27 Nov. 45
the Rhineland, it has all of the indications of a Rhineland
operation plan. That the details of this particular plan were not
ultimately the ones that were carried out in reoccupying the
Rhineland does not at all detract from the vital fact that as early
as 2 May 1935 the Germans had already planned that operation, not
merely as a Staff plan but as a definite operation. It was evidently
not on their timetable to carry out the operation so soon if it could
be avoided. But they were prepared to do so, if necessary, to resist
French sanctions against their Conscription Law.
It is significant to note the date of this document is the same
as the date of the signature of the Franco-Russian Pact, which the
Nazis later asserted as their excuse for the Rhineland reoccupation.
The military orders on the basis of which the Rhineland
reoccupation was actually carried into execution, on 7 March 1936,
were issued on 2 March 1936 by the War Minister and
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Blomberg, and addressed to the
Commander-in-Chief of the Army Fritsch, the Commander-in-Chief of the
Navy Raeder, and Air Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force
Göring. We have that order signed by Blomberg, headed, as usual,
"top secret." identified by us as C-159. I offer it in
evidence as Exhibit USA-54.
The German copy of that document bears the Defendant Raeder's
initial in green pencil, with a red pencil note: "To be
submitted to the C-in-C of the Navy."
The first part of the order reads:
"Supreme Command of the Navy:
"1. The Führer and Reich Chancellor has made the
following decision:
"By reason of the Franco-Russian Mutual Assistance Pact the
obligations accepted by Germany in the Locarno Treaty, as far as they
apply to Articles 42 and 43, of the Treaty of Versailles which
referred to the demilitarized zone, are to be regarded as obsolete.
"2. Sections of the Army and Air Force will therefore be
transferred simultaneously in a surprise move to garrisons of the
demilitarized zone. In this connection, I issue the following
orders...."
There follow the detailed orders for the military operation.
We also have the orders for naval cooperation. The original
German document, which we identify as C-194, was issued on 6 March
1936, in the form of an order on behalf of the Reich Minister for
War, Blomberg, signed by Keitel, and addressed to the
Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Raeder, setting out detailed