVHA. On 2 June 1943 Krueger transmitted to Himmler, Stroop's final report on the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto . On 11 June 1943 Himmler directed Pohl to establish a concentration camp in Warsaw, the prisoners of which were to be used in salvaging the debris and scrap iron. In addition, the ghetto was to be absolutely leveled, with a view to creating a large park. By 23 July 1943, Pohl was able to report the establishment of a concentration camp at Warsaw. The actual demolition
Warsaw, the prisoners of which were to be used in salvaging the debris and scrap iron. In addition, the ghetto was to be absolutely leveled, with a view to creating a large park. By 23 July 1943, Pohl was able to report the establishment of a concentration camp at Warsaw. The actual demolition of the ghetto was carried out by Amtsgruppe C and several reports on this matter will be submitted to the Tribunal. These reports indicate the employment of over two thousand concentration camp prisoners and reflect the use of large amounts of machinery and funds. On 29 July 1944 Kammler, chief of Amtsgruppe C, sent a telegram to Rudolf Brandt (8) , Himmler's adjutant, stating that the razing of the Warsaw ghetto had been completed according to schedule, but that the subsequent work had not been carried out. In short, the only portion of the whole plan which was not carried out was the establishment of a park. The second phase of Action Reinhardt which I have mentioned is the confiscation of personal property. This involved the murder and corpse desecration of countless Jews. Every watch, every gold fountain pen, every pair of shoes represented a dead man, woman, or child. It is literally impossible to comprehend the enormity of the crimes committed in Auschwitz, Treblinka, Majdanek, and the rest. To assist the Tribunal in that regard, we shall exhibit a motion picture which shows the warehouses of those death camps full of clothes, shoes, spectacles, and bales of human hair. The WVHA accounted for and controlled the disposition of those proceeds of mass murder. On 26 September 1942, the defendant Frank issued basic instructions to the agents of the WVHA in Auschwitz and Lublin on what he termed the "utilization of property on the occasion of settlement and evacuation of Jews." He stated that the Jewish property, and I am quoting, "will in all orders of the future be called goods originating from thefts, receipt of stolen goods, and hoarded goods." Excerpts from this order read as follows: "1. a. Cash-money in German Reich Bank notes have to be paid into the account: Economic and Administrative Main Office 158/1488 with the Reich Bank in Berlin-Schoeneberg. b. Foreign exchange (coined or uncoined), rare metals, jewelry, precious and semi-precious stones, pearls, gold from
this order read as follows: "1. a. Cash-money in German Reich Bank notes have to be paid into the account: Economic and Administrative Main Office 158/1488 with the Reich Bank in Berlin-Schoeneberg. b. Foreign exchange (coined or uncoined), rare metals, jewelry, precious and semi-precious stones, pearls, gold from teeth, and scrap gold have to be delivered to the SS Economic and Administrative Main Office. The latter is responsible for the immediate delivery to the German Reich Bank. c. Watches and clocks of all kinds, alarm clocks, fountain pens, mechanical pencils, scissors, flashlights, wallets, and purses are to be repaired by the Economic and Administrative Main Office in repair shops; cleaned and evaluated; and have to be delivered quickly to front line troops. "d. Men's underwear and men's clothing, including footwear, has to be sorted and valued. After covering the needs of the concentration camp inmates and, in exceptions for the troops, they are to be handed over to the Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle. The proceeds go to the Reich in all cases. * * * * * * * "i. Valuable furs of all kinds, raw and cured, are to be delivered to the SS WVHA. Ordinary furs (lamb, hare, and rabbit skins) are to be reported to the SS WVHA, Amt II, and are to be delivered to the clothing plant of the Waffen SS, Ravensbrueck near Fuerstenberg (Mecklenburg)." The order concluded: "It has to be strictly observed that the Jewish star is removed from all garments and outer garments which are to be delivered. Furthermore, items which are to be delivered have to be searched for hidden and sewed in values, this should be carried out with the greatest possible care." On 28 December 1943, the defendant Pohl issued the second basic order on the "administration of Jewish property." He admonished all SS economic administrators to keep their accounts as low as possible and to transfer all amounts above monthly requirements to Amtsgruppe A of the WVHA, which would handle the final accounting with the Reich. The order further stated that: "Upon completion of the resettlement operation the vouchers will have to be presented for auditing to the SS Economic and Administrative Main Office, section A- IV." The defendant Vogt was chief of that office. What
of the WVHA, which would handle the final accounting with the Reich. The order further stated that: "Upon completion of the resettlement operation the vouchers will have to be presented for auditing to the SS Economic and Administrative Main Office, section A- IV." The defendant Vogt was chief of that office. What was the extent of this bloody loot received by the WVHA and what was done with it? Fortunately, the prosecution is in possession of rather complete reports in that regard. Prior to December 1943 the WVHA accounted for personal property in excess of 180,000,000 Reichsmarks of murdered and enslaved Jews in the Lublin area alone. This included foreign currency from 48 different countries, not the least of which was $1,300,000 in United States banknotes and gold coin. Also carefully listed and evaluated were 262,711 articles of considerable value, among them jewelry, watches, and gold spectacle frames. Nearly 2,000 freight carloads of clothes, linens, and rags were disposed of on orders of the WVHA. This material began flowing into the coffers of the WVHA at least as early as August 1942. The defendant Pohl made arrangements with Walther Funk, the president of the Reich Bank and a defendant before the International Military Tribunal, for the deposit of the currency, jewelry, dental gold, and other valuables. A revolving fund was established, which reached 10 to 12 million Reichsmarks, for use primarily by Amtsgruppe W in financing economic enterprises controlled by the WVHA. This was known as the "Reinhardt Fund". In June of 1943, outstanding debts of various industries of Amtsgruppe W in the amount of approximately 8 million Reichsmarks were satisfied out of the Reinhardt Fund. This noxious deal was known to and participated in by the defendants Pohl, Frank, Fanslau, Georg and Hans Loerner, Hohberg, Baier, Volk, Bobermin, and Mummenthey, among others. The source of the blood-stained loot from the extermination camps was also known to others in the WVHA. The defendant Vogt went to Lublin and personally audited the accounts of Globocnik. The defendant Georg Loerner, in agreement with the Reich Ministry of Economics, allocated for disposition hundreds of carloads of clothing from Auschwitz and Lublin. His own factory in the Ravensbrueck