22 Nov. 45
opinion, meet with no opposition. The Defendant Frick pointed out
that the Reichstag had to ratify the enabling act with a
constitutional majority within three days, and that the Center Party
had not expressed itself negatively. He went on to say that the
enabling act would have to be broadly conceived in a manner to allow
for deviation from the provisions of the Constitution of the Reich.
He further stated that as far as the constitutional requirements of a
two-thirds majority was concerned, a total of 432 delegates would
have to be present for the ratification of the enabling act. The
Defendant Göring expressed his conviction at this meeting that
the enabling act would be ratified with the required two-thirds vote
for, if necessary, the majority could be obtained by refusing
admittance to the Reichstag of some Social Democrats.
Now on the 20th of March another Cabinet meeting was held, and we
also have the official, original records of this meeting which will
be offered in evidence. The Defendants Frick, Von Papen, Von Neurath,
Göring, and Funk were present. The proposed enabling act was
again the subject of a discussion. Hitler reported on the conference
he had completed with the representatives of the Center Party. The
Defendant Neurath proposed a note concerning the arrangement to be
agreed to by the representatives of the Center Party. The Defendant
Frick expounded to the meeting the contents of the draft of the
proposed law, and further stated that changes in the standing orders
or rules of the Reichstag were also necessary, that an explicit rule
must be made that unexcused absent delegates be considered present,
and if that was done it would probably be possible to ratify the
enabling act on the following Thursday in all three readings.
It is interesting to note that among the things recorded in the
official minutes of this Cabinet meeting was the Defendant
Göring's announcement that he had ordered SA troops on the
Polish border to be cautious and not to show themselves in uniform,
and that the Defendant Neurath recommended also that the SA be
cautious, especially in Danzig. In addition, the Defendant Neurath
pointed out that Communists in SA uniforms were being caught
continuously. These stool pigeons had to be hanged. Justice had to
find means and ways to make possible such punishment for Communist
stool pigeons, according to the Defendant Neurath.
On 14th March 1933 the Defendant Frick announced:
"When the Reichstag meets the
21st of March, the Communists will be prevented by urgent labor
elsewhere from participation in the session. In concentration camps
they will be re-educated for productive work. We will know how to
ren-