18 Dec. 45
The next provision:
"Exceptions are granted only with the
permission of the Gauleiter ...
"It is understood that this action is to proceed in a strongly
disciplined fashion. The Gauleiter are responsible for holding the
direction of the action firmly in hand. Heil Hitler! — "
signed — "Dr. Robert Ley."
The Defendant Ley's order for the dissolution of the independent trade
unions was carried out as planned and directed. Trade union premises all
over Germany were occupied by the SA and the unions dissolved. On the 2d
of May 1933 the official NSDAP press service reported that the National
Socialist Factory Cell Organization (NSBO) had "eliminated the old
leadership of free trade unions" and taken over their leadership.
I now offer in evidence Document 2224-PS, Exhibit Number USA-364, which
is Pages 1 and 2 of the 2d of May 1933 issues of the National Socialist
Party Press Agency. I quote from Paragraph 5 of Page 1 of the English
translation:
"National Socialism, which today has
assumed leadership of German labor, can no longer bear the
responsibility for leaving the men and women of the German working
class, the members of the largest trade organization in the world, the
German trade union movement, in the hands of people who do not know a
fatherland called Germany. Because of that, the National Socialist
Factory Cell Organization has taken over the leadership of the trade
unions. The NSBO has eliminated the former leadership of the free
trade unions of the General German Trade Unions League, and of the
General Independent Employees' Federation ...
"On 2 May 1933 the NSBO took over the leadership of all trade
unions; all trade-union buildings were occupied and most stringent
control of financial and personnel matters of the organizations has
been set up."
As shown by
this evidence, the assault on the independent unions was directed by the
Defendant Ley, in his capacity as Reichsleiter in charge of Party
organization, assisted by the Gauleiter and Party formations, and
included the seizure of trade-union funds and property. In this
connection I offer in evidence Document 1678-PS, Exhibit Number USA-365.
This document is a report of a speech by Reichsleiter Ley on the 11th of
September 1937 to the fifth annual session of the German Labor Front. In
this speech Ley shamelessly corroborates the confiscation of the
trade-union funds. quote from Paragraph 4 of Page 1 of the English
translation:
"Once I said to the Führer 'My Führer,
actually I am standing with one foot in jail, for today I am still the
trustee of