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SPEER DOCUMENT 030

Letter of Speer to Hitler on 29 March 1945

***"When on 18 March I transmitted to you my letter, I was of firm conviction that the conclusions which I had drawn from the present situation for the maintainance of our national power would find your unconditional approval. Because you yourself had once determined that it was the task of the government to preserve a nation from a heroic end if the war should be lost. However during the evening you made declarations to me the tenor of which, unless I misunderstood you, was clearly and definitely as follows: If the war is to be lost the nation will also perish. This fate is inevitable. There was no necessity to take into consideration the basis which the people would need to continue a most primitive existence. On the contrary, it would be wiser to destroy even these things, because this nation had proved to be the weaker one and the future belonged solely to the stronger Eastern nation. Besides, those who remain after the battle are only the inferior ones; for the good ones, have fallen.

After these words I was profoundly shaken, and when on the next day I read the order for destruction and shortly after that the strict order of evacuation, I saw in this the first steps toward the realization of these intentions" *

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SPEER DOCUMENT 031

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Executory decree of Hitler, 30 March 1945 The Fuehrer Headquarters of Fuehrer, 30 March 1945 For unified execution of my decree of 19 March 1945 I command: 1. The ordered measures for destruction of industrial plants serve exclusively the purpose of making impossible the use by the enemy of these plants in order to augment his fighting forces.

2. In no case must the measures adopted weaken our own fighting forces. Production must be maintained to the last possible moment, even when there is danger due to swift movements of the enemy that the plant may fall into his hands undestroyed. Industrial plants of all kinds, including industries of supply, can only then be destroyed, when they are threatened imminently.

3. Where the total destruction of bridges and other traffic installations makes their use impossible by the enemy for a long period, the same result can be obtained by lasting paralysis of industrial plants, including industries of supply. The total destruction of especially important plants will be determined by the Reich Minister for Armament and War Production by my orders

(for instance, munitions works, most important chemical plants, etc.).

4. The selection for paralysis and destruction of industrial plants and other works is made by the Gauleiter and Reich Commissioner for Defense, who supervises their execution. The execution is dealt with solely by the Offices and Organizations of the Reich Minister for Armament and War Production. In this connection all offices of the Party, the State, and the Army are to render assistance.

5. The provision for execution is published with my assent by the Reich Minister for Armament and War production. He can give individual instructions to the Reich Commissioner for Defense.

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6. These principles are valid according to their purport for the plants and installations in the immediate fighting zone.

[signed] ADOLF HITLER

SPEER DOCUMENT 032

Pariser Platz 3, BERLIN W 8, 30 March 1945

Executive Decree, dated 30 March 1945

The Reich Minister for Armament and War Production ZA/Org. 372-381/45 secret

SECRET!

Subject: Executive regulations for the Fuehrer Decree, dated 30 March 1945, concerning measures for crippling and destroying.

For the execution of the Fuehrer decrees dated 19 March 1945 and 30 March 1945 I decree:

1. My present decrees and directives concerning the crippling of industrial installations of all kinds and public utilities (electric power, gas, water, food economic enterprises of all kinds) continue to apply as before. The preparations for crippling which have been ordered are to be pursued with all intensity in order to guarantee the execution when necessary in the shortest possible time. These crippling measures must make it impossible for the enemy to use our industrial installations and supply facilities for the increase of high fighting power right now and in this foreseeable future.

I emphasize once more the necessity of absolute secrecy concerning all preparations:

2. Total destruction of the most important installations or their most important parts will take place upon an order by the Fuehrer, which I will have issued. I shall name these plants, along

with the appropriate directive, to the chairmen of the armament commission or sub-commissions.

Insofar as the intermediary authorities should have suggestions for their part, then these are to be forwarded to me as quickly as possible.

3. The time for the execution of my appropriate directive will be determined exclusively from the battle situation. It is only to be issued when an immediate danger of occupation by the enemy exists. In connection with this, I refer to my repeated order "to continue to manufacture even during the most difficult situations until the last possible moment".

Since all these measures are to be executed in accordance with the principle of not weakening own fighting power one moment too soon. I demand that all departments (armament offices and plant managers) show the highest sense of responsibility. Pursuant to the Fuehrer decree, the Party, the Wehrmacht, and the nation have to assist in the destruction itself on request.

4. The execution of the orders for crippling or destruction, delegated by the Fuehrer to the Gauleiters and Reich Commissioners, extends to the territorial limits, and must be effected in coordination with the military command posts according to the battle situation.

5. Since, pursuant to Fuehrer decree of 30 March 1945, concerning the execution of these measures, the armament authorities are responsible even in the immediate combat zone, my decree of 17 October 1944, point 4, corrected on 6 November 1944, is rescinded. Supreme Command of the Armed Forces/ Armed Forces Operations Staff (OKW/WFSt) will give identical orders to its commands.

The military headquarters have territorial jurisdiction for the execution of the crippling and destruction of the combat zone.

6. Within the framework of the territorial execution of these. orders, the chairmen of the armament commissions or sub-commissions are responsible for the execution of individual orders for the crippling of factories or their destruction. They can delegate their powers to the armament authorities responsible for subareas of their territory.

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Highest Reich authorities and Armed Forces Offices according

to a special distribution list.

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Plenipotentiary General for Reich Administration with duplicates for the Reich Defense Commissioners.

Regierungspraesidenten, Landraete and Chief Mayors

Chief of the Party Chancellery with duplicates for the Gauleiters

Armament Commissioners

Chairmen of the Armament Commissions with duplicates for the Armament Inspectorate.

Armament Detachments.

WKB, LWAE, Rue-Obm., Organization Todt Einsatzgruppenleiter

Chiefs of the Main Commissions, Main "Rings" and Produc-
tion Main Commissions

Reich Minister of Communications with duplicates for the
General Plant

Directorates and the Reich Railroads Directorates

Reich Food Minister with duplicates for the state farm leaders.
Inter Office Distribution A2

SPEER DOCUMENT 043

Extract from Memorandum from Speer to Hitler dated 20 September 1944

"So now I am confronted by the fact that at the present stage of the war, in which with growing concern one seeks negligence everywhere, the self-responsibility which I built up in industry and in my ministry is being designated as 'alien to the Party', as a 'reservoir of reactionary economic leaders' or even as 'hostile to the Party'." (Remarks by Dr. Goebbels and Reich Leader Bormann)

The task which I have to fulfill is a non-political one. So far I have enjoyed my work, since I personally and my work were evaluated strictly according to professional achievements.

I must assume that this professional achievement is still meeting with approval even today.

I do not feel strong enough to carry out without hindrance and successfully, the technical work to be accomplished by myself and my co-workers if it is to be measured by Party political standards.

20 July caused great lack of confidence on the part of the German people. A feeling of insecurity as to whom one could still rely upon, and as to who would stand at one's side with

active achievement and spiritual preparedness, is generally widespread.

It has fostered anew a lack of confidence in the reliability of my large circle of co-workers from industry.

The fact that I was on the Ministerial list of 20 July is probably known since the Gauleiter meeting to every Gauleiter and even a large circle to the Party.

As my achievements are pretty well recognized there is no danger in this. However the conviction that I am being influenced and carried along by a circle which in its composition is reactionary, economically biased, and alien to the Party is comparatively widespread.

I do not believe that the second system which might be applied in our economy- the system of compulsion by Industrial Commissioners, or extensive proceedings and punishment when output is insufficient, can lead to success.

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SPEER DOCUMENT 048

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Excerpt from the Fuehrer Protocol of August 18/20, 1944

Point 8: "The Fuehrer agrees to the instructions we propose for paralyzing instead of destroying industrial or power plants falling temporarily into enemy hands."

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XXII. CONSTANTIN VON NEURATHA A stavbni E

1. FINAL ARGUMENT by Dr. Otto von Luedinghausen, Defense Counsel

Your Lordship, your Honours:

"Never before has war impressed me as quite so abominable." This is what Napoleon Bonaparte wrote to the Directorate in the year 1799 after the victorious capture of Jaffa-where he had ordered the shooting of 2,000 captured Turks. This statement by one of the men most outstanding in the conduct of war stood for unqualified condemnation, not merely of war as such, but also of all means for the conduct of war considered as unavoidable and permitted at that time. The perception which this word reflects and its ethical condemnation of war were not uttered in vain. As early as the middle of the last century, morally and ethically high-minded personalities made efforts tending to ameliorate and eliminate, some at least, of the horrors of war. The founding of

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