. NMT04-T1120
Volume IV · Page 1120
| invited to attend this
conference. I only know that the conference was well attended and that the
attendance list in the file note of 10 March 1943, NO-1126 signed by the SS
Captain Harders and presented to me here by the defense counsel is not
exhaustive. But I still remember well that the representative of the VoMi
asserted at this conference the incompetence of his agency. 4. The file note of the SS Captain Harders is not an official protocol by the Reich Ministry of Justice of the conference but a memorandum. The file note does not reproduce truly the course of the conference as I still remember it today. The main point of the conference was the demand made by the Reich Ministry of the Interior to transfer to the Youth Offices in the Reich the establishing of the paternity of illegitimate children of mothers of Polish nationality. This demand was rejected by the Reich Ministry of Justice on principle. This attitude of the Reich Ministry of Justice was opposed at this conference by a large majority of the representatives of other authorities. Among others it was just the circle of representatives of the Presidents of the District Courts of Appeals from the incorporated Eastern territories who voiced the opinion that such a viewpoint could not be carried out in practice. It was pointed out that the judicial authorities there could not handle the increase in business because of the difficult personnel situation and that difficulties would result from various Youth Offices who so far had strictly declined to appeal to the courts in the cases in question. Because of this situation various compromise proposals were put forward, among others also the one that the Youth Offices should be obliged to appeal to the courts, but only in those cases where a German interest existed. In all other cases the establishing of paternity and the decision on alimony should be left to the Youth Offices. In this connection the individual authorities and agencies submitted proposals for specific regulations according to their own interests. No decision in this sense was made. The Ministry of Justice expressly reserved its position in regard to the compromise proposals. I do not remember exactly what position the individual representatives took. But the following I know definitely: |
|
| a. | The SS Captain Harders did not stand out at this conference. Naturally I do not know what the purpose of his description was. I do not remember Harders. |
| b. | I distinctly remember that the representative of the VoMi, Brueckner, expressed himself against any attempt to regulate the number of children of persons of Polish nationality in general. |
| 5. Following the conference, an exchange of letters took place between the Reich Ministry of Justice and the Reich Ministry | |
