personal confidant and his authority was exceedingly
great: In this connection it is sufficient to quote Hitler's decree
appointing Hess as his deputy: "I hereby appoint Hess as my
deputy and give him full power to make decisions in my name on all
questions of Party leadership" (Transcript, Afternoon Session, 7
February 1946).
But the authority of Hess was not only confined to questions of
party leadership.
The official NSDAP publication National Socialist
Year Book for 1941 states that:
"In addition to the duties of
Party leadership, the deputy of the Führer has far-reaching
powers in the field of the State. These are: First-participation in
national and state legislation, including the preparation of the
Führer's order. The deputy of the Führer in this way
validates the conception of the Party . . . . Second-approval of the
deputy of the Führer of proposed appointments for official and
labor service leaders. Third-securing the influence of the Party over
the self government of the municipal units." (USA-255,
PS-3163)
Hess was an active supporter of Hitler's aggressive
policy. The Crimes against Peace committed by him are dealt with in
sufficient detail in the Judgment. The mission undertaken by Hess in
flying to England should be considered as the last of these crimes,
as it was undertaken in the hope of facilitating the realization of
aggression against the Soviet Union by temporarily restraining
England from fighting.
The failure of this mission led to Hess's
isolation and he took no direct part in the planning and commission
of subsequent crimes of the Hitler regime. There can be no doubt,
however, that Hess did everything possible for the preparation of
these crimes.
Hess, together with Himmler, occupied the role of creator of the
SS police organizations of German fascism which afterwards committed
the most ruthless Crimes against Humanity. The defendant clearly
pointed out the "special tasks" which faced the SS
formations in occupied territories.
When the Waffen SS was being formed Hess issued a
special order through the Party Chancellery which made aiding the
conscription of Party members into these organizations by all means
compulsory for Party organs. He outlined the tasks set before the
Waffen SS as follows:
"The units of the Waffen SS composed of National Socialists
are more suitable than other armed units for the specific tasks to
be solved in the occupied Eastern territories due to the
intensive training in regard to questions of race and
nationality" (GB-267, PS-3245). As early as 1934 the defendant
initiated a proposal that the so-called SD under the
Reichsführer SS (Security Service) be given