12 Dec.
45
dealt with by the Reichsführer SS.
This does not apply to civil lawsuits, nor to Poles whose names are
reported or entered in the German racial lists."
Now, in September of 1942, the Defendant Speer made arrangements to
bring this new source of labor within his jurisdiction. Speer convinced
Hitler that significant production could be obtained only if the
concentration camp prisoners were employed in factories under the
technical control of the Speer Ministry instead of the control in the
camps. In fact, without Defendant Speer's cooperation we say it would
have been most difficult to utilize the prisoners on any large scale for
war production, since he would not allocate to Himmler the machine tools
and other necessary equipment. Accordingly, it was agreed that the
prisoners were to be exploited in factories under the Defendant Speer's
control. To compensate Himmler for surrendering this jurisdiction to
Speer, the Defendant Speer proposed and Hitler agreed, that Himmler
would receive a share of the armaments output, fixed in relation to the
man-hours contributed by his prisoners. In the minutes of the Defendant
Speer's conference with Hitler on the 20th, 21st, and the 22d September
1942 — Document Number R-124, which is Exhibit Number USA-179 —
I wish to refer particularly to Page 34 of the English text. These are
the Defendant Speer's minutes on this conference. I am quoting from Page
34, Paragraph 36, beginning at the middle of the page and it is at the
top of Page 26 in the German text:
"I pointed out to the Führer
that, apart from an insignificant amount of work, no possibility
exists of organizing armament production in the concentration camps,
because: (1) the machine tools required are missing; (2) there are no
suitable premises. Both these assets would be available in the
armament industry, if use could be made of them by a second shift.
"The Führer agrees to my proposal that the numerous
factories set up outside towns for reasons of air raid protection
should release their workers to supplement the second shift in town
factories and should in return be supplied with labor from the
concentration camps — also two shifts.
"I pointed out to the Führer the difficulties which I
expect to encounter if Reichsführer SS Himmler should be able, as
he requests, to exercise authoritative influence over these factories.
The Führer, too, does not consider such an influence necessary.
"The Führer, however agrees that Reichsführer Himmler
should derive advantage from making his prisoners available.; he
should get equipment for his division.