be credited to the account of "Max Heiliger." I confirmed this on the telephone with Rechnungsdirektor Patzer of the Ministry of Finance, and in my second statement to Melmer, dated 16 November 1942, I confirmed the oral conversation. 13. After a few months, Puhl called and asked me how the Melmer deliveries were going along and suggested that perhaps they would soon be over. I told Puhl that the way the deliveries were coming in it looked as though they were growing. 14. One of the first hints of the sources of these items occurred when it was noticed that a packet of bills was stamped with a rubber stamp "Lublin." This occurred some time early in 1943. Another hint came when some items bore the stamp "Auschwitz." We all knew that these places were the sites of concentration camps. It was the tenth delivery in November 1942 that dental gold appeared. The quantity of the dental gold became unusually great. 15. The Berlin Pawn Shop disposed of the jewelry for the Reichsbank. The Wertpapierabteilung disposed of the securities. Only bearer paper was, however, disposed of, and the Reichsbank still possesses all unindorsed paper which was made payable to named holders. I do not know how savings bank account books were cashed in. Mr. Eugen Deter and Mr. John of the Wertpapierabteilung ought to know. 16. The first savings bank books occurred in the twenty-third delivery on 24 April 1943. 17. I understand English, and specifically, I understand fully all that has been written above. [signed] Albert Thoms Signed before me this 8th day of May Nineteen Forty Six Joseph A. Benda, Capt., AGD PARTIAL COPY OF DOCUMENT 3952-PS Extract of Testimony of Walter Funk, taken at Nurnberg, Germany, on 19 October 1945, 1035-1205, by Lt. Col. Murray Gurfein, AUS, OUSCC. Also present: Captain A. W. Frank, Interpreter, and S/Sgt Horace M. Levy, Court Reporter. [Page 14] Q. Now, when did you first learn of the fact that an attack on Russia was contemplated? A. That must have been toward the end of April 1941. Toward the end of April '41 I heard that the Fuehrer, or somebody in his entourage had said that a war against Russia was about to break out. I remember that time, because I had a discussion with Hess on the matter. The reason was quite a different one, but it was on that occasion that Hess asked me: "Have you heard that war against Russia is pending?" I said to Hess, "I have not heard anything certain, but it appears that this sort of thing is being talked about." COPY OF DOCUMENT 3953-PS Excerpts from Interrogation of Walter Funk, 22 October 1945 Q. As a matter of fact, you were present at many meetings of the Central Planning Board, were you not? A. I only joined the meetings of the Central Planning Board when I required something for my small sector; that is to say, something to do with export and consumer goods in industries; for example, iron, and I had to fight on each occasion to get just a few thousand tons for my consumer goods industry. Q. But during these meetings you attended, you heard, did you not, discussions concerning forced labor? A. Oh, yes, I did. Q. And you knew from those meetings, that the policy was to bring in more and more foreign workers to the Reich against their will? A. Yes, certainly. Q. And you never objected to that, I take it? A. No, why should I have objected. It was somebody else's task to bring these foreign workers in. Q. Did you believe it was legal to take people against their will from their homes and bring them into Germany? A. Well, many things happen in wartime which aren't strictly legal. I have never wracked my brains about that. COPY OF DOCUMENT 3954-PS AFFIDAVIT STATE OF NEW YORK SS COUNTY OF NEW YORK I was born in Stuttgart, Germany on June 15, 1900, and I am presently employed as an editor by the Research Institute of America, Inc., 292 Madison Avenue, New York 17, N. Y. I have been employed in that capacity for over three years, having immigrated to this country from Germany on March 5, 1936. From July 1925 until January 1936 I was financial editor of the Frankfurter Zeitung in Frankfurt on the Main, Germany. When the Nazi Party assumed control of the German government, I considered this development as the first indication that it would be necessary for me to leave the paper and probably the country. When the Nazi Party enacted the Editors Law of 1933, I was convinced that I would be unable to continue permanently. I was, however, allowed to continue my service to the paper temporarily on the basis of a transition clause contained in the Editors Law. Under this Law, all members of the working press in Germany had to register and could continue in their work only if the registration was approved by the Reich Ministry of Propaganda. As a matter of principle, Jews and those who had been affiliated with certain political organizations opposed to the Nazi Party were precluded from receiving such approval. Provision was made, however, for temporary approval in certain cases. This provision was primarily meant to apply to cases requiring further clarification in regard to the applicant's ancestry or political affiliation. The provision, however, was also used in a number of other cases where the eventual denial of permanent approval was a foregone conclusion. The majority of these cases concerned Jewish editors on the staff of the Frankfurter Zeitung, particularly on the staff of its financial and business section. I was willing to take advantage of this temporary approvalas were a number of my colleagues-for two reasons: first, it gave us an opportunity to inform the readers of the paper inside and outside of Germany about some of the characteristics of the Nazi regime a trifle more frankly than the remainder of the German press would; second, it gave us an opportunity to train new staff members who might take over at the time of our eventual departure and might attempt to preserve the paper in such a fashion that its democratic tradition could be revived after the Nazi terror had passed. It is possible that the officials who granted the temporary approval suspected our motives but it is certain that, if they did, their decision was made in spite of this for entirely different reasons. Within the German press the Frankfurter Zeitung played a unique role in several respects. Its democratic character, its intellectual standards and its moral integrity were highly regarded by many members of the professional and business classes in Germany and abroad. In addition, the financial and business reporting and analysis were of such caliber that the paper was considered indispensable to those in Germany and abroad who were dependent on sound information about developments in German business and finance. If the Jewish editors who were on the staff in 1933 had been eliminated without a transition period of at least two years, the paper could not have continued its customary service and might have been forced to discontinue publication altogether. The publisher, together with some of the senior editors and some friends of the paper, brought this situation to the attention of the Ministry of Propaganda and were supported in their request for consideration by the Ministry of Economics and the Foreign Office. In these representations, the service of the paper's financial and business sections to the German business community was heavily stressed. This was facilitated by the unusually high regard which virtually all influential businessmen, as well as all members of the press, had for the senior financial editor of the Frankfurter Zeitung, Albert Oser, who played an important part in presenting the paper's case. It is reasonable to assume that this same high regard was shared by Walther Funk, who at that time was Undersecretary of the Ministry of Propaganda in charge of the press and, therefore, had an important voice in making these decisions. There is every reason to believe, however, that the consideration shown by the Nazi government to the Frankfurter Zeitung (by temporary approval of Jewish editors as well as in other respects) was primarily due to the fact seemingly undisturbed continuation of this paper served the purposes of the Nazi government. If the newspaper went out of business, this act would be very conspicuous. It would harm the interests of German industry at a time when the Party was trying to curry its favor. It would emphasize the complete control of the German press, a fact of which large segments of the German population were still oblivious or only vaguely aware. Most importantly it would attract foreign attention to the complete Nazi control over Germany. The paper's continuation, on the other hand, would tend to deceive many people who considered its daily appearance as a proof that there was still some leeway that Nazi control could not be as much of a threat as it was said to be. Thus, continued publication of the paper by a staff that was able to continue in its traditional style and character as much as the government would permit, was in the interests of the Party so long as its success in Germany depended upon deceiving the German professional and business men as well as foreign business leaders and government officials about the true nature of the Nazi regime. All the observations I was able to make while still in Germany convinced me that deceit of important segments of the domestic and foreign public was the true purpose of the Nazi government when it maintained temporary approval of my registration as an editor until the end of 1935. I have absolutely no reason to believe that this temporary approval or that of any other Jewish editors-was motivated by any sympathy for the purposes, much less by any consideration. for the editors concerned. FRANZ B. WOLF /S/ Franz B. Wolf Subscribed and sworn to before me on 29 day of April, 1946. ELIZABETH COUGHLIN (Notary Public) COPY OF DOCUMENT 3956-PS AFFIDAVIT Captain SAM HARRIS being duly sworn, deposes and says: 1. In August 1945, I was detailed by the Office of United States Chief of Counsel to Frankfurt, Germany, to examine evidence of possible use against the major German war criminals. 2. My investigation disclosed that many boxes, suitcases, and trunks containing articles such as bracelets, eye-glass frames, rings, and gold teeth were in the vaults of the Reichsbank at Frankfurt. An examination of these articles suggested that they had been taken from German concentration camp victims. Accordingly, I arranged for a movie and still photographs to be taken thereof by Lt. Braggins and Mr. Goldstein of the Photo-. graphic Unit of the United States Office of Strategic Services, then located at Wiesbaden, Germany. 3. I have seen the movie marked USA Exhibit No. 845 and certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, it is the movie which was taken at my request and that it truthfully and correctly exhibits the articles which I examined in the vaults of the Reichsbank at Frankfurt, Germany in August 1945. [signed] SAM HARRIS Sworn and subscribed to before me this 9th day of May 1946. [signed] J. HARTLEY MURRAY Major, JAGD |