to question 9 that Kaltenbrunner had given no orders for killing of Jews, the words "According to my knowledge" are missing. 7. With respect to Question 11, who was the American that told Kaltenbrunner you had contacted in a neutral country in 1943? Did Kaltenbrunner agree to travel to Switzerland with you to meet the representative of the Allied Powers with whom you were in touch through the Austrian Resistance Movement, and, if so, when? With respect to 7: The American liaison man in 1943 was a member of the USA Legation in Lisbon. I am no longer familiar with his name. The connection to an American organization through the Austrian Resistance Movement existed only with the coming of Fall 1944. Kaltenbrunner's acquiescence to travel there was given me about 20 April 1945. 8. With respect to Question 12, on what date did Kaltenbrunner order the Commandant of Mauthausen Concentration Camp to hand over the camp to approaching troops and at whose insistence. did Kaltenbrunner issue this order and for what reason? With respect to 8: I cannot state the exact date of Kaltenbrunner's order to the Commandant of Mauthausen Concentration Camp to hand over the camp to the approaching troops. It should have been during the last days of April 1945. It is not known to me at whose insistence and for which reason he gave this order; possibly this was connected with his discussions with SS Standartenfuehrer Becher whom I met with him at the time. Above statements are true; I made this declaration voluntarily and without compulsion; I signed this statement after reading it and executed it in Nurnberg, Germany, on the 10th day of April 1946. s/ Dr. Wilhelm Hoettl t/ Dr. Wilhelm Hoettl Subscribed and sworn to before me this 10th day of April 1946, at Nurnberg, Germany. s/ Smith W. Brookhart, Jr. t/ Smith W. Brookhart, Jr., Lt. Col. IGD EXCERPTS FROM INTERROGATION OF GENERAL VON BLOMBERG Q. At that time, the frame of the planned Wehrmacht was about fulfilled. A. When? Q. 1937. A. I believe it was 1937. Q. Was that a plan that had been discussed with Dr. Schacht in connection with the finances establishing how big the Wehrmacht would be? A. Yes. The plan for the formation of the Wehrmacht Schacht knew very well since we gave him every year the setting up of how many formations for which we had been spending money. All new formations for which we had been spending money. I remember in the year 1937 it was discussed, what should the Wehrmacht get for carrying expenses? After, a great amount was spent to build it up. Q. That means that you gave Schacht a clear statement of how much money you were putting into the creation of new instruments and so forth, and how much you were using for the operating expenses of the Wehrmacht? A. Exactly right. Q. When you say that by 1937 the plan had been fulfilled, do you mean in the main? A. In the main. Q. When you say that Schacht was familiar with these figures, how were they brought to his attention? A. The demands that they made were handed to Schacht in writing. Q. That means, in connection with the monies which Schacht was arranging for the rearmament program, he was informed of how many divisions and how many tanks would be procured through these monies? A. I don't think we put down the amount of money we needed for tanks and so forth, but we put down how certain parts of the Wehrmacht like the Navy and the Air force needed and then how much this required for activation and how much for operating. That is, Dr. Schacht could see each year how much of an increase there would be in the size of the armed forces as a result of the money he was procuring. That is certain. |