27 Nov. 45
If the Tribunal please, needless to say; when I cite Adolf Hitler
I don't necessarily vouch for the absolute truth of everything that
he presents. This is a public speech he made before the world, and it
is for the Tribunal to judge whether he is presenting a pretext or
whether he is presenting the truth.
In conjunction with other phases of planning and preparation for
aggressive war, there were various programs for direct and indirect
training of a military nature. This included not only the training of
military personnel, but also the establishment and training of other
pare-military organizations, such as the police force, which could
be, and were absorbed by, the Army.
These are shown in other parts of the case presented by the
Prosecution. However, the extent of this program for military
training is indicated by Hitler's boast of the expenditure of 90
billion Reichsmark during the period of 1933 to 1939 in the building
up of the Armed Forces.
I have another volume of the Völkischer Beobachter,
Volume 52, 1939--I think the issue of 2 and 3 September 1939--which I
offer in evidence as Exhibit USA-39; and there appears a speech by
Adolf Hitler, with his picture, under the heading which, if I may be
permitted to try to translate, reads: "The Führer Announces
the Battle for the Justice and Security of the Reich."
That is a speech, if the Court please, by Adolf Hitler, on 1
September 1939, the date of the attack on Poland, identified by our
number 2322-PS, and I read from the bottom of Page 3, the last
paragraph starting on the page:
"For more than 6 years now, I
have been engaged in building up the German Armed Forces. During this
period more than 90 billion Reichsmark were spent building up the
Wehrmacht. Today, ours are the best-equipped armed forces in the
world, and they are superior to those of 1914. My confidence in them
can never be shaken."
The secret nature of this training program and
the fact of its early development is illustrated by a reference to
the secret training of flying personnel, back in 1932, as well as the
early plans to build a military air force. A report was sent to the
Defendant Hess in a letter from one Schickedantz to the Defendant
Rosenberg for delivery to Hess. I suppose that Schickedantz was very
anxious that no one but Hess should get this letter, and therefore
sent it to Rosenberg for personal delivery.
This document points out that the civilian pilots
should be so organized as to enable their transfer into the military
air force organization.