To all Province and District Leaders: 30.5.1944 Concerns: Circular letter 125/44 Secret. The leader of the Party-Chancellory requests that the local group leaders [Ortagruppenleiter] be instructed concerning the content of this circular letter orally only. Authenticated: Karms signed: FRIEDRICHS TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 058-PS [Letterhead of the NSDAP Party Chancellery] The Director of the Party Chancellery Fuehrer Headquarters 30 Sept 1944 Circular letter 288/44g SECRET [Rubber stamped] Chancellery Rosenberg Received 3 Oct 1944 Nr 09640 Shown to Reichsleiter 3/10 Filed circular letter secret Subject: Reorganization of the concerns of prisoners of war. 1. The Fuehrer has ordered under the date 25 Sept 1944: The custody of all prisoners of war and interned persons, as well as prisoner of war camps, and institutions with guards are transferred to the commander of the reserve army from October 1, 1944. For all questions which have to do with the fulfilling of the agreement of 1939, as well as affairs of the police and aid societies, and for the affairs of the German prisoners of war in the enemies hands, the high command of the military forces will give particulars of the transfer and the delineation of the twofold duties in direct consultation with the commander of the reserve army and the divisions of the military forces. 2. The Reichsfuehrer SS has commanded: a. In my capacity as commander of the reserve army, I transfer the affairs of prisoners of war to Gottlob Berger, SS-lieut. general and [SS-Obergruppenfuehrer und General der Waffen-SS] chief of staff of the Volksturm. b. The commanders of prisoners of war with the individual military commands are subject to the command of the senior SS officer effective as of 1 October 1944. [Rubber stamp] For cognizance to 1) Chief of Staff 2) Central Office Back to chancellery c. The mobilization of labor of the prisoners of war will be organized with the present labor mobilization office in joint action between SS-Lieut. General Berger [SS-Obergruppenfuehrer] and SS-Lieut. General Pohl. The strengthening of security in the field of prisoner of war affairs is to be accomplished between SS-Lieut. General Berger and the Chief of the Security Police, SS-Lieut. Gen. Dr. Kaltenbrunner. d. Particulars of the transfer will be determined in joint action between SS-Lieut. Gen. Berger and the Chief of the General Office of the Military Forces, General Reineck. 3. The Reichsfuehrer SS has also commanded: All camp and labor commands are immediately to investigate with respect to security and suppression of any attempt at uprising, and to take all the proper measures. In this connection I order that from now on, all canned goods which the prisoners receive in packages are to be cut open and must be given to the prisoners opened because of the notes and tools which are often hidden in the cans. This treatment is to be accorded to any canned goods of prisoners which have been saved unopened up to now. 4. I am passing this new order on for information. As soon as further details of the transfer, future treatment of the affairs of prisoners of war, and the exact delineation of the tasks of the Reichsfuehrer SS and of the High Command are established, I shall forward them. I request you work in closest collaboration with the offices to whom the responsibility of the affairs of the prisoners of war was transferred. Distribution: Reich Directorate Gauleiter signed: M. BORMANN Chiefs of the organizations affiliated with NSDAP. [Verbaendefuehrer] Authenticated: Suergart [?] File word: Prisoners of War Order number 8810 NSDAP Leader of Party Chancellory Fuehrer's Headquarters Announcement 9/44 secret SECRET Re: Supply of Bombed Districts 11 January 1944 Since the supply of textiles and household goods for the bombed populations is becoming increasingly difficult, the proposition was made repeatedly to effect purchases in the occupied territories in greater proportions. Various district leaders proposed to let these purchases be handled by suitable private merchants who know these districts and have corresponding connections. I have brought these proposals to the attention of the National Economic Minister and am quoting his reply of 16 December 1943 on account of its fundamental importance: I consider it a specially important task to make use of the economic power of the occupied territories for the Nation. You are aware of the fact that since the occupation of the Western territories the buying out of these countries has been affected in the greatest proportion. Raw materials, semi-finished products and stocks of finished goods have been rolling to Germany for months, valuable machines were sent to our armaments industry. Everything was done at that time to increase our armament potentialities. Later on the shipments of these important economic goods were replaced by the so-called distribution of orders from industry to industry. These measures are running smoothly and with good success for a long time. They were again strengthened these last few months because we were more than ever before forced by the shuttingdown of the consumer goods industry in favor of armament to use the economic powers of the Western occupied territories for these German needs. With the growing volume of the distribution of orders the black-market also lost more ground and the termination of products as to kind, quality and price was taken into our hands much more effectively. In the spring of this year, therefore, the Reichsmarschal was able to decide to prohibit all black-market purchases through German agencies. Since, besides the industrial fabrication from old stocks and from uncontrollable production in the Western occupied territories, certain supplies always exist which are not covered by the industrial displacement, the proper German agencies have received the order from me to get also these free stocks of finished goods besides securing production for the displacement. In doing so, one must not form a wrong idea of the amount of these stocks. They usually are not as big as they might appear to be in the display window of some cities of the Western territories. These purchases are being made under the control of central purchase agencies and according to the regulations of the national agencies. Moreover, these purchases have already been in the hands of German companies proven in foreign business. Since, in addition to these firms, buyers have recently acted who used to be active in the blackmarket and are not sufficiently competent nor always reliable, I have formed recently for France and Belgium each a common buying office for the companies permitted for certain businesses. It is the task of these offices to purchase the finished goods without disturbing the distribution of orders specially for the supply for air attack losses. These offices represent a coordination of the especially experienced German companies in Belgium and France. Among them are, for instance, also a number of respectable Hamburg firms. The offices are getting general directions from the Reich offices as to which goods are urgently needed for the provision for bombed out people. Besides, it is up to their private economical initiative to develop fully these possibilities, on which I am also putting the greatest importance. Accordingly, I may assume that your proposals have already been carried out. Difficulties in the delivery of the goods to the Reich are solely due to the present specially strained transport situation. Frequently during the last few weeks it was not possible to bring in even the most important goods destined for the bombed out civilians from the Western occupied territories. Upon an improvement of the transport situation, the provision with these goods will also improve. Special actions, therefore, can also not change this situation. They would only disturb the order of the practice established after many troubles. Distribution: Reichsleiter Gauleiter Verbaendefuehrer Correct [signed] Goerz Subject index: Signed M. Bormann Household goods-Airwar measures-Textiles -Supplies NATIONAL SOCIALIST GERMAN WORKERS PARTY The Deputy of the Fuehrer [Receipt Stamp: Chancellery Rosenberg No. 941, dated 1 April 1940] Munich 33, 13 March 1940 Brown House TOP SECRET! (Initialled): R DIRECTIVE A 5/40 g Subject: Instructions to the civilian population regarding appropriate behavior in case of landings of enemy planes or parachutists in German territory [Reichsgebiet] The French civilian population was directed officially and by radio how to behave in case of landings by German planes. On account of this fact the Commander in Chief of the Air Force has requested me to instruct the civilian population correspondingly by means of party channels. The attached directions as to procedure are to be disseminated only orally via district leaders [Kreisleiter], local municipal leaders [Ortsgruppenleiter], cell leaders [Zellenleiter], block leaders [Blockleiter], leaders of the incorporated and affiliated organizations of the party. Transmittal by official orders, posters, press or radio is prohibited. 1 enclosure Authenticated: (F.d.R.) FRIEDRICHS signed: R. HESS OFFICIAL STAMP: TOP SECRET (gives the exact routine instructions how to handle state secrets) 1. This is a state secret in the sense of par. 88 Reich Criminal Code in the wording of the law of 24 April 1934. German laws of 1934 Vol. 1 p. 341 ff. 2. To be passed on only personally or upon personal written request in two envelopes against receipt certificate. 3. Transmission if possible through courier or trusted personality; in case of postal transmission as money-letter (value 1050 marks). 4. Multiplication of any kind as well as making of excerpts is prohibited. |