NMT01-T794
Volume I · Page 794
A. I heard it from Hohlfelder as well as from Perwitschky.
Q. These were the two men —
A. Hohlfelder was the commanding officer of the X-ray unit, and Perwitschky was the business manager of the association for combating tuberculosis.
Q. Did you find out how the rejection of this plan really came about, and, in particular, do you know that when Greiser's letter was shown to him Himmler said that Hitler himself had to decide, and that Hitler himself actually did decide that this plan was to be rejected for the reasons which you, Dr. Blome, stated in your letter to Greiser? Did you hear about that later?
A. At that time I only learned from Professor Hohlfelder and Perwitschky that the reasons stated in my letter had moved Hitler to withdraw his order. I only heard of Himmler's letter here in this courtroom, through the documents, and I am, therefore, very grateful to the prosecution for not having withheld this letter from me.
Q. Witness, when you say that this plan of Greiser's was frustrated because of you, I must remind you of what the prosecution said here on 9 December in this courtroom. The prosecution said at that time, "We shall introduce evidence to show that the program was in fact carried out at the end of 1942 and the beginning of 1943 * * *." And by that, the program for the liquidation of the tubercular Poles was meant. Further, "that as a result of the suggestions made by Blome and Greiser, many Poles were ruthlessly exterminated and that others were taken to isolated camps, utterly lacking in medical facilities where thousands of them died." These were statements made by prosecution. I must again ask you very definitely, did you at any time later hear that on the basis of these proposals tubercular Poles were, in effect, exterminated?
A. No. The assertions of the prosecution are not true. Nothing happened to one Pole within the framework of this tubercular action in the Warthegau. On the contrary they received decent medical treatment.
