7 Dec.
45
a paragraph there in the speech which the Führer
made, which is perhaps just worth reading — the speech by the Führer
on the 20th of January 1941, in the middle of Page 3. It sets out that
the speech was made after the conference with the Italians and the shows
who was present.
On the German side I would call your attention to the presence of the
Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Chief of the Supreme Command of the
Armed Forces, and the Chief of the Armed Force Operational Staff. That
is, of course, the Defendants Ribbentrop Keitel and Jodl; and on the
Italian side, the Duce, Ciano, and then three generals. It is the last
paragraph that I would wish to read:
"The massing of troops in Romania
serves a threefold purpose:
"a. An operation against Greece;
"b. Protection of Bulgaria against Russia and Turkey;
"c. Safeguarding the guarantee to Romania.
"Each of these tasks requires its own group of forces;
altogether, therefore, very strong forces whose deployment far from
our base requires a long time.
"Desirable that this deployment is completed without
interference from the enemy. Therefore disclose the game as late as
possible. The tendency will be to cross the Danube at the last
possible moment and to line up for attack at the earliest possible
moment."
I pass to the next
document, 1746-PS, which I offer as GB-120. That document is in three
parts. It consists, in the first place, of a conference between Field
Marshal List and the Bulgarians on the 8th of February. The second part
and the third part deal with later events, and I will, if I may, come
back to them at an appropriate time. I would read the first and the last
paragraphs on the first page of this document:
"Minutes of questions discussed
between the representatives of the Royal Bulgarian General Staff and
the German High Command — General Field Marshal List — in
connection with the possible movement of German troops through
Bulgaria and their commitment against Greece and possibly against
Turkey, if she should involve herself in the war."
And then the last paragraph on the page shows the plan being concerted
with the Bulgarians — Paragraph 3:
"The Bulgarian and the German General
Staffs will take all measures in order to camouflage the preparation
of the operations and to assure in this way the most favorable
conditions for the execution of the German operations as planned.