23 Nov. 45
And this statement is found beginning in the third and the fourth
paragraphs, being the first large paragraph on the first page:
"War material is lifesaving for
one's own people, and whoever works and performs in those spheres can
be proud of it. Here, enterprise as a whole finds its highest
justification of existence. This justification, I may inject this
here, crystallized especially during the time of interregnum between
1919 and 1933, when Germany was lying down disarmed ...
And further on:
"It is the one great merit of the
entire German war economy that it did not remain idle during those
bad years, even though its activity could not be brought to light for
obvious reasons. Through years of secret work, scientific and basic
groundwork was laid in order to be ready again to work for the German
Armed Forces at the appointed hour without loss of time or
experience."
And further quoting from that same speech, and
the last paragraph, particularly on the first page:
"Only through this secret activity
of German enterprise, together with the experience gained meanwhile
through production of peacetime goods, was it possible, after 1933,
to fall into step with the new tasks arrived at, restoring Germany's
military power. Only through all that could the entirely new and
various problems, brought up by the Führer's Four Year Plan for
German enterprise, be mastered. It was necessary to exploit new raw
materials, to explore and experiment, to invest capital in order to
make German economy independent and strong-in short, to make it
war-worthy."
Quoting even further from this same speech:
"I think I may state here that the
German enterprises followed the new ways enthusiastically, that they
made the great intentions of the Führer their own, by fair
competition and conscious gratitude, and became his faithful
followers. How else could the tasks between 1933 and 1939, and
especially those after 1939, have been overcome?"
It must be emphasized that this secret rearmament
program was launched immediately upon the seizure of power by the
Nazi conspirators. On April 4, 1933 the Reich Cabinet passed a
resolution establishing a Reich Defense Council. The function of this
Council was secretly to mobilize for war; and at the second meeting
of the working committee of the Councillors for Reich Defense, which
was, by the way, the predecessor of the Reich Defense Council,--at
that second meeting which was held on May 22nd of 1933, the chairman
was the Defendant Keitel, then Colonel Keitel; and he stated that