1
Dec. 45
DR.
NELTE: I asked the witness to what extent a
personal contact existed between the officers of
the German General Staff or the Abwehr and the
officers of the Intelligence Section or the
Austrian General Staff for the purpose of
determining the feelings about the Anschluss.
LAHOUSEN: First of all, there was no
such personal contact in the sense that the word
is used here. The contact which actually did
take place — and there are witnesses in
this room who can confirm this statement: Von
Papen must be informed thoroughly of this —
took place on a single day, during which I never
spoke with Canaris alone, but always in the
presence of my superior officers. In any case,
no questions relating to the Anschluss and no
political questions on Austrian internal
problems were discussed there. Naturally I
myself did not raise any, and Canaris expressly
refrained from doing so.
DR. NELTE:
What was your job in the Abwehr Office II?
LAHOUSEN:
In the Abwehr Section II, which I took over at
the beginning of 1939 — I described it
yesterday, and I am willing to repeat it, if you
wish — this particular job had no special
name. Actually my task was to carry out various
undertakings and actions, which I can define
very precisely: Nuisance activity, acts of
sabotage, or prevention of sabotage and nuisance
activity, or in general those types of
activities that are carried out by Kommandos.
All these activities were carried out in
agreement with, and conformed to, the military
demands of the Armed Forces Operations Staff or
the General Staff.
DR. NELTE: Who
generally gave you your orders regarding
coordinating these activities with the military
activities?
LAHOUSEN: My immediate
chief, Canaris, usually gave me orders
concerning the whole of my activity.
DR.
NELTE: I was referring to the office, whether
they came from the OKH or the OKW?
LAHOUSEN:
They did not come from the OKW as a rule.
Usually they came by way of the OKW represented
by the Chief of the OKW, Keitel, or the chief of
the Wehrmacht Operations Staff; and when the
General Staff or the Air Force Operations Staff
were interested in any undertaking, the orders,
as far as I can remember, were also transmitted
by way of the Armed Forces Operations Staff, and
the representatives of the three Armed Forces,
that is, the Army, Air Force, and Navy,
appointed to it. All these orders came through
the same channels to the Canaris Foreign
Intelligence Department (Ausland Abwehr) which
transmitted those concerning my activities to me
for necessary action.
DR. NELTE: Are
you now describing the official channels
;through which you received the orders? Were the
orders issued by