10 Dec.
45
efforts were made to keep up their side too. However,
as preparations for the campaign proceeded, the Nazis cared less about
complying with their obligations under that agreement. At Page 315 of
his book Thomas says, and I read from Page 9 of the English translation:
"Later on the urgency of the Russian
deliveries diminished, as preparations for the campaign in the East
were already under way."
By
that, clearly he speaks of German deliveries to Russia, not as to what
the Russians delivered.
"The Russians carried out their
deliveries as planned right up to the start of the attack; even during
the last few days transports of india-rubber from the Far East were
completed by express transit trains."
Again at Page 404 this author brings this point out even more forcefully
when he states — and I shall read the first paragraph on Page 14 of
the English translation:
"In addition to the Italian
negotiations until June 1941, the negotiations with Russia were
accorded a great deal of attention.
"The Führer issued the directive that, in order to
camouflage German troop movements, the orders Russia has placed in
Germany must be filled as promptly as possible. Since the Russians
only made grain deliveries when the Germans delivered orders placed by
the Russians and since, in the case of the individual firms, these
deliveries to Russia made it impossible for them to fill orders for
the German Armed Forces, it was necessary for the Wi Rü office to
enter into numerous individual negotiations with German firms in order
to coordinate Russian orders with those of the Germans from the
standpoint of priority. In accordance with the wishes of the Foreign
Office German industry was instructed to accept all Russian orders
even if it were impossible to fill them within the limits of the time
set for manufacture and delivery. Since, in May especially, large
deliveries had to be made to the Navy, the firms were instructed to
allow the equipment to go through the Russian Acceptance Commission,
then however, to make such a detour during its transportation as to
make it impossible for it to be delivered over the frontier prior to
the beginning of the German attack."
Not only was the Soviet Union faithful to the treaty obligations with
Germany but the evidence shows that she had no aggressive intentions
toward any German territory. Our Document Number C-170, which is in
evidence as Exhibit USA-136, is as I have previously stated, a file on
Russo-German relations found in the files