to work out the details, not to ask too many
questions. As a result of this agreement the SS sent to the
Reichsbank the personal belongings taken from the victims who had
been exterminated in the concentration camps. The Reichsbank kept the
coins and bank notes and sent the jewels, watches , and personal
belongings to Berlin municipal pawn shops. The gold from the
eyeglasses, and gold teeth and fillings was stored in the Reichsbank
vaults. Funk has protested that he did not know that the Reichsbank
was receiving articles of this kind. The Tribunal is of the opinion
that he either knew what was being received or was deliberately
closing his eyes to what was being done.
As Minister of Economics and President of the Reichsbank, Funk
participated in the economic exploitation of occupied territories. He
was president of the Continental Oil Company which was charged with
the exploitation of the oil resources of occupied territories in the
East. He was responsible for the seizure of the geld reserves of the
Czechoslovakian National Bank and for the liquidation of the
Yugoslavian National Bank. On 6 June 1942 his deputy sent a letter to
the OKW requesting that funds from the French Occupation Cost Fund be
made available for black market purchases. Funk's knowledge of German
occupation policies is shown by his presence at the meeting of 8
August 1942, at which Göring addressed the various German
occupation chiefs, told them of the products required from their
territories, and added: "It makes no difference to me in this
connection if you say that your people will starve."
In the fall of 1943 Funk was a member of the Central Planning
Board which determined the total number of laborers needed for German
industry, and required Sauckel to produce them, usually by
deportation from occupied territories. Funk did not appear to be
particularly interested in this aspect of the forced labor program.
and usually sent a deputy to attend the meetings, often SS General
Ohlendorf, the former Chief of the SD inside of Germany and the
former Commander of Einsatzgruppe D. But Funk was aware that the
Board of which he was a member was demanding the importation of slave
laborers, and allocating them to the various industries under its
control.
As President of the Reichsbank, Funk was also indirectly involved
in the utilization of concentration camp labor. Under his direction
the Reichsbank set up a revolving fund of 12 000,000 Reichsmarks to
the credit of the SS for the construction of factories to use
concentration camp laborers.
In spite of the fact that he occupied important official
positions, Funk was never a dominant figure in the various programs
in which he participated. This is a mitigating fact of which the
Tribunal takes notice.