Conference Notes Concerning
Handling of Enemy "Terror-Aviators"
4 June 1944

WFst/ Qu. (Verw. 1)
No. 771761/ 44 Top Secret [initial] W. [Warlimont] 4 June

4 June 1944
Top Secret 2 Copies,
Copy No. 1
Top Secret
Only by Officer

Subject: Treatment of the enemy terror aviators f Conference Notes

I. Pursuant to the order of the Chief of the Staff of the Armed Forces and Deputy Chief of the Command Staff of the Armed Forces the following is decreed:

I. It is to be ascertained from the Reichfuehrer SS through SS Major Grothmann whether and in what form the information given by the Fuehrer to the Reichfuehrer SS, that in one or more instances fliers, who had been shot down during strafing attacks on the population, had been lynched by the latter, has meanwhile gone out. If the answer should be "no", in what manner does the Reichfuehrer intend to proceed in the near future.

2. From the Commander in Chief of the Air Forces (Colonel von Brauchitsch) it is to be ascertained what specific acts of enemy fliers are to be considered and handled as deserving death according to the opinion of the Reichsmarshall. Reference to this: The 4 points of the memorandum [731-PS] by the Chief of the Command Staff of the Armed Forces (Chef, WFst.) of 20-22 May based on the information of General Korten after report of the Reichsmarshall. [L--166, par. 201] * * *

3. After the clarification of point 2, the preparation of a directive to the Commandant of the camp at Oberursel stating in what cases the prisoners are to be turned over to the SD, specifying in a more detailed manner the cases which are to be treated as de-serving of death, and the points of view which are to be followed in the subsequent procedure. Reference relative to this: State-ment of Colonel von Brauchitsch according to the notes of 26 May. This directive is to be prepared only in two copies and, after consultation with Colonel von Brauchitsch, it is to be forwarded to the Commander in Chief of the Air Forces with the instruc-tions to communicate it to the commandant of the camp at Ober-ursel orally only.

4. It is to be ascertained from the Chief of the Armed Forces Propaganda whether he has any information concerning any new steps taken in this matter by the Reichfuehrer SS.

5. In accordance with the instructions issued in the evening of 3 June, by the Chief of the Command Staff of the Armed Forces, the Foreign Office is to be informed of the situation in the evening with the following purposes in view:

a. That the formulation of the notices of the Reich Fuehrer SS andthe other measures should be undertaken in an appropriate manner and in accord with the Foreign Office; and

b. To be prepared in advance against protests by the enemy powers, so as to be in a position to answer them immediately, and thus to prevent occurrences such as those which took place in connection with the escape of the Anglo-American aviators from camp Sagan.

Ambassador Ritter has been already notified accordingly by theChief of the Command Staff of the Command Staff of the Armed Forces.

II. It was impossible to clarify points 1 and 2 (in this connection point 3 as well) until 23 hours since neither Colonel von Brauchitsch nor an SS officer on the Command Staff Bergwald could be contacted. A telephone conference with Major Grothmann has been agreed upon for 4 June at 10: 00 o'clock.

Distribution:

Deputy Chief of the Command Staff of the Armed Forces
Qu. (Draft)

Copy No. 1 [pencilled notation]
Copy No. 2 destroyed according to-
[ initials] 18 August [illegible]