22 Nov. 45
"1. The United States Chief of
Counsel in July 1945 charged the Field Branch of the Documentation
Division with the responsibility of collecting, evaluating, and
assembling documentary evidence in the European Theater for use in
the prosecution of the major Axis War Criminals before the
International Military Tribunal. I was appointed Chief of the Field
Branch on 20 July 1945. I am now the Chief of the Documentation
Division, Office of United States Chief of Counsel.
"2. I have served in the United States Army for more than 4
years and am a practicing attorney by profession. Based upon my
experience as an attorney and as a United States Army officer, I am
familiar with the operation of the United States Army in connection
with seizing and processing captured enemy documents. In my capacity
as Chief of the Documentation Division, Office of the United States
Chief of Counsel, I am familiar with and have supervised the
processing, filing, translating, and photostating of all documentary
evidence for the United States Chief of Counsel."
I skip to paragraph 4.
"4. The Field Branch of the Documentation Division was
staffed by personnel thoroughly conversant with the German language.
Their task was to search for and select captured enemy documents in
the European Theater which disclosed information relating to the
prosecution of the major Axis war criminals. Officers under my
command were placed on duty at various document centers and also
dispatched on individual missions to obtain original documents. When
the documents were located, my representatives made a record of the
circumstances under which they were found and all information
available concerning their authenticity was recorded. Such documents
were further identified by Field Branch pre-trial serial numbers,
assigned by my representatives who would then periodically dispatch
the original documents by courier to the Office of the United States
Chief of Counsel.
"5. Upon receipt of these documents they were duly recorded
and indexed. After this operation, they were delivered to the
Screening and Analysis Branch of the Documentation Division of the
Office of United States Chief of Counsel, which Branch re-examined
the documents in order to finally determine whether or not they
should be retained as evidence for the prosecutors. This final
screening was done by German speaking analysts on the staff of the
United States Chief of Counsel. When the document passed the
screeners, it was