Severing (Severing's Testimony, Transcript, Afternoon
Session, 14 June 1946).
On 4 January 1933, Von Papen had a conference with Hitler, Hess,
and Himmler (D-632).
Von Papen participated in the purge of the State machinery of all
personnel considered unreliable from the Nazi point of view; on 21
March 1933, he signed a decree creating special political
tribunals; he had also signed an order granting amnesty to
criminals whose crimes were committed in the course of the
"national revolution"; he participated in drafting the text
of the order "insuring Party and State unity"; and so on.
Subsequently Von Papen faithfully served the Hitler regime.
After the Putsch of 1934, Von Papen ordered his subordinate
Tschirschky to appear in the Gestapo, knowing full well what
awaited him there (D-684).
Von Papen helped to keep the bloody murder secret from public
opinion (D-717; D-718).
The defendant played a tremendous role in helping Nazis to take
possession of Austria.
Three weeks after the assassination of Dollfuss, on 26 July 1934,
Hitler told Von Papen that he was being appointed Minister to Vienna,
especially noting in a letter: "You have been and continue to be
in possession of my fullest and most unlimited trust . . . . "
(PS-2799).
In this connection it is impossible to ignore the testimony of
the American Ambassador Messersmith who quoted Von Papen as saying
that "the seizure of Austria is only the first step" and
that he, Von Papen, was in Austria for the purpose of "further
weakening the Austrian Government" (USA-57).
The defendant was Hitler's chief advisor in effecting plans for
the seizure of Austria. It was he who proposed several tactical
maneuvers to quiet the vigilance of world opinion on the one hand,
and allow Germany to conclude her war preparations, on the other.
This follows indisputably from Von Papen's statement to the
Austrian Minister Berger-Waldeneck (PS-1760), from the report of
Gauleiter Reuner of 6 July 1939 (USA-61), from Von Papen's report to
Hitler of 21 August 1936 (D-706), from Von Papen's report to Hitler
of 1 September 1936 (PS-2246, USA-67), and from a series of other
documents which had been submitted in evidence.
Von Papen played this game until the issuance of the order for
alerting the German Armed Forces for moving into Austria. He
participated in arranging the conference between Hitler and
Schuschnigg of 12 February 1938 (USA-69).
It was Von Papen who in a letter to Hitler emphatically
recommended that financial aid be given the Nazi organization in
Austria