18 Dec. 45
Defense of the Reich. " — Signed
— " Dr. Lammers" — and sworn to before Lieutenant
Colonel Hinkel.
As an
illustration of how the circulation procedure worked, I have here a
memorandum dated 9 August 1943, which bears the facsimile signature of
the Defendant Frick and is addressed to the Reich Minister and Chief of
the Reich Chancellery. Attached to the memorandum is a draft of the law
in question and a carbon copy of a letter dated 22 December 1943, from
the Defendant Rosenberg to the Reich Minister of the Interior,
containing his comments on the draft. I now offer Document 1701-PS as
Exhibit USA-392, and I call Your Honors' attention to the big red border
around the enclosure. The quoted portion is from Page 1 of the
translation and Page 1 of the original. Quoting:
"To the Reich Minister and Chief of
the Reich Chancellery in Berlin (W8). For the information of the other
Reich Ministers. Subject: Law on the Treatment of Asocial Elements of
Society. Referring to my letter of 19 March 1942, 55 enclosures.
"The draft of the Law on the Treatment of Asocial Elements of
Society having been completely rewritten, I am sending the enclosed
new draft with the consent of the Reich Minister of Justice, Dr.
Thierack, and ask that the law be approved in the circulatory manner.
The necessary number of copies is attached."
The same procedure was followed in the Council of Ministers when that
body was created; and the decrees of the Council of Ministers were also
circulated to the members of the ordinary Cabinet.
I have here a carbon copy of a memorandum found in the files of the
Reich Chancellery by the Allied armies and addressed to the members of
the Council of Ministers, dated 17 September 1939 and bearing the typed
signature of Dr. Lammers. It is Document 1141-PS, Exhibit USA-393. From
the English translation, the last paragraph just above Dr. Lammers'
signature, I quote:
"Matters submitted to the Ministerial
Council for Defense of the Reich have heretofore been distributed only
to the members of the Council. I have been requested by some of the
Reich Ministers who are not permanent members of the Council to inform
them of the drafts of the decrees which are being submitted to the
Council, so as to enable them to check those drafts from the point of
view of their respective offices. I shall follow this request so that
all of the Reich Ministers will in the future be informed of the
drafts of decrees which are to be acted upon by the Ministerial
Council for Defense of the Reich. I therefore request that 45
additional