On this charge the defendants Karl Brandt, Brack and Hoven were convicted, and the defendant Blome was acquitted.

The prosecution's summation of the evidence on euthanasia is contained in its closing briefs against the defendants Karl Brandt and Brack. Extracts from these briefs are set forth below on pages 795 to 813. A corresponding summation of the evidence by the defense on this program has been selected from the closing brief for the defendant Karl Brandt and from the final plea for the defendant Brach. It appears below on pages 813 to 839. This argumentation is followed by selections from the evidence on pages 842 to 896.

.

A. Procedure

On 1 September 1939 Hitler charged the defendant Karl Brandt and Reichsleiter Bouhler with the execution of the Euthanasia Program. The letter of appointment stated

"Reichsleiter Bouhler and Dr. Brandt, M. D., are charged with the responsibility of enlarging the authority of certain physicians to be designated by name in such a manner that persons who, according to human judgment, are incurable can, upon a most careful diagnosis of their condition of sickness, be accorded a mercy death." (630-PS, Pros. Ex. 330.)

This document in no way limited the application of euthanasia to insane persons but included anyone who might be designated as "incurable."

The witness Mennecke testified that the program was carried out in the following way:

Every German mental institution received questionnaires from the Reich Ministry of the Interior which were to be completed for each inmate of the institution and to be sent back to the Reich Ministry of the Interior. Experts then had to examine the questionnaires after they had been photostated; they had to express their medical opinion on them, and had to return them, with their opinion, to the Reichsarbeitsgemeinschaft (Reich Labor Association). (Tr. pp. 1872, 1873.)

This Reichsarbeitsgemeinschaft cooperated with the "Stiftung" (Charitable Foundation for Institutional Care), and the Patient: Transport Corporation. The "Stiftung" was in charge of the financial side of the program, while the Patients Transport Corporation