HISTORY AT NUREMBERG

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 306, 24 November 1945, Page 5

HISTORY AT NUREMBERG

NAZIS’ WAR PREPARATIONS DISCLOSURES IN DOCUMENTS (N.Z. Press Association.—Copyright). (Rec. 10:30 a.m. NUREMBERG, Nov. 23 Captured German documents showing how Germany'had planned economically for an aggressive war were produced at the trial of the 20 leading Nazis today. Mr Thomas Dodd, a member of the United States pro-,-, securing team, quoted a letter from You Blomberg, datedJune, 1935, stating that Hitler had nominated Sciiacht a*:: “plenipotentiary in general for war economy.” A letter from Schacht to one of his colleagues in December, 1937, stated: “I always considered that the rearmament of the German people was a vital condition for the establishment of a new German nation.” A letter from Gustav Krupp to Hitler, dated April, 1933, stated that his aim would be to bring German industry into line with the Reich s political aims. Mr Dodd quoted a German Economic Ministry report of September, 1934, stating that the Reich had been charged with economic preparations for war and referring to the need for secrecy and camouflage.

SECRET SERVICE.

The minutes of a meeting of German Intelligence experts in October. 1937, disclosed that they had arranged to receive information about foreign armaments from Krupp agents abroad. A verbatim ' copy of one of Schacht’s speeches showed that he approved in glowing terms of Hitler’s march into Austria.

Mr Dodd mentioned the secret minutes of a German Cabinet meeting in October, 1936, at which Goering lectured his colleagues oil the need to increase Germany's supply of raw materials, especially oil. He objected to an economic expert’s plan for strengthening the economy by the limitation ot armaments.

Mr Dodd added that he did not intend to prove what everyone knew — that Germany engaged in full-scale rearmament —but would prove that Schacht, Funk and Goering mobilised German industry with one aim—aggressive warfare. Schacht, who was hitherto adopting an attitude of extreme, injured innocence, siiowed increasing interest as Mr Dodd read document after document involving his part in Germany’s rearmament. Mr Dodd described Schacht as ‘‘the financial wizard” who enabled Hitler to give the Germans guns instead of butter. Documents showed that Schacht won German Generals’ praise for making the reconstruction of, the Wehrmacht economically possible. Goering nodded vigorous assent when Mr Dodd mentioned the fouryear plan of 1936 with Goering in charge, and he laughed when Mr Dodd said that economic preparations for war were going on while the Nazis were perverting physical education into war training. Goering sat up and expanded his chest when Mr Dodd mentioned the Luftwaffe, but when antiaircraft batteries were mentioned Goering looked hurt and hurriedly wrote a note on his pad. SCHACHT’S APPOINTMENT.

When the Court resumed after lunch Mr Dodd revealed that as far back as May 21, 1939, Hitler, in a secret decree which Mr Dodd produced, appointed Schacht as plenipotentiary for the Nazi war economy. Schacht realised that the preparations for war exceeded all else in importance. In an affidavit von Sehnitzler, head of the Farben Industrie combine stated lie attended a meeting in Berlin on February 20, 1933, at which Hitler met Germany’s greatest industrialists, to whom he unfolded his long-range plan for war. ' Mr Dodd said the secret minutes of Germany’s Inner Council of Ministers showed the sole point at issue throughout the endless discussion of 1936-3 S was how fast rearmament in Germany could be accelerated in the face of statements from Schacht that he had stretched Reich finances to the limit. Schacht on one occasion stated that resources were so strained that soon Germany’s consular services could not be paid. ASSURANCE OF WAR. Goering on May 30, 1936, told the Inner Council, “all measures are to be considered from a standpoint of an assured waging of war.” Goering, according to the minutes of August 14, 1938, told Ministers that the Treasury was empty and industry’ was crammed with orders for years.-ahead. At the same inerting Goering declared, “if private enterprise fails I am going to make barbaric use of my plenipotentiary powers under the four-year plan, taking over enterprises without regard or pity.” Mr Dodd produced a telegram from Hitler to Schacht thank-

ing Schacht for his work in preparing Germany’s finances for war. Goering - told the Cabinet that a showdown with itussia was inevitable. The prosecutor quoted a document in which Goering ? stated the German elections of 1933 would be the last for 10 years, possibly for 100 years and industrialists should remember this. A secret report disclosed that the German High Command decided on December 3, 1940, to abandon the plan to invade England. A report recording decisions of a conference ov»r which Keitel presided stated that there was no longer any intention of an invasion of England but only, a siege of England. Aerial defence of the Homeland was placed top of the list for the first time and the prospective big action—Russia—was mentioned for the first time, although its postponement to a later date was admitted to he possible. ;£ KRUPPS DEALINGS. Mr Dodd produced documents proving Krupps sued their foreign connections to spread Nazi propaganda and provided a list of foreign addresses to “Ribbentrop’s private Foreign Ministry.” Krupps also supplied the Nazis with information from abroad. All the accused except von Papen and Hess listened to this evidence [; through the earphones. Hess nodded and appeared to bb asleep. Goering’s expression showed that he w r as surprised at the wealth of secret detail produced. When Mr Dodd mentioned the controversy between Schacht and Goering ending in Schacht’s eclipse after 1937, j. Goering sat back and smiled with satisfaction. - “It seems plain from the writings, acts and speeches of the whole of the Nazi conspirators that they directed the whole German economy in preparation for an aggressive war,” said Mr Dodd. “These people gave the ( Germans guns instead of butter, but they also gave history its most striking example of a nation gearing itself in time of - peace for the purposes of an aggressive war through econ-. omic preparation K Mr Dodd submitted a report which revealed that Hitler’s plan was to continue the delivery of arms to Russia until the moment of Germany’s attack in order to give Russia a false .j sense of security. Hitler said: “Punctual delivery of armaments to the Russians will be made until the spring of 1941. We shall later have no further .interest in completely, satisfying the Russian demands,” The Russians carried out their deliveries as planned right up to the ( start of Germany’s attack, riven during the last few days freights of india rubber from the Far East were completed by express train. Secret reports showed that Hitler conveyed his plan for attacking Russia to the Office; of War Economy seven months before ' the attack began. Germany envisaged the establishment through Russia of contact with the Far East, ensuring \ adequate supplies of rubber, tungsten, •; copper, tin, asbestos and hemp. Russian orders conflicted with the Ger- , man navy’s demands during the month before the attack so German supplies for Russia were sent on a roundabout route so that they would not arrive before Germany attacked. The Court then adjourned. —j) The United States police have forbidden Germans within half a mile of the Court to occupy upstairs rooms during the trial. Thev are confined to the ground floor. This is an additional safeguard against missiles being thrown or shots fired.