26 Nov. 45
yet the mass of the German people were with him. But he does give
a brief summary of the gist of what is contained in the allegations
of the Indictment, to which I have invited your attention:
The organization of the mass of the people, then extending to the
Armed Forces, and the various brutal decisions that he did make,
about which history knows.
That long document contains other material of great interest. It
may be that we shall advert to other portions of it later. At this
point, however, I have simply asked the Court to focus attention on
the matter I have just read and its bearing on the development of the
conspiracy during the period 1933 to 1936.
Another captured document is sufficient to demonstrate the
preparations for war in which the Nazi conspirators were engaged
during this period. I refer to a top-secret letter dated 24 June 1935
from General Von Brauchitsch to the Supreme Commanders of the Army,
Navy, and Air Forces. Attached to that letter is a copy of a secret
Reich Defense Law of 21 May 1935 and a copy of a decision of the
Reich Cabinet of 21 May 1935 on the Council for the Defense of the
Reich.
These documents were captured in the OKW files at Fechenheim.
This group of documents is numbered 2261-PS in our numbered series of
documents. It seems to us one of the most significant evidences of
secret and direct preparations for aggressive war.
I gave expression to a typographical error. That was General Von
Blomberg instead of Brauchitsch.
I have the original of these documents. I ask that they be
admitted into evidence as Exhibit USA-24.
The top page of that document, which I shall read in full, is the
letter signed "Von Blomberg, Berlin, 21 June 1935, Top
Secret"; headed "The Reich Minister of War and Supreme
Commander of the Armed Forces, No. 1820/35 Top Secret L II a."
"To: The Supreme Commander of the
Army, the Supreme Commander of the Navy, the Supreme Commander of the
Air Forces.
"In the appendix I transmit one copy each of the law for the
defense of the Reich of 21 May 1935, and of a decision of the Reich
Cabinet of 21 May 1935 concerning the Reich Defense Council. The
publication of the Reich Defense Law is temporarily suspended by
order of the Führer and Reich Chancellor.
"The Führer and Reich Chancellor has nominated the
President of the Directorate of theReichsbank, Dr. Schacht, to be
'Plenipotentiary-General for War Economy.'