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and in no way involved in it,
which indeed even the prosecution has not claimed.
Therefore, it would
doubtless be a pure construction to try to reduce the subject "foreign children
and the SS" to one common denominator and say: In this field, too, all the
thoughts and actions of the SS agencies were dominated by exaggerated and
overlapping ideas of blood and race, by ideas which finally degenerated to a
criminal covetousness of children of foreign nationality. However, instead of
seeing Himmler's ideas and notions as part of a criminal program one could put
them on a scale which shows the following notations: (1) humane solicitude for
children of foreign nationality, (2) a solicitous interest based on
nationalistic motives in ethnic German children far from their homeland, (3)
nationalistic tendencies, and finally, (4) romantic ideas about the value of
German blood, which then degenerated in wild plans and actions. However, it is
quite certain that the Lebensborn was never in any way involved in a
criminal program. It set out upon its course guided by the most humane and
natural idea which one can imagine, and remained true to this idea, which
constituted its highest law and program, as long as it existed the idea
of chivalrous protection for the expectant mother and loving care for her
child. |
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* * * * * * * * *
* |
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3. POLISH
CHILDREN |
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a. Selections
from the Evidence of the Prosecution |
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TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT NO-3074 PROSECUTION EXHIBIT 406
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LETTER FROM CREUTZ
TO THE REICH GOVERNOR OF THE WARTHELAND, 12 AUGUST 1941, CONCERNING THE
GERMANIZATION OF POLISH CHILDREN |
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Copy |
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I-3/4-7/14 July
1941/Dr.Ko/Mq |
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12 August
1941 |
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Subject: Germanization of
children from former Polish orphanages or from Polish families.
Reference: Your letter of 14 July 1941 Diary No. 626/41 Ko/Au
To the Reich Governor of the Reichgau Wartheland Deputy of the
Reich Commissioner for Strengthening of Germanism Poznan Kaiserring 13.
There are a great number of children in former Polish orphan-
[
ages] |
993 |