28 Nov. 45
Afternoon Session
MR. ALDERMAN: May it please the Tribunal, I had
just referred again to the report of Gauleiter Rainer to Reich
Commissioner Bürckel in July 1939, which outlines the further
history of the Party and the leadership problem following the
retirement of Reinthaler.
In referring to the situation in 1935, he mentioned some of the
contacts with the Reich Government, that is, the German Government,
in the following terms. I quote from Page 4 of the English text of
that report, and I believe from Page 4 of the German text of the
Rainer report, which is 812-PS, that is Exhibit USA-61:
"In August some further arrests took
place, the victims of which were, apart from the Gauleiter"--Gau
leaders--"also Globocnik and Rainer. Schattenfroh then claimed,
because of an instruction received from the imprisoned Leopold, to
have been made deputy country leader. A group led by engineer
Raffelsberger had at this time also established connection with
departments of the Alt-Reich (Ministry of Propaganda, German racial
agency, et cetera), and made an attempt to formulate a
political motto in the form of a program for the fighting movement of
Austria."
And, again, the Rainer report sets forth the situation a little
later in 1936. I quote from Page 6 of the English text, and I think
Page 5 of the German text:
"The principles of the construction
were:
"The organization is the bearer of the illegal fight and the
trustee of the idea to create a secret organization, in a simple
manner and without compromise, according to the principle of
organizing an elite to be available to the illegal Land Party Council
upon any emergency. Besides this, all political opportunities should
be taken and all legal people and legal chances should be used
without revealing any ties with the illegal organization. Therefore,
cooperation between the illegal Party organization and the legal
political aides was anchored at the top of the Party leadership. All
connections with the Party in Germany were kept secret in accordance
with the orders of the Führer. These said that the German State
should officially be omitted from the creation of an Austrian NSDAP
and that auxiliary centers for propaganda, press, refugees, welfare,
et cetera, should be established in the foreign countries
bordering Austria.
"Hinterleitner already contacted the lawyer Seyss-Inquart,
who had connection with Dr. Waechter which originated from