19 Dec. 45
1935, at Page 3, there was a group picture of SA men on
trucks and in front of the trucks were large signs, one of which read, "Read
Der Stürmer and you will know the Jew." On the same
page of the publication I mentioned there is a photograph of what
appears to be a public rally, at which there is displayed a large poster
reading, "He who knows the Jew, knows the devil!"
THE PRESIDENT: Colonel Storey, the Tribunal expressed their view
yesterday that they did not desire to hear cumulative evidence. Isn't
this rather cumulative?
COL. STOREY: I agree with Your Honor that possibly it is. I am trying
to draw the line on it. I will omit the rest of them. Now we will pass
to the final phase of the function of the SA in the conspiracy.
THE PRESIDENT: Perhaps we had better adjourn now for 10 minutes.
[A recess was taken.]
COL. STOREY: If Your Honor pleases, I have just started into the
function of the SA in the conspiracy, that of its participation in the
program for preparation for warfare.
In this connection, Your Honors asked this morning a question about the
arresting and police activities of the SA, and I mentioned that they had
declined after 1934. For fear there was some misapprehension, I would
like to state that as a police organization and as an arresting agency
they declined steadily after 1934.
We go now into the phase where they went into military preparations,
the next phase; and that is the phase with which I deal now. If Your
Honor pleases, I have here an official government publication issued by
the British Government in 1943, the title being, The Nazi Party and
Organizations; and I should like to quote as to the organization and
membership of the SA from that publication. It is the most authoritative
that I have been able to find, and I would like to quote briefly from
it:
"The SA was founded in 1921 as a
para-military organization to protect Nazi meetings and leaders, to
throw out interrupters and hecklers, to fight political enemies, and
to provide pre-military training at a time when the legal 'Reichswehr'
was limited to 100,000 men. Their highest leader is Hitler himself;
his deputy is called the Stabschef (Chief of Staff) of the SA; from
1930 till June 1934 it was Röhm from then onwards till his death
in May 1943, Victor Lutze; since August 1943, Wilhelm Schepmann. In
January 1933 the SA had only 300,000 members. After the seizure of
power, its strength increased quickly; at present it has a membership
of 1,500,000 to 2,000,000.11 (JN-4)