NMT01-T280
Volume I · Page 280
| b. Selections from the Argumentation of the Prosecution |
| EXTRACT FROM THE CLOSING
BRIEF AGAINST DEFENDANT ROSE |
| * * * * * * * * * * |
| With respect to the malaria experiments, two
questions are presented for consideration first, whether the malaria
experiments were performed in a criminal manner, and second, whether
the defendant Rose was connected with such experiments. That the performance of the malaria experiments in the Dachau concentration camp from February 1942 until the end of the war was criminal has not been seriously disputed by any of the defendants. In December 1941, while working in Italy, Dr. Claus Schilling met Conti who became interested in supporting further work by Schilling on malaria problems. A meeting was arranged with Himmler who gave his permission for experiments to be carried out in the Dachau concentration camp. Schilling began his work in Dachau in February 1942 and continued his experiments until the end of the war. He was primarily concerned with discovering a way of immunizing persons against malaria. During the course of the experiment approximately 1,200 concentration camp inmates were infected with malaria either by being bitten by infected mosquitoes or by injections of malaria- infected blood. After having been infected, the prisoners were treated with various drugs, including quinine, neosalvarsan, and pyramidon. Most of the experimental subjects were non-German nationals. Of the experimental subjects infected, approximately 30 died as a direct result of the experiments and an additional 300 to 400 died as a result of complications. The above facts are established by the Review of the General Military Commission in the case of the U. S. against Weiss and others. held at Dachau, Germany. (NO-856, Pros. Ex. 125.) Claus Schilling was a defendant in that case and was convicted and sentenced to death In an affidavit submitted in evidence before that Tribunal, dated 30 October 1945, Schilling admitted that the experimental subjects were not volunteers. One of the assistants to Schilling in his experiments at Dachau was Dr. Ploetner, who was a member of the Institute for Military Scientific Research of the Ahnenerbe under the defendant Sievers. Sievers conferred with Ploetner regarding the malaria experiments and received reports from him. (3546-PS, Pros. Ex. 123; entries for 30 January, 22 February, 23 May, 3l May, 1 June, 24 August). Rose stated that he learned that Ploetner was a collaborator of Schilling through an minquiry to the Journal of Tropical Medicine in the year 1944. Ploetner had published an article in that magazine and it had come to Rose's attention. (Tr. 6339.) |
