UNITED NATIONS WAR CRHE3 COMMISSION (Research Office) SECRET SUMMARY OP Inpohmaticffi
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yuv UNITED NATIONS WAR CRHE3 COMMISSION (Research Office) SECRET SUMMARY OP INPOHMATICffi No. kb. October. 1945. THE GERMAN INDUSTRIALISTS AS ACCOMPLICES OP THE NAZI CONSPIRACY SENATOR KILGORE’S REPORTS. (Summarized from papers furnished by the U.S. Office of War Information) On Juno 25 th 1945, in connection with a nee ting of the Sub-Conaittee on War Mobilisation of the U.S. Senate Military Affairs Committee, Senator Kilgore, Chairman of the Sub-Coniaittoe,, released the following account of a secret meeting of German industrialists in August 1944, showing how German industry had co-oporated with the Nazi party in planning a v/nr of aggression« »TEXT OF A REPORT W A MEETING OF GERMAN INDUSTRIALISTS TO l&KE POST-WAR PLANS, STRASBOURG, AUGUST 40 ''1944» "1. A meeting of the prinoipal German industrialists with interests in France was held on August 10, 1944, in the Hotel Rotes Hans in Strasbourg, France. Among those presont were the following: "Dr. Scheid, who presided, holding the rank of S.S. Obergruppenfflhror and director of the NECE (Hernadorff and Schonburg) Companies. "Dr. Kaspar, representing Krupp. • , "Dr. Tolle, representing Rochling. "Dr. Sinceren, representing Hessersohmitfc. / * "Drs. Kopp, Vier and Baerwanger, representing Rhinemetall. "Captain Haberkorn and Dr. Fuhr, representing Bussing "Drs* Ellencpyer and Kardos, representing Volksvagenwork.. "Engineers'Drose? Yanchew and Koppshem, representing various factories in Posen, Poland (Drose, Yanchew and Co., Browriboveri, Herkulesvrorke, Buschwerke and Stadtwerke). "Captain Dorribusch, head of the industrial inspection section at PoSen. "Dr. Meyer, an official of tho German Naval Ministry in Paris. "Dr. Strossner, of the Ministry of ArcAnents, Paris. "2. Dr. Soheid stated that all industrial material in Franca was to be evacuated to Gorraany immediately« The Battlo of France was lost for Gexnany and now the defence of the Siogfried Line was tho main problem. From na.7 on, also, German industry must realise that the war could not bo won and that it PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/9733ac/ must take steps in preparation for a post-^var comercial campaign. Each industrialist nust nake contacts and alliances with foreign firms, "but this must .be^ clone, individually and without attracting any suspicion* Moreover, the ground would have to be laid on the financial levol for borrovdng con siderable sur» fron foreign countries after the war. "As .examples of tho kind of penetration which had been most useful in the past, Dr, Scheid cited the fact, that patents for stainless steel belonged to the Chenioal Foundation Inc*, New York, and the Krupp Company of Germany jointly, and that the U*S, Steel Corporation, Carnegie, Illinois, American Steel and Viro, and National Tube,, etc.,..were thereby under an obligation to work *,7ith the Krupp concern* He also aited tho Zeiss Company, the Leica Company, and tho Hariburg-Anerican Lino as firms which had been especially offootive in protecting Gernan interests abroad and gave their New York addresses to the industrialists at this meeting*" . ^ ' ( W 2 7 / 1 0 L) "Following this noeting a srAllor one was held, presided over by Dr. Sosse of the Gemxn Armaments iZiniatzy and attended only by representatives of Hecho, Krupp and Hochling. • At this second neo ting it-was stated that the Nazi parly had inforood the industrialists' that it would-continue until a guarantee of the unity of Ge rainy could bo obtainod, GernOn industrialists nust, it was said, through their oxpcrts, increase the strength of Germany* They nust also prepare; thenselves to finance the Nazi Party which would be forced to go under ground as maquis (in Gebirgsvertoidigungsstellen gohen). Fron now on the governnont would allocate largo suns to industrialists so that each could establish a seoret post«<7ar foundation in foreign countries. Existing financial reserves in foreign countries nust be placed at tho disposal of the Party so tliat a strong German Empire can be created after tho defeats It is also immediately required that tho large factories in Germany creato small technical offices or research bureaux which would be absolutely independent and have no known connection with tho factory. These bureaux will receive plans and drawings of new weapons as,well as documents which they need to continue their researah and which nust not be allo.rad to fall into tho hands of the enfcry. These offices are to bo established in large cities where they can be nost successfully hidden, as well as' in little villages near sources of hydro- oleotric power,, whore they can pretond to be studying tho development of water rosouracs. The existence of these is to be known only bo very few people.in each industry and by ahiofs of the Nazi Party. Each office will havo a .liaison agent with the Party, As soon as tho Party becomes strong enough to ro-ostablish its control over Gormany, the industrialists will be paid for their effort and co-operation by conoossions and orders*" • (X/s/Zl/^O/L) SENATOR KILGORE'S CO^.üJPrS. Senator Kilgoro commented on the above, that 11 tho prohibition against tho export of capital wliich was rigorously enforced until new has been completely withdrawn and roplaaed by a new Nasi policy whoroby industrialists with govemnent assistance will export &s nuoh of tho oapital as possible. Previously exports of capital by German industrialists to neutral countries had to be accomplished rathor surreptitiously and by noons of spoaial influence. Now the Nazi Party stands behind the industrialists and urges them to save themselves by getting funds outside Germany and at the samo time to advance tho party's plans for its post-*/or operation. This froodon givon to the industrialists further aenents thoir relations with tho Party be giving then a moasuro of protection. '> N "Tho German industrialists are not’only buying agricultural proporty in Germany but are placing thoir funds abroad, particularly in noutral countries. 3\7o . main banks through which this export of capitr.l operates are -the Basler * Handolsbank and tho Schweitzorisahe ¡ireditansta.lt of Zurich. Also thero ara a number of agencies in Switzerland which for a five por oont comission buy proporty in Switzerland, using Swiss cloak. PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/9733ac/ o - 3 - "After the defeat of Germany, the Nazi Party recognise» that certain of its best-known loaders will be condemned as war criminals. However, in co operation with the industrialists it is arranging to place its less conspicuous but most important members in positions with various German factories as teohnioal experts or members of its research and designing offices." Wa/zrAo l) . As an illustration of these net hods, Senator Kilgore cited the preparation of the Krupp works for post-war use. "Step One: The Krupp works were recently returned to "private" owner ship. It is the hope of the Germns that under the conventional international law concepts "private" property would have an excellent chance of remaining untouahed by the Allied occupation foroes. "Step t w o ; Germans anticipated that priva to ownership alone night not be enough. The occupation forces night be directed to take severe oeasures against Nazi ownership and control of industrial organisations. .With this in : mind^ the Nazis are reported to have issued a decree prohibiting all Nazi Party officials and a ü persons who held government posts to which they have been appointed by the Nazi party fron holding any official or managing position in aj\y business undertaking regardless of whether such position carried with it any remuneration or not, ‘Step Three; Not wholly satisfied ttat property which was both privately owned and was not controlled or owned by Nazis would! escape the Allied controls, a further precaution was taken to nake assurances doubly sure that the really important industries would be saved frcn Allied destruction or control. Germans have reportod on several occasions that Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Kalbach, the head of the great Krupp' munitions canbine, who was instrumental in bringing Hitler into power, was arrested for making defeatist utterances: and for organising anti-Nazi resistance groups. V 'Thus the Krugp works, one of the backbones of German aggression ¿ is nor "private property", owned and controlled by persons who notonly are not Nazi party members or government officials but who are seemingly in the disfavour of the Nazi Government. "!Eho Krupp example is but one illustration in a pattern of behaviour. Hie Krupp case is too obvious to fool maiy pooplo - other oasos> will bo less obvious. Tho; underground which will keep the Nazi fire burning will be nourished and supported by the trustees of German heavy industry and tho trustees of German economic and financial interests within and outside Gerrpi They are the true underground." (lvQ/27/»0 LJ COHPLICITT OP (THE • INDUSTRIALISTS. • " On October 3rd, in connection with a report issued by the Sub-Committee on War Mobilisation, Senator Kilgore released a further statement, in which ho observed; • \"3he Tripartite collaboration of state, arny, and industrialists has characterised the development of Germany sinoe her rise as a modem nation. It has been cemented by numerous inter-marriage 3 among the leading industrial families and tho land-^oor Junker aristoaracy. The Junkers have long had a near monopoly of positions in the officers corps, as well as high positions in the civil administratiort both under tho Empire and the Weimar Republic. Con cluding that defeat :r*s not due to failure of arms or military strategy but to a breakdown in tho war economy, tho .throo groups of conspirators resolutely wont to work to strengthen Germany's eaononic position in the next war. Among the measures employed wore modernisation and oxpansion of aapacity in tho in dustries essential to war, maximum oaploitafcLon of domosti.a raw materials, deve lopment af synthetic substitutes for those not found in Germany or nearby, stock piling of critiaal materials, and ocononic piracy on an international scale • .