Replies to be addressed to: Attention Ministerial Director Sarnow, or Deputy in the Office. To the High Command of the Armed Forces Attention: Major Breyer or Deputy in the Office. Berlin Re: Employment of Prisoners of War. Express Letter With reference to the meeting of our mutual special workers in the case, I would like to inform you of the following: I According to the Reich Defense Law of 4 September 1938, I have the direction for the economic preparations for the Reich Defense (except the armament industry). The Offices under my jurisdiction (Reich Ministry for Economic Affairs, Reich Ministry for Nutrition and Agriculture, Reich Labor Ministry, Reich Forest Master and Reich Commissioner for Price Control) are bound to follow my directives. For the preparations concerning the utilization of labor during the war, the measures planned by you for the housing and the utilization of prisoners of war are of great importance. In the case of mobilization there would be an important deficit of laborers which might be catastrophic in some parts of the economy. I can refer to the statements of Col. General Keitel, Secretary of State Dr. Posse, and Secretary of State Dr. Syrup in the meeting of the sub-committee (R.V.) on 17 January 1939, concerning balance sheets for figures [Zahlenbilanz]. The deficit in labor has to be made up by the employment of eventual prisoners of war as far as possible and practical. The preparations, therefore, have to be made in close cooperation of OKW and GBW. The offices under my jurisdiction will be informed. I therefore beg you to inform me of the preliminary studies prepared so far and to have negotiations of a principal nature in future with myself. I would be grateful for a copy of the drafts so far prepared. II In the drafting of the directives I want to emphasize the following principles: 1) Location of Camps: For the choice of transit camps only military and technical transport exigencies will be prevailing. As far as the permanent camps are concerned the exigencies of labor utilization will have to be taken into consideration. It will be expedient to locate them in districts which presumably will have the greatest and most urgent need for workers. The preliminary studies of the President of the Reich Institution for employment and unemployment insurance concerning employment during war in the agriculture could serve as a basis. I therefore beg you before the final decision about the location of the six contemplated permanent camps to give me an opportunity to offer my advice. This could be done within a very short time. 2) Dimension of the Camps: According to present directives, the permanent camps shall take in 10,000 men and the working commands should return daily to the camp even if longer distances are involved. This regulation renders more difficult a practical employment. Therefore, a more flexible arrangement of the camps should be sought, as far as military reasons do not interfere and self-contained working commands should be provided. 3) Execution of the Utilization of Labor: a) The utilization of the prisoners of war will take place only in the permanent camps; in the transit camps a separation of working commands will not take place. If the High Command of the Armed Forces should think a different regulation necessary, then a participation of the district labor offices for the transit camps would have to be ordered, which, so far, is only contemplated for the permanent camps. b) The utilization of the prisoners of war must be accomplished in close cooperation with the authorities for labor utilization, because only they have knowledge about the most urgent demands for labor. The Reich Labor Minister will declare competent one district labor office (respective labor office) for each permanent camp, which takes care of the practical utilization of the prisoners and which will advise the Commandant of the camp on all labor questions. c) All requests for working commands will have to be directed to the District Labor Office. Insofar as the utilization of prisoners of war is not regulated centrally by OKW, GBW and RAM, the District Labor Office will advise about the urgency of the request. The utilization itself will take place in close cooperation between the District Labor Office and the permanent camps. 4) The Reich Ministry for Economic Affairs will make suggestions about the regulations for labor conditions, etc. To the High Command of the Armed Forces Attention: a) Col. Warlimont (Department L) or Deputy in the Office. b) Major General Thomas (War Economy Staff) or Deputy in the Office. Berlin. I am forwarding herewith the foregoing copy for your information, with a request to keep my office informed of all negotia I enclose a copy of my letter of today to Reich Minister of Economics Funk. Respectfully [signed] Dr. Hjalmar SCHACHT DR. HJALMAR SCHACHT Reich Minister Berlin Charlottenburg 9 Baden-Allee 9 To the Reich Minister for Economics 17 October 1940 In order to avoid a working side-by-side, that is a working against each other of the German banks in the occupied western territories, you had assigned the German Bank the task of clearing the way for a closer economic cooperation with Holland, and you had entrusted the Dresden Bank with the same task for Belgium. This was founded on the provision, that it would be possible to obtain a voluntary close cooperative working relationship on the part of the economic systems of the occupied territories. This provision has not been fulfilled. There rather exists a basic reluctance in Holland as well as in Belgium to voluntarily enter into general obligations of the planned kind. This basic reluctance was increased by the Societe Generale which is dominating Belgium, because they apparently did not want to commit themselves in regards to a definite, sole German partner. At least this was reported by the German Bank as well as by the Dresden Bank. In order to now remove this difficulty, you, Herr Reich Minister, have declared yourself in agreement that the undersigned has followed the requests of the two banking houses for an objective expression of opinion in this question at hand. I have subsequently talked over the situation with the two banks, and found it proven in the course of the conversation, that at present no tendency exists with the Dutch or Belgian financial institutions to enter into general obligations toward the German business friends, although they are well prepared to negotiate single transactions. Because of this reason it appeared the most simple to me to stop pursuing the question of general obligations. any further, which would cause the argument between the two banks to come to an end, instead however to oblige the two banks to report all eventual, single larger scale transactions which are intended to deal with Dutch or Belgian institutions beforehand and in time to the Reich Minister, so that the latter will be able to mediate in case of disagreement. After you declared yourself in agreement with this solution I have informed the both banks correspondingly, and I hereby confirm to you the agreement of the two banks with this procedure. Heil Hitler! Dr. Hjalmar Schacht 3 "DER STURMER" No. 51. 17 December 1942. An Eye for an Eye, A Tooth for a Tooth. The London newspaper, The Times, of 16th September 1942 published a resolution which had been unanimously passed by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. This resolution expresses the grief and horror of the "Anglo-Jewish community" at the “unspeakable atrocities” committed by Germany and her allies and vassals against the Jews of Europe, atrocities which had only one aim: to exterminate the whole Jewish population of Europe in cold blood. Strange how the Jews of the "Anglo-Jewish community" suddenly begin to hear clearly! When the second World War began, the Fuehrer of the German nation warned the Jewish war-mongers against plunging the world into a blood bath again. And since then the German Fuehrer has warned and prophesied again and again that the second World War, instigated by World Jewry, must necessarily lead to the destruction of Jewry. In his last speech, too, the Fuehrer again referred to his prophecies. And yet an "Anglo-Jewish community" now dares to express publicly its "grief and horror"!!-the same community which is responsible for the mass murders of past centuries and of our present times, and which frequently proclaimed that a coming world enemy must bring about the extermination of the German people. The Book says "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." [Initialled] "Str." [Streicher] TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT M-131 Leading Article in "DER STURMER." Only the removal of all Jews from the non-Jewish nations, and their extermination can save humanity from destruction by the Jewish devils. 744400-47-78 [signed] JULIUS STREICHER |