IÄSI HAMS Forfxumurnb Osoaarahd EUROSE
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it ^ #s SECRET APPROVED EI THE mi> OFFICE OF sT.mmiG SERVICES Research and Amlysia Braaoh R & A Ho. 5114.6 IÄSI HAMS FOR fxumurnB osoaar AHD EUROSE HftZI SKHJ/möff OF FKOFERTX IN OCCUPIED SfBOCK Draft for the iT&r Crimes staff £4 ,T»ly 1945 Gojiy 3£o •«2 SBORBT mm Introduction 1 A. Spoliation of Property and Economic %:ploi tation I B„ Legt! Basis of German Eacncmlc Controls 3 1. Occupation and ßej^a&e 3 2. Changes it? Occupation Status 6 3ba typical Cases of German Spolle.tioi of Property 7 A. Spoliation of Industrial Proarty 1» Poland 7 B. Spoliation of OMtural Propa*ty in Poland 13 C. Lootiiig and Itestruetlon of Xidustri&l Property in Soviet Russia 16 B. Financial Manipulations in Occupied Soviet Terra toy 21 E U&lawiNil Conflacaticrs and diking of War Booty Ixi Franc© • 26 F. Levying of Isoossire Contributions in France 29 G. Pveqt'ifiitionin^ and looting of Dutch Industrial Sfechinery 31 II. Eccnonic Ejrploitation of Beiriark 33 I. Financial Spoliation of farb.ia 39 J. Spoliation of Industrial'. Property in Korthorn Ita3y 42 Principal Narji Organisations Involved 4$ A. Organizations Responsible toe the Planning iß 1. Preparation for %r 48 2. Orer-sall Direction of Exploitation 4.9 B. Central Crganisations 52 1. Civilian A'-Verities 52 a. Sii® Ministerial Co-mcil for Raich Pofen30 52 b. "Qi& Delegat» for 3ie Four-Yea?' Plan 53 c. Hie Reich Ministry of Interior 61 d. BB Reich Ministry for Economies 62 e. 5aa Rolclisbank 65 t. She Reich Ministry for Finance 65 g. She Reich Ministry for Food and Agriculture 66 h. She Reich Forestry Office 68 1. 3he Reich Ministry for ^asportation 6S I:. 3he Reich Caradssi<;nflr for Ocean Shipping 69 1. Hie Reich Ministry- for Amieinents and W&r Production 70 a. Si© Foreign Office . 30 2. Military and Party Authorities 81 a. OKW - Economic Brtnch 81 b. Military Administration Authoriidas 84 c. Special Tachrijal Units 86 a. JSflfla3&^^5oiia:&B8£ 87 SECRET SSCRBT 3. Organisations of Carman Business» 88 a. Groups and Chambers 88 b. Cartels 92 e. Commattaes and Rings 93 d. Charier 3 of Commerce in Occupied Countries 94 Sbx-ritorlal Authorities 96 1. Incorporated Territories 96 2. ippanded 'Jibrritcriea 97 a. '&.& Protectorate of Bohemia aed Moravia 97 b. *!he General Government 98 3. Territories with Colonial Status 100 a. 'Jhe Ostland and Ukraine 100 b. 'Jhe Arm;/ Bear Zone 101 />. Western European Countries under Civilian Authority 102 a. Norn«y 102 b. "She I'ether lands 103 c. Deni,!«;rk 104 5. Western European Countries tinder Military Rule 105 a. '.territorial Authorities in Jrance ar^d Belgium 105 b. 'Jhe Jranco-Cferman Armistice» 107 6. Satellit« Countries 109 a. Greece, Serbia, Croatia 109 b. Slovakia, Rumania, Bulgaria 110 c. Italy 111 SSGREg SECHST Io INTRODUCTION » A o Spoliation of property gad eoonomic exploitation The term "spoliation of proparty" ia used in the following discussion to cover all illegal acts which affected the economic welfare of Gsnaan^oceupied countrieso Spoliation thus include0 not only offenses against property rights of the individual (the chief dangsr against which the Hagt» Conrontiona tried to protect an occupied country)« but also tli© economic exploitation of the country as a whole by illegal means or to an illegal extents In the category of acts constituting spoliation of individual property belong not only acts of outright robbery» confiscation,, seizure and destruction of property (owned^, e0goP by Jews« Poles0 Russians)*, but also acts which had th© outward appoartoioe of legality «*> that is* purchases with a price paid by the German buyers,, To lay bare the true character of such deals it is necessary to scrutinis« the methods by which« and th© circumstances under which,, private onr»r8 vie re lnducod to consent to the sal© of their property to the Germans o While there are many reports showing that the Germans committed nuaeroue act« of spoliation of individual property«, * in occupied countries» the organised character of the exploitation of the i„ Sen for example Speeren order of 12 December 1944 quoted in SHASFs Economic Intelligence Suntaary Ho» 29 (OSS CID #121692), - 1 - . SECHST - 2 - SECHST economic reaoureea of occupied countries in the interest of the Gan *ar «sffort ©ad of the standard of living of tl» German people will be o-s&tral to the ensuing desoriptlcmo This exploitation was fin important element in the German plan of internntioiaal aggression, war/, and cor que ühÄ reeponEtlbla Isadora of the German pa©pie« although. often aricioua to davelop and uso fonaa and instrumenta of exploitation which would preserve th» outward appearanoe of legality, always consldei'ed the Gaman war effort and the standard of living of the G&rw&a paoplso and i.n isany caws' their ovm personal enrichasanto as more importcnt than the protection of the property and welfare of the inhabitants of the ©oeupiod countrieso It wem in fact part of the German plan to roduce t/js standard of living of the population ina for example« Soviet Russia9 German economic occupation policies must b© da »a ri bed and judged aus a v&iole if their unlawful character ia to be proved» In many oas&a orily the extent of "lawful" requisitioning and purchasing ard tho character of finanolng 'methods used (contributions« forosd loans.., is sua of occupation currency) made the German policies unlavzfuls Voluae of goods and services extracted said amounts of financial oontribut ocs levied exceeded both tho needs of the occupying mmy and the resources of the occupied countryo Acts of spoliation affecting the guneral welfare of occupied countries bocome of great importance because the Germans did, as a rule*, issticulously pay for goods acquired in occupied countries and often had no need of resorting to requisitioning or specific pressure, but .•JECRlSr . * purchased freely out of ft doh -wore- for the greater part oontn buticns or oroditso Ths? contributions levied by tbwa twre in atsgtf'ly ever,/ ease • veyy definitely greater then was naceoatry to cover th« rase is of thn occupying armies &ncltthue resulted iii pertly indsmr&fying Gwaany for öjs expenses of ths war end in enriching it« In msny capen», too, contributions .wj-re not in proportion to national resourot s ind had destructive affects on the mlfart» of the occupied country„ Th© credits i^ecsived by tho GomuMw frsxa occupied couniriesj; especially in international clearing accounts but also in national ourreaey for the local needs of the German authorities« had obviously the character of forced leans«, This is evident frost the general relations be ones n the lender — ;he occupied country •— and the borrower — the cccupanto loans,, moreover., -sasre often not in proportion to the national resources and in moat cases were not used to cover the nsec's of fee occupying: armies but rather to enrich Germany or at least. to help it carry (indemnify it for) the expanses of -the warD *>° fe?S** bails of German scononic; oontrola I, Occupation and debellation The German authorities considered it perfectly legal to exploit fully all occupied countries in the interest of the Gera&n war effort 1 end the standard of living of the German peoplea In factfl a study of their occupation policies shews th*t mainly political and economic motives are reflected in their formulationj. with legal considerations being given little importance n TT'l.go Funic quoted by Frankfurter Zeitung,, 13 October 1941«. SECRET • 4 - iiSCj However, • the (toman Govem<aant never renounced the international lew occupation in its entirety B bat tried to keep tb? appear&noo of roepoetins it in some oountrieei« while in other countries considering Atoalf not bound by it and digrossing officially from its principles0 The legal basis of German econc'icic policies was thus "teofolds First* in son© countries international law of occupation waff considered valid« Thosa awrprieid the 7/a stern European states (Pranoe* Belgium« the Netherlands« Denaerk« and Norway)« A special situation '?ir?elopad in France,, because the Franco-Geman Armistice Agreement specified in many respects the rights aai duties of the G^rmana in rsigmrd to French property,, Second, in all other countries international latr of occupation l not considered applicable« These »ares &o Territories annexed by the Reich and thoäe prepared for anaexation — that isc administered in fact as part of tha Reichs although not yet dssolarad to be legally part of rit0 The Sermon authorities acted in all economic matera as if the Incorporation had titon place, without i«gard to international law0 bo The occupied Czechoslovak territory organised as the cf Bohemia »x& Moravia. Pro too to rate/ ffore German authority derived from the unilateral act by ishioh Hitler had established the Protectorate ° Ths Czechoslovak state was considered to be nonexistent;. The Germans did not acknowledge any Hjaitaticna of their powers« although the Protectorate B.sores "freely" gave the native population certain rights and a degree of autoxUBByc SECRET => 5 » SBCiiLT c. Ths occupied Polißh territories organised as tbs General Government. In this area the Germans refused to ackr.o'Tlodge ony limitations on their s.ctivitias by international Inw« 'fhe Polißh state ?ras deel&rsd non=e;s± stent a and the statu of -war between Poland and Germany and the belligerent occupation of Polish territory considered • fit an endo 1 de The occupied Russian territories. In thecse the Germans d:td not consider themselves bound by the Hag'« regulations on land w&rf&rs V«cause ths USSR was not a party to this pactc ea The satellite countries,, German