17 Dec. 45
formations. I quote from the numbered Paragraphs 1, 5,
and 6 of Page I of Document 2474-PS which reads as follows-Page 1 of the
English translation:
"The political leadership within the
Party and its political representation towards all offices, state or
others which are outside of the Party, lie solely and exclusively with
the Hoheitsträger" — bearers of sovereignty — "which
is to say with me, the Gauleiter, Kreisleiter, and
Ortsgruppenleiter....
"The departmental workers of the Party organizations, such as
Reichsleiter, office directors, et cetera, as well as the
leaders of the SA, SS, HJ, and the subordinate affiliations, may not
enter into binding agreements of a political nature with State and
other offices except when so authorized by their Hoheitsträger.
"In places where the territories of the units of the SA, SS, HJ,
and the subordinate affiliations do not coincide with the zones of the
Hoheitsträger, the Hoheitsträger. will give his political
directives to the ranking leader of each unit within his zone of
sovereignty."
It was the
official policy of the Leadership Corps to establish close and
co-operative relations with the Gestapo. The Tribunal will recall that
the head of the German Police and SS, Himmler, was a Reichsleiter on the
top level of the Leadership Corps. Without offering in evidence a decree
issued by the Defendant Bormann as Chief of Staff of the Deputy of the Führer
dated 26 June 1935, I ask the Court to take judicial knowledge; and I
quote:
"In order to effect a closer contact
between the offices of the Party and its organizations with the
Directors of the Secret State Police, " — Gestapo — "the
Deputy of the Führer requests that the directors of the Gestapo
be invited to attend all the larger official rallies of the Party and
its organizations."
That is
from the 1935 edition, Page 143, dated the 26th June 1935, The
Decrees of the Deputy of the Führer.
With reference to the meetings and conferences among, the Hoheitsträger
of the Leadership Corps, it is the contention of the Prosecution that
the members of the Leadership Corps constituted a distinctive and
identifiable group or organization. It is strongly supported by the fact
that the various Hoheitsträger. were under an absolute obligation
to meet and confer periodically, not only with the staff officers of
their own staffs, but with the political leaders and staff officers
immediately subordinate to them. For example, the Gauleiter was bound to
confer with his staff officers (such as his deputy and so forth, which
included the school leader, propaganda leader, press leader, his Gau
Party judge, and so on)