. NMT03-T0310
Volume III · Page 310
| the two of us meet at the Minister's.
If one of the under secretaries was absent, his affairs were dealt with by the
Minister together with the competent ministerial director. The other under
secretary did not deputize for the one who was absent. May I cite an example? In 1938 I had to go to the hospital as a result of an accident, and at that time the Minister did not discuss the new German marriage law with Freisler, but with the head of the respective department. If the Minister were also absent, the Under Secretary, who was present in Berlin, did only a certain amount of duty for his colleague. That is to say, he was available for matters which could not possibly be postponed. In my recollection, that happened only very rarely, for this was one point over which Freisler and I were in absolute agreement. Neither had the wish to meddle with the other's affairs. Furthermore, Freisler when he went on a business trip or when he went away for the summer holidays was practically always in contact with Berlin. Therefore, he told Dr. Guertner that a deputy for which I was the only possible candidate was neither necessary nor desirable. It did happen that when the Minister did not feel well and left the office earlier, he asked me by telephone to sign and to dispatch letters which he had already signed in draft form. Now and then that could have concerned matters which fell into Freisler's sphere when Freisler could not be reached. I should like to cite as example the letter which the prosecution submitted about the fight against political Catholicism. Concerning details accompanying that letter, I know nothing about this. In particular, I do not know what particular pressure was exercised or what instructions Hitler had issued in virtue of his right to lay down the directives of policy but I should like on this occasion to say something about what was the practice of the Ministry in regard to church affairs. I should like to point out what the witness for the prosecution, the Catholic Priest, Schosser, testified here on 9 May. According to his testimony, the Ministry refused on the occasion of a church funeral for Poles to take steps against the Catholic clergymen. DR. KUBUSCHOK: The letter which you have mentioned is Document NG-630, Prosecution Exhibit 428.¹ The examination which you mentioned here of Father Schosser is on page 3021 In the English transcript.² |
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¹ Reproduced below in section V F.
² Extracts from then testimony of Father Schosser, are reproduced below in section V F. Further testimony of defendant Schlegelberger, dealing with treatment of Jews, is also reproduced below, section V D 2.
