Text: English     International Military Tribunal "Blue Series," Vol. 3, p. 4
		1 Dec. 45 DR. NELTE: I asked the witness to what extent a personal contact existed between the officers of the German General Staff or the Abwehr and the officers of the Intelligence Section or the Austrian General Staff for the purpose of determining the feelings about the Anschluss. LAHOUSEN: First of all, there was no such personal contact in the sense that the word is used here. The contact which actually did take place — and there are witnesses in this room who can confirm this statement: Von Papen must be informed thoroughly of this — took place on a single day, during which I never spoke with Canaris alone, but always in the presence of my superior officers. In any case, no questions relating to the Anschluss and no political questions on Austrian internal problems were discussed there. Naturally I myself did not raise any, and Canaris expressly refrained from doing so. DR. NELTE: What was your job in the Abwehr Office II? LAHOUSEN: In the Abwehr Section II, which I took over at the beginning of 1939 — I described it yesterday, and I am willing to repeat it, if you wish — this particular job had no special name. Actually my task was to carry out various undertakings and actions, which I can define very precisely: Nuisance activity, acts of sabotage, or prevention of sabotage and nuisance activity, or in general those types of activities that are carried out by Kommandos. All these activities were carried out in agreement with, and conformed to, the military demands of the Armed Forces Operations Staff or the General Staff. DR. NELTE: Who generally gave you your orders regarding coordinating these activities with the military activities? LAHOUSEN: My immediate chief, Canaris, usually gave me orders concerning the whole of my activity. DR. NELTE: I was referring to the office, whether they came from the OKH or the OKW? LAHOUSEN: They did not come from the OKW as a rule. Usually they came by way of the OKW represented by the Chief of the OKW, Keitel, or the chief of the Wehrmacht Operations Staff; and when the General Staff or the Air Force Operations Staff were interested in any undertaking, the orders, as far as I can remember, were also transmitted by way of the Armed Forces Operations Staff, and the representatives of the three Armed Forces, that is, the Army, Air Force, and Navy, appointed to it. All these orders came through the same channels to the Canaris Foreign Intelligence Department (Ausland Abwehr) which transmitted those concerning my activities to me for necessary action. DR. NELTE: Are you now describing the official channels ;through which you received the orders? Were the orders issued by 4
		Text: English     International Military Tribunal "Blue Series," Vol. 3, p. 4     Last modified: January 2, 1999 Copyright © 1998 The Mazal Library and The Holocaust History Project. All rights reserved. Technical/administrative contact: webmaster@holocaust-history.org Find a typo? Let us know.