20 Dec. 45
and other Eastern peoples. With this anti-partisan
activity I shall deal in a few moments.
I want to refer now to a few actions confined essentially to Jews. To
take one example — the mass annihilation of Jews in gas vans —
described in our document 501-PS, which was read into the record by
Major Walsh as Exhibit Number USA-288. I do not think that that document
appears in the document book, because I am not going to read from it. I
simply want to point out that these gas vans, as appears from the
letters, were operated by the Security Police and SD under the direction
of RSHA. Or to take another example — the report entitled, "Solution
of the Jewish Question in Galicia," our Document L-18, prepared by
SS Gruppenführer and Lieutenant General of the Police Katzmanm and
rendered to SS Obergruppenführer and General of the Police Krüger
— that report has already been received in evidence as Exhibit
Number USA-277. The Tribunal will recall that the solution, which
consisted in the evacuation and extermination of all the Jews in Galicia
and the confiscation of their property, was carried out under the
energetic direction of the SS and Police Leaders with the assistance of
SS Police units. I wish to read three short items in the report which
have not already been read. The first is a text under a photograph which
appears on Page 3 of the translation and on Page 3(a) of the original
report. It is the first item on Page 3 of the translation. I quote: "Great
was the joy of the SS men when the Reichsführer SS in person in
1942 visited some camps along the Rollbahn."
The second is a balance sheet, which appears on Page 11 of the
translation and Page 17 of the report. I read Item 3 on the balance
sheet:
"3. Amount paid over to the SS
cashier: a. Camps, 6,867,251.00 zlotys; b. industrial and armament
factories, 6,556,513.69 zlotys; total, 13,423,764.69 zlotys. "Further
payments to the SS cashier are effected every month."
The third item I desire to read is the last two paragraphs of the report
found on Page 20 of the translation and on Page 64 of the original
document. I read the last two paragraphs of the report:
"Despite the extraordinary burden
heaped upon every single SS Police Officer during these actions, mood
and spirit of the men were extraordinarily good and praiseworthy from
the first to the last day.
"Due to the high personal sense of duty of every single leader
and man we have succeeded in getting rid of this plague in so short a
time."
The final example of
SS participation in Jewish extermination to which I shall call the
Tribunal's attention is the infamous report