10 Dec.
45
I have already put into the record evidence showing
that as early as August of 1940 General Thomas, the chief of the B Group
Army, received a hint from the Defendant Göring about a possible
attack on the U.S.S.R. which prompted him to begin considering the
Soviet war economy. I also said at that time that I would later
introduce evidence that in November 1940 — 8 months before the
attack — Thomas was categorically informed by Göring of the
planned operation in the East and preliminary preparations were
commenced for the economic plundering of the territories to be occupied
in the course of such operation. Göring of course, played the
overall leading role in this activity by virtue of his position at the
head of the Four Year Plan.
Thomas describes his receipt of the knowledge and this early planning
at Page 369 of his draft, which is our Document 2353-PS introduced
earlier as Exhibit USA-35; the part I shall read is at Pages 10 and 11
of the English translation:
"In November 1940 the Chief of Wi Rü
together with Secretaries of State Körner, Neumann, Backe, and
General Von Hanneken were informed by the Reich Marshal of the action
planned in the East.
"By reason of these directives the preliminary preparations for
the action in the East were commenced by the office of Wi Rü at
the end of 1940.
"The preliminary preparations for the action in the East
included first of all the following tasks:
"l. Obtaining of a detailed survey of the Russian armament
industry, its location, its capacity, and its associate industries.
"2. Investigation of the capacities of the different big
armament centers and their dependency one on the other.
"3. Determining the power and transport system for the industry
of the Soviet Union.
"4. Investigation of sources of raw materials and petroleum
(crude oil).
"5. Preparation of a survey of industries other than armament
industries in the Soviet Union.
"These points were concentrated in one big compilation, 'War
Economy of the Soviet Union,' and illustrated with detailed maps."
— I am still quoting. — "Furthermore a card index was
made containing all the important factories in Soviet Russia and a
lexicon of economy in the German-Russian language for the use of the
German war economy organization.
"For the processing of these problems a task staff, 'Russia,'
was created, first in charge of Lieutenant Colonel Luther and later on
in charge of Major General Schubert. The work was