14 Dec.
45
situation, particularly, those suspects
handed over by the civil police need only be subjected to a short
formal interrogation provided there are no serious grounds for
suspicion. They are then to be sent by the quickest route to a
concentration camp should no court-martial proceeding be necessary or
should there be no question of discharge. Please keep the number of
discharges very low. Should the situation at the front necessitate it,
early preparations are to be made for the total clearance of prisons.
Should the situation develop suddenly in such a way that it is
impossible to evacuate the prisoners, the prison inmates are to be
eliminated and their bodies disposed of as far as possible (burning,
blowing up the building, et cetera). If necessary, Jews still
employed in the armament industry or on other work are to be dealt
with in the same way.
"The liberation of prisoners or Jews by the enemy — be it
the WB or the Red Army — must be avoided under all circumstances,
nor may they fall into their hands alive."
THE PRESIDENT: What is the WB?
MAJOR WALSH: I have inquired about the WB, Your Honor, from several
sources and have not found an understanding or a statement of it.
Perhaps before the afternoon session I may be able to enlighten the
Court. I have not yet been able to find out.
THE PRESIDENT: Where was the document found?
MAJOR WALSH: It is a captured document, Sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Does it relate to prisoners of war, did you say?
MAJOR WALSH: No, Sir; including therein, of course, prisoners of war as
well as all Jews. The history of the document, Sir, I will try to gather
for the Court's information.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Did you tell us what the Sipo were?
MAJOR WALSH: Yes, Sir; I furnished the Court with that; that is the
Security Police, Sir.
This presentation, if the Court please, would be incomplete without
incorporating herein reference to the concentration camps insofar as
they relate to the hundreds of thousands — millions — of Jews
who died by mass shooting, gas, poison, starvation, and other means. The
subject of concentration camps and all its horrors was shown to this
Tribunal not only in the motion picture film but by the most able
presentation of Mr. Dodd yesterday; and it is not intended, at this
time, to refer to the camps — only insofar as they relate to the
part they played in the annihilation of the Jewish people. For example,
in the camp at Auschwitz during July 1944 Jews were killed at the rate
of 12,000 daily. This information is