. NMT03-T1133
Volume III · Page 1133
| The broad scope and the variety of the
official activities of von Ammon may be illustrated by reference to reports
which he made to officials of the Ministry of Justice during the year 1944. On
14 January 1944 he reported at the Ministry upon "jurisdiction of Denmark". On
10 February he reported to the minister on "Competence for Prosecution of NN
Cases." On 31 May, under the heading "Submissions to the State Secretary"
(Klemm), he reported on "Action Against Stateless Jews, Admission of Legal
Procedure." Under the heading "Reports to the State Secretary" for 21 June
1944, he reported on "Pastoral Service for NN Prisoners", after which in
handwriting appears the word "rejection". Under the heading "Submissions to the
Minister" for 26 July, he reported on "Proceedings of State Police in Lower
Styria." Under the heading "Reports to the Ministers" of 5 October, he reported
on "Taking Over of Criminal Proceedings from the Eastern Districts." Under the
heading "Formal Verbal Reports to the Minister" of 3 November 1944, he reported
on "Liquidation of Offenses from the Eastern Territories." On 10 January 1945
it appears that he made a verbal report on the "Taking Over Administration of
Penal Justice of the Minister for the East." The prosecution introduced in evidence a captured document of 142 pages in length, containing lists of many hundreds of death sentences which were submitted to the Minister of Justice and at times to State Secretary Klemm for final disposition. The cases were classified as "clear" or as "doubtful." The former, "clear," outnumbered the latter. An examination of the document discloses that between 14 January 1944 and 16 November of the same year the defendant von Ammon made twenty-four reports on cases in which persons from the occupied territories had been sentenced to death under the Nacht and Nebel procedure. The death sentences averaged more than one for every 3 days of the entire period. In a notice addressed to Under Secretary Rothenberger, and to Minister Thierack, von Ammon reported that on 1 September 1942, in Kiel, Essen, and Cologne cases were pending against 1,456 persons charged under the Night and Fog decree. In view of the fact that von Ammon was in charge of Nacht and Nebel procedure from 1942 until the end of the war, it is clear that we have in evidence only incomplete records of the activities of this defendant in connection with the Night and Fog decree. The fragmentary character of the captured documents which have been submitted renders it impossible to give a complete picture of this criminal activity. The illustrations which we have given and which cover only a portion of the time involved will, however, serve as an indication of the scope of the activities which were |
