2 Jan. 46
as successor to Heydrich. His appointment
was effective 30 January 1943. 1 know of no limitation placed on
Kaltenbrunner's authority as Chief of the Security Police and SD
(RSHA). He promptly entered upon the duties of the office and assumed
direct charge of the office and control over the Amt. All important
matters of all Ämter had to clear through Kaltenbrunner."
During Kaltenbrunner's term in office as Chief of the Security Police
and SD, many crimes were committed by the Security Police and SD
pursuant to policy established by the RSHA or upon orders issued out of
the RSHA, for all of which Kaltenbrunner was responsible by virtue of
his office. Each of these crimes has been discussed in detail in the
case against the Gestapo and SD, and reference is here made to that
presentation. Evidence now will be offered only to show that these
crimes continued after Kaltenbrunner became Chief of the Security Police
and SD on 30 January 1943.
The first crime for which Kaltenbrunner is responsible as Chief of the
Security Police and SD is the murder and mistreatment of civilians of
occupied countries by the Einsatz groups. There were at least five
Einsatz groups operating in the East during Kaltenbrunner's term in
office.
The Befehlsblatt of the Security Police and SD — and this
is contained in our Document 2890-PS, of which I ask the Tribunal to
take judicial notice — contains reference to Einsatz Groups A, B,
D, G, and Croatia during the period of August 1943 to January 1945.
I shall not read from that document which contains those excerpts, but
the Tribunal will note those references to the name "Einsatz
groups," indicating that they were operating during the time that
Kaltenbrunner was Chief of the Security Police and SD. The Tribunal will
recall Document 1104-PS, which has heretofore been received as Exhibit
Number USA-483. I will only refer in passing to this document, which
contained a lengthy and critical report on the conduct of the Security
Police in exterminating the Jewish population of Sluzk, White Ruthenia.
That report was submitted to Heydrich on 21 November 1941. Yet the same
conditions of horror and cruelty continued to characterize the
operations of Einsatzkommandos in the East while Kaltenbrunner was Chief
of the Security Police and SD. I refer to Document R-135, which has
heretofore been received as Exhibit Number USA-289; and I will not read
anything from that but simply refresh the recollection of the Tribunal
to the report of Gunther, the prison warden at Minsk, under date of 31
May 1943, to the General Commissioner for White Ruthenia, in which he
pointed out that after 13 April 1943 the SD