11 Dec.
45
The use of vast numbers of foreign workers was planned
before Germany went to war and was an integral part of the conspiracy
for waging aggressive war. On May 23, 1939 a meeting was held in
Hitler's study at the Reich Chancellery. Present were the Defendants Göring,
Raeder, and Keitel.
I now refer to Document L-79, which has already been entered in
evidence as Exhibit USA-27. The document presents the minutes of this
meeting at which Hitler stated, as Your Honors will recall, that he
intended to attack Poland at the first suitable opportunity; but I wish
to quote from Page 2 of the English text starting with the 13th
paragraph as follows. In the German text, by the way, the passage
appears at Page 4, Paragraphs 6 and 7. Quoting directly from the English
text:
"If fate brings us into conflict with
the West, the possession of extensive areas in the East will be
advantageous. We shall be able to rely upon record harvests even less
in time of war than in peace.
"The population of non-German areas will perform no military
service and will be available as a source of labor."
We say the slave labor program of the Nazi conspirators was designed to
achieve two purposes, both of which were criminal. The primary purpose,
of course, was to satisfy the labor requirements of the Nazi war machine
by compelling these foreign workers, in effect, to make war against
their own countries and their allies. The secondary purpose was to
destroy or weaken peoples deemed inferior by the Nazi racialists or
deemed potentially hostile by the Nazi planners of world supremacy.
These purposes were expressed by the conspirators themselves.
I wish to refer at this point and to offer in evidence Document 016-PS,
which is Exhibit USA-168. This document was sent by the Defendant
Sauckel to the Defendant Rosenberg on the 20th of April 1942, and it
describes Sauckel's labor mobilization program. I wish to quote now from
Page 2 of the English text, starting with the sixth paragraph; and in
the German text, again, it appears at Page 2 of the second paragraph.
Quoting from the text directly:
"The aim of this new, gigantic labor
mobilization is to use all the rich and tremendous sources, conquered
and secured for us by our fighting Armed Forces under the leadership
of Adolf Hitler, for the armament of the Armed Forces and also for the
nutrition of the homeland. The raw materials as well as the fertility
of the conquered territories and their human labor power are to be
used completely and conscientiously to the profit of Germany and her
allies."
The theory of the
master race underlay the conspirators' labor policy in the East as well.