5
Dec. 45
concerned
with war production. This meeting had been held
2 days previously, on 25 July. I read the first
part of the account of this meeting.
"In
a rather long statement the Field
Marshal explained that the incorporation
of Bohemia and Moravia into the German
economy had taken place, among other
reasons, to increase the German war
potential, by exploitation of the
industry there. Directives, such as the
decree of the Reich Minister for
Economics (S 10 402/39 of 10 July 1939)
as well as a letter with similar meaning
to the Junkers firm, which might
possibly lower the kind and extent of
the armament measures in the
Protectorate are contrary to this
principle. If it is necessary to issue
such directives, this should be done
only with his consent. In any case, he
insists," — that is Defendant
Göring insists — "in
agreement with the directive by Hitler,
that the war potential of the
Protectorate is definitely to be
exploited in part or in full and is to
be directed towards mobilization as soon
as possible."
In
addition to strengthening the Nazi economic
potential for the following wars of aggression,
the conquest of Czechoslovakia provided the
Nazis with new bases from which to wage their
next war of aggression, the attack on Poland.
You will recall the minutes of the
conference between Göring and a pro-Nazi
Slovak delegation in the winter of 1938-1939.
Those minutes are Document 2801-PS, which I
introduced into evidence earlier, as Exhibit
USA-109. You will recall the last sentence of
those minutes, a statement of Defendant Göring's
conclusions. I quote this sentence again, "Air
bases in Slovakia are of great importance for
the German Air Force for use against the East."
I now offer in evidence Document
1874-PS, as Exhibit USA-125. This document is
the German minutes of a conference which
Defendant Göring held with Mussolini and
Ciano on 15 April 1939, one month after the
conquest of Czechoslovakia.
In this
conference, Göring told his junior partners
in the Axis of the progress of German
preparations for war. He compared the strength
of Germany with the strength of England and
France. Not unnaturally, he mentioned the German
occupation of Czechoslovakia in this connection.
I read two paragraphs of these thoughts, on Page
4, Paragraph 2, of the German minutes.
"However,
the heavy armament of Czechoslovakia
shows, in any case, how dangerous this
could have been, even after Munich, in
the event of a serious conflict. Because
of German action, the situation of both
Axis countries was ameliorated —
among other reasons — because of
the economic possibilities which
resulted from the transfer to Germany of
the great