mander in Chief of Southeast dated 13 September 1944, that members of commando operations now fall under the Fuehrer order of 18 Aug 1944 and/or 30 July 1944 (OKW/WFSt/Qu. 2/Verw. 1 No. 009169/WR I/1 No. 79/44g Kdos.) This Fuehrer order speaks expressly only of non-German civilians while the members of commando operations in question generally appear in enemy uniform and consequently must be treated according to the Fuehrer order of 18 October 1942-003830/42g Kdos/OKW WFSt. Only members of commando operations in civilian clothing can be treated, from the very beginning, as agents according to exclusive Security Police viewpoints, since according to the Geneva Convention they cannot claim any favors for PWs. I request that you inform the other recipients of your letter of 28 Sept. 1944 in the above sense and to notify me of the action taken. E. Kaltenbrunner TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 580-PS The Reich Minister for the occupied Eastern territories Berlin W 35, 6 March 1942 (a) To the Reich Commissioner for the Ostland Riga For information to the Commissioners Re: Recruiting of civilian workers from the occupied Eastern territories. 1. The Deputy for the Four-Year-Plan, Department Manpower, requested by decree of 24 February 1942-V a 5780 28/60 the procurement of 380,000 agricultural workers and 247,000 industrial workers from the occupied Eastern territories. The employment of these workers in the Reich is particularly urgent and cannot be delayed because of the coming spring cultivation and because of the requirements of the armament industry. 2. As shown in the attached statements, the Deputy for the Four-Year-Plan in agreement with me has divided the total requirements as indicated by the above figures between the territories of the Reich Commissioners and the Commissioners Gen eral. In carrying out this decree it should be kept in mind that in any case the requirements of the Reich have priority over the local requirements for workers. Exceptions to this rule may be made if the tasks in question are urgently necessary for the interest of the war, as for instance construction jobs of the Organization Todt, supply of troops, requirements of agriculture, transportation of coal, reconstruction of electrical plants, etc. 3. The Labor Policy and Social Administration departments and their subordinate labor offices and social agencies with the support of and in agreement with the departments politics, press and propaganda, food and agriculture and the local district offices or their leaders respectively will be in charge of this task. Furthermore, the Deputy for the Four-Year-Plan will augment his recruiting commissions, or add new ones. 4. The Labor Policy and Social Administration departments, as well as their subordinate labor offices and social agencies have to take steps that all available manpower be registered. First, all the manpower has to be registered which is still available in large cities and which in the last years has migrated from the farms into the cities and were employed in industrial plants. Then workers who have migrated from the cities to the country, and who for reasons of food have taken refuge on the Sowchos and former Kolches, and who are dispensable. The district leaders have to take active part in the recruiting and making available of these workers. 5. Furthermore, the district offices have to supply food and, if the occasion arises, horses required for the transportation of the workers. If possible, a car with food is to be attached to every train leaving for the Reich to furnish an initial food supply for the workers, e.g., millet among other things. 6. The workers are to be recruited. Forced enlistment should be avoided, instead for political reasons the enlistment should be kept on a voluntary basis. In case the enlistment should not bring the required results and there should be a surplus of workers available use may be made, in extreme cases and in agreement with the General Commissioner, of the decree dated 19 December 1941 concerning the introduction of compulsory labor in the occupied Eastern territories. Promises which cannot be kept may not be given either in writing or verbally. Therefore, the proclamations (posters) and appeals in the press and over the radio may not contain any untrue information in order to avoid disappointment among the workers employed in the Reich and thus reactions against future recruiting in the occupied Eastern territories. Recruiting appeals are to be published only in agree ment with the Labor Policy and Social Administration departments and press and propaganda. 7. The drafted workers are to be brought to designated collecting points (to district commissioners). In case of a shortage of transportation, which is to be anticipated, the workers should be marched to their destination, their necessary baggage loaded on vehicles supplied by the respective towns or plants where the workers came from. Authorized assembly camps should be set up according to necessity. 8. The OKW-Chief of Transportation-promised to furnish every week a certain number of railroad trains for the transportation of workers into the Reich. Time tables will be issued soon. 9. Food rations must be furnished to the workers for the march to the collecting point and the following trip; as far as possible warm meals are to be provided by the Labor Administration at the collecting point and at the stopping points. 10. Delousing of workers and their baggage is to be carried out in installations provided for that purpose, and if necessary, additional delousing facilities should be set up or drawn from the Armed Forces. Please transmit directives to your subordinate offices without delay and report to me urgently (by teletype) regarding the arrangements made. On account of the urgency of the matter the Commissioners General received their copies directly. For the Gauleiter and Reichsstatthalter [signed] Alfred Meyer [Stamp of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories] |