*2828-PS 2872-PS Interrogations of Funk on 4 June 478 Citizen Law of 25 July 1938. 1938 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part I, p. 969... V 533 *2962-PS *2963-PS *2977-PS Minutes of meeting of Reich Cabi- 669 670 V 683 *3324-PS Funk on the Organization of War *3501-PS *3505-PS *3545-PS *3562-PS *3563-PS 3566-PS *D-203 *Chart No. 1 VI 239 248 VI 251 Speech by Funk, from Frankfurter Letter from Chief Plenipotentiary ...... VI 254 VI 1080 VIII 770 12. HJALMAR SCHACHT pros The prosecution concedes, at the outset, that although Schacht believed that the Jews of Germany should be stripped of their rights as citizens, he was not in complete sympathy with that aspect of the Nazi Party's program which involved the wholesale extermination of the Jews, and that he was, for that reason, attacked from time to time by the more extreme elements of the Nazi Party. It further concedes that Schacht, on occasion, gave aid and comfort to individual Jews who sought to escape the indignities generally inflicted upon Jews in Nazi Germany. Schacht's attitude towards the Jews is exemplified by his speech at the German Eastern Fair, Koenigsberg, on 18 August 1935, wherein he said: "The Jew must realize that their influence is gone for all The foregoing concessions should render it unnecessary for Schacht to produce evidence upon these matters. The prosecution's case against Schacht is that he planned and prepared for wars of aggression and wars in violation of international treaties, agreements and assurances, and that he knowingly and wilfully participated in the Nazi common plan or conspiracy to plan, prepare, initiate, and wage such wars. The evidence establishes that Schacht actively supported Hitler's accession to power; that he was the chief architect of the financial plans and devices which made possible the huge program of rearmament in Germany; that he played a dominant role in the economic planning of, and preparation for, wars of aggression; and that he contributed his efforts willingly and with full knowledge of the fact that the leader of the conspiracy, Adolf Hitler, was determined upon attaining his objectives by launching aggressive wars. A. CHRONOLOGY OF SCHACHT'S OFFICIAL POSITIONS. The chronology of Schacht's official positions is as follows: (1) Schacht was recalled by Hitler to the Presidency of the Reichsbank on 17 March 1933 (3021-PS). (2) Schacht was appointed acting Minister of Economics by Hitler in August 1934 (3021-PS). (3 By secret decree, Schacht was appointed General Plenipotentiary for the War Economy in May 1935 (2261-PS). (4) Schacht was awarded honorary membership in the Nazi Party and the Golden Swastika on 30 January 1937, "the highest honor the Third Reich has to offer" (EC-500). (5) Schacht was re-appointed for one year as President of the Reichsbank on 16 March 1937 (3021-PS). (6) Schacht resigned as Minister of Economics and General Plenipotentiary for the War Economy in November 1937 (3021-PS; EC-494). (7) Hitler appointed Schacht Minister Without Portfolio at the same time (3021-PS). (8) Schacht was re-appointed for a four year term as President of the Reichsbank on 9 March 1938 (3021-PS). (9) Schacht was dismissed as President of the Reichsbank on 20 January 1939. In connection therewith, Hitler expressed his deep gratitude for Schacht's past services and his gratification that Schacht would remain to serve him as Minister Without Portfolio (EC-397). (10) Schacht remained as Minister Without Portfolio until January 1943, when he was dismissed by Hitler. During the period from the time of his dismissal as President of the Reichsbank until the end of 1942, he continued to receive the full salary he had been paid as the President of the Reichsbank, and thereafter received a pension from the Reichsbank. As Minister Without Portfolio, he received a large salary from the Nazi Government and other emoluments of the office (3724–PS). B. PRIOR TO 1933, SCHACHT ACCEPTED THE NAZI PROGRAM AND HELPED HITLER TO POWER. Schacht met Goering for the first time in December 1930, and Hitler early in January 1931, at Goering's house. He thought that Hitler was "full of will and spirit" and a man "with whom one could cooperate". Thereafter, he actively supported Hitler's accession to power (3725-PS; 3729-PS). Schacht's belief in the Nazi program and his undivided loyalty to Hitler are revealed in his letter to Hitler dated 29 August 1932, wherein he pledged continued support to Hitler after the latter's poor showing in the July 1932 elections and proferred advice concerning electioneering tactics. The letter includes the following statements, inter alia: "But what you could perhaps do with in these days is a word of most sincere sympathy. Your movement is carried internally by so strong a truth and necessity that victory in one form or another cannot elude you for long. "Wherever my work may take me in the near future even if you should see me one day within the fortress-you can always count on me as your reliable assistant." (EC-457). Subsequently, on 12 November 1932, he again wrote to Hitler, congratulating him upon his firm attitude and stating: "I have no doubt that the present development of things * Mocan only lead to your becoming chancellor. I am quite confident that the present system is certainly doomed to disintegration." (EC-456). The fact that Schacht was in complete accord with Hitler's program is further shown by the following entry of 21 November 1932, in Goebbels' diary: "In a conversation with Dr. Schacht, I assured myself that he absolutely represents our point of view. He is one of the few who accepts the Fuehrer's position entirely." (2409-PS). Schacht has himself confirmed the correctness of Goebbels' statement (3729-PS). But Schacht's contribution to Hitler before his accession to power did not consist merely of comforting him, giving advice, and expressing agreement with the Nazi program. He was an active participant in Hitler's vigorous campaign to take over the German state. Thus, he openly lent the prestige of his name, which was widely known in banking, financial, and business circles, to Hitler's cause (3729-PS). He actively undertook to induce business leaders to support Hitler. In his letter to Hitler of 12 November 1932, he wrote that: "It seems as if our attempt to collect a number of signatures from business circles for this purpose (your becoming Chancellor) was not altogether in vain * " (EC-456) He organized the financial means for the decisive March 1933 election, at a meeting of Hitler with a group of German industrialists in Berlin. At this meeting, Hitler bluntly announced his plans to destroy the parliamentary system in Germany, to crush all internal opposition by force, to restore the power of the Wehrmacht, and to gain his objectives outside of Germany by the use of force. On this occasion, Schacht collected a campaign fund of several million Marks for Hitler's use (D-203; EC-439). In an eulogy of Schacht on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday, the Voelkischer Beobachter, Hitler's official organ, aptly described Schacht's activity in the period before the 1933 election as follows: * "In this critical period, Schacht never failed to point at Adolf Hitler as the only possible leader of the Reich." "The name of Dr. Schacht will remain linked with the transition of the German economy to the new National Socialist methods" (EC-499). |