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22 Nov.
45
"1. The United
States Chief of Counsel in July 1945 charged the Field Branch of the
Documentation Division with the responsibility of collecting,
evaluating, and assembling documentary evidence in the European
Theater for use in the prosecution of the major Axis War Criminals
before the International Military Tribunal. I was appointed Chief of
the Field Branch on 20 July 1945. I am now the Chief of the
Documentation Division, Office of United States Chief of Counsel.
"2. I have served in the United States Army for more
than 4 years and am a practicing attorney by profession. Based upon my
experience as an attorney and as a United States Army officer, I am
familiar with the operation of the United States Army in connection
with seizing and processing captured enemy documents. In my capacity
as Chief of the Documentation Division, Office of the United States
Chief of Counsel, I am familiar with and have supervised the
processing, filing, translating, and photostating of all documentary
evidence for the United States Chief of Counsel."
I
skip to paragraph 4.
"4. The Field Branch of the
Documentation Division was staffed by personnel thoroughly conversant
with the German language. Their task was to search for and select
captured enemy documents in the European Theater which disclosed
information relating to the prosecution of the major Axis war
criminals. Officers under my command were placed on duty at various
document centers and also dispatched on individual missions to obtain
original documents. When the documents were located, my
representatives made a record of the circumstances under which they
were found and all information available concerning their authenticity
was recorded. Such documents were further identified by Field Branch
pre-trial serial numbers, assigned by my representatives who would
then periodically dispatch the original documents by courier to the
Office of the United States Chief of Counsel.
"5. Upon
receipt of these documents they were duly recorded and indexed. After
this operation, they were delivered to the Screening and Analysis
Branch of the Documentation Division of the Office of United States
Chief of Counsel, which Branch re-examined the documents in order to
finally determine whether or not they should be retained as evidence
for the prosecutors. This final screening was done by German speaking
analysts on the staff of the United States Chief of Counsel. When the
document passed the screeners, it was
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