13 Dec.
45
Party. The Gestapo, in its extremely
difficult task, is to be granted support and assistance in every
possible way by the NSDAP."
The conspirators then were directing their apparatus of terror against
the "enemies of the State," against "disintegrating
forces," against those people who endangered the State "through
their attitude." Whom did they consider as belonging in these broad
categories? Well, first, there were the men in Germany who wanted peace.
We refer to Document L-83 (Exhibit USA-234).
THE PRESIDENT: What was the date of that document that you have been
referring to, Number 1723-PS?
MR. DODD: January 25, 1938. It has already been introduced and is
included in USA Exhibit B. This document consists of an affidavit of
Gerhart H. Seger, and I wish only to read from Page 1, Paragraph 2 of
that affidavit:
"2. During the period after World War
I, until I was committed-to the Leipzig jail and Oranienburg
Concentration Camp, in the spring of 1933 following the Nazi accession
to power in January of that year, my business and political
affiliations exposed me to the full impact of the Nazi theories and
practice of violent regimentation and terroristic tactics. My conflict
with the Nazis by virtue of my identification with the peace movement
and as duly elected member of the Reichstag representing a political
faith (Social Democratic Party) hostile to National Socialism, clearly
demonstrated that even in the period prior to 1933 the Nazis
considered crimes and terrorism a necessary and desirable weapon in
overcoming democratic opposition."
Passing to Page 5 of the same document and the paragraph marked "(e)":
"That the Nazis had already conceived
the device of the concentration camp as a means of suppressing and
regimenting opposition elements was forcefully brought to my attention
during the course of a conversation which I had with Dr. Wilhelm Frick
in December 1932. Frick at that time was chairman of the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the Reichstag of which I was a member. When I
gave an emphatic answer to Frick concerning the particular matter
discussed, he replied, 'Don't worry, when we are in power we shall put
all of you guys into concentration camps.' When the Nazis came into
power, Frick was appointed Reich Minister of Interior and promptly
carried out his threat in collaboration with Göring as Chief of
the Prussian State Police, and Himmler."
This paragraph shows that even before the Nazis had seized power in
Germany they had conceived the plan to repress any