66* * * God has created races. He did not will equality and for this reason we reject energetically every attempt to pervert the idea of the purity of race * * Numerous documents presented to the Court by the Prosecution, expose the criminal actions of Goering in respect to other nations. Goering's order issued on 19 October 1939 demonstrates clearly the attitude of the defendant towards the Polish people, the Polish State. (EC-410, USA 298) In an order relating to the economic policy in the East, issued on 23 May 1941, just before the attack on the USSR, Goering writes as follows on the attitude towards the Russians (EC-126, USA 316; USSR-93; USSR-36; USSR-60): "Germany is not interested in maintaining the productivity in this territory. She is supplying food only to the troops stationed there * * * The population in those regions, and especially the urban population, is doomed to starvation. It will be necessary to deport this population to Siberia.” In his capacity as Plenipotentiary for the Four Year Plan, Goering is responsible for the plunder and the spoliation of state property and personal property of the citizens, carried out by the Nazis on occupied territories of the USSR, in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Jugoslavia, and other countries. It was indeed Goering who headed the activity of the Nazi conspirators directed towards the economic plunder of the occupied territories of the USSR. (USSR-93; USSR-36; USSR–60) A conference in connection with the elaboration of economic measures according to case Barbarossa took place on 29 April 1941, prior to the treacherous attack against the USSR. As a result of this conference, there was created the economic staff of special purpose "Oldenbourg" which was subordinated to Goering. The creation of special economic inspectorates and units in the largest centers of the USSR was planned; they were to handle important tasks for the utilization and the plunder of Soviet industry and agriculture. (1157-PS, USA 141) The file of the district agricultural fuehrer contained instructions to agricultural fuehrers, who were given full freedom in the choice of methods for the fulfillment of their criminal aims. The demand for ruthless' treatments of the Soviet peoples, and, in the first place, of the Russians, the Ukrainians and the Byelorussians, were put forward. (USSR-89) The report of the USSR Extraordinary State Commission on the crimes committed by the Hitlerites in Kiev, in the region of Stalino and other places, states that these criminal plans of the defendant Goering and his accomplices were for the greater part realized. (USSR-2; USSR-9) It was indeed Hess to whom, according to Hitler's decree of 21 April 1933, "the full right was given to take decisions on behalf of Hitler on all questions concerning the leadership of the party." (3196-PS) After this, Hess continued to take over one new post after the other in Hitler's government. After 1 December 1933 he was Reichsminister "without portfolio" to secure close collaboration of the party and shock troops with the civil authorities (1395-PS, GB 252); on 4 February 1938 he was appointed member of the secret council (3189-PS, GB 249); on 30 August 1939, member of the Cabinet for the defense of the Reich (2018-PS, GB 250), and on 1 September 1939 Hitler declared Hess as successor of Goering. Hess was also appointed Obergruppenfuehrer SS and SA. By the Decree of 27 July 1934 Hitler obliged all leaders of all the departments and ministries of Germany to present projects of laws to Hess for preliminary sanction. (D-138, USA 403; D-139, USA 404) Hess had to select and nominate leadership corps of the Fascist cadres. This is testified to by Hitler's decree of 24 September 1935 and by other documents submitted to the Tribunal by the Prosecution. (3180-PS) * * We must take special notice of the active part played by Hess in planning and carrying out aggressive wars. All the aggressive actions of Hitler's Germany had been planned and prepared with the direct assistance of Hess and the party machinery of the Nazi was subjected to him. Already on 12th October 1936 in his speeches made in Bavaria, Hess appealed to the German "to use a little less fat, a little less pork, fewer eggs *" "We know", said Hess, "that the foreign currency that is saved in this way, goes for armament. And the slogan of the day is 'Cannons instead of butter.'" (M-104, GB 260) Hess spoke about this on the eve of his flight to England on 1st May 1941, speaking at the Messerschmitt factory when he made an appeal for the continuation of an aggressive war. (M-105, GB 261) Together with Hitler, Goering and other leaders of the Nazi conspiracy, Hess signed the decrees concerning the annexation of other territories seized by the Germans. The misanthropic Nurnberg laws, for the publishing of which the defendant is also responsible, contain a special provision authorizing Frick and Hess to issue the necessary decrees to carry these laws into effect. Hess signed the law on the "protection of race and honour", the decree of 14 September 1935 depriving the Jews of their right to be employed at public offices (3179-PS), and also the decree of 20 May 1938 extending the Nurnberg laws to Austria. The question of the part played by Hess in organizing a network for spies and terroristic groups abroad, in creating SD (Security Service) and recruitment of SS units has been sufficiently elucidated at this trial. The very position occupied by Hess in the Fascist Party and Hitler's Government shows the active leading participation of the defendant in the preparation and realization of the common criminal plan of the Fascist conspirators, consequently an enormous share of the guilt and responsibility for the crimes against peace and for the war crimes and the crimes against humanity. Your Honours, in order to evaluate more correctly the importance of the criminal activity of the defendant Hess as one of the notorious leaders of the Nazi Party and Hitler's Government, I shall remind you of the article in the newspaper "National Zeitung" of 27 April 1941, dedicated to Hess (M-102, GB 254): "Many years ago, it was before the beginning of the warRudolf Hess was called "the conscience of the Party". If we inquire why this honorable name was given to the Fuehrer's deputy, it is not difficult to answer this question: There is not an event in our public life that is not connected with the name of the deputy Fuehrer. He is so versatile and singular in his work and in his field of activity, that they cannot be described in a few words * * Many measures carried out by the Government, especially in the field of war economy and in the party were realized entirely by the deputy Fuehrer. * Hess refused to give explanations to the Tribunal. His Counsel Seidl declared with false pathos that Hess considered the present Tribunal incompetent to judge the German war criminals * * * and immediately afterwards without a pause he presented proofs in defense of Hess. Hess even tried to declare himself insane to avoid the merited punishment. But when Hess convinced himself that such a maneuvre would not help, he was obliged to tell the Tribunal that he had simulated loss of memory, that it had been a trick of his and he had to admit that he bore full responsibility for all that he had done and signed together with the others. Thus this clumsy attempt of Hess to avoid the responsibility was fully exposed at the trial and Hess must suffer punishment to the full extent, for his participation in the common plan or conspiracy for committing crimes against peace, war crimes and the most heavy crimes against the world and against humanity, committed by him together with the other defendants. BORMANN The name of Martin Bormann is closely connected with the setting up of Hitler's regime. He was one of those who committed the most outrageous crimes, aiming at the annihilation of hundreds of thousands of people. Together with the defendant Rosenberg, Bormann carried on a propaganda of racial theories and persecutions of Jews with cruel perseverance. Numerous instructions were issued by him aiming at the discrimination of Jews in Hitlerite Germany, which afterward had such a fatal effect and resulted in the annihilation of Jews. By this activity of his, he won the confidence of Hitler, he was "authorized to represent the party in the field of government activity" (regulations and orders of the party chancellery v. II p. 228) and he did represent it. Thus, as chief of the party chancellery, he directly participated in the annihilation of Jews, Gypsies, Russians, Ukrainians, Poles and Czechoslovaks. NSDAP under his leadership became a police organization, in close contact with the German secret police and SS. Bormann not only knew of all the aggressive plans of Hitler's Government, but also took an active part in realizing them. He made full use of the entire party machinery of NSDAP to realize the aggressive plans of Hitler's Government, and appointed the party Gauleiters as Plenipotentiaries for the Reich defense in the regions of their activity. The NSDAP party machinery and Bormann personally, took an active part in all measures of the German military and civil authorities for the inhuman exploitation of war prisoners. This is proved by the murderous instructions and directions issued by Bormann. The materials of the Prosecution and the legal proceedings have now established the scope of the mass annihilation caused by the bestial ill-treatment of the prisoners-of-war. The party machinery and the defendant Bormann, personally took a direct part in the measures of Hitler's government connected with the deportation of the population of the occupied territories for slave labor. The secret deportation of Ukrainian girls to Germany for forced Germanization, was carried out with Bormann's approval. By Hitler's order of 18th October 1944, Bormann and Himmler were entrusted with the leadership of the "Volkssturm" consisting of all men from 16-60 years of age, capable of wearing weapons. (3018-PS) On the eve of the collapse of Hitler's Germany, Bormann headed the underground organization "Wehrwolf" for divertionist and subversive activity behind allied lines. Bormann took a direct part in plundering historical treasures and treasures of culture and art in the occupied territories. (1600-PS, USA 690) In 1943 he made a suggestion to intensify the economic plunder in the occupied territories. (061-PS, USA 692) Such are the crimes of the defendant Bormann, Hitler's closest collaborator, who shares the full responsibility for the numerous crimes of Hitler's government and of the Nazi party. |