. NMT06-T0790
Volume VI · Page 790
| right hand and repeat
after me: I swear by God the Almighty and Omniscient to speak the pure truth
and will withhold and add nothing, so help me God. (Albert Speer takes the oath). Dr. Flaechsner, will you please begin with the examination. DR. FLAECHNER (counsel for the defendant Steinbrinck) : Mr. Speer, I would like to question you about the organization of the German economy during the war as far as it was under your jurisdiction. First, I have some preliminary questions. When did you take over the office of a Minister? WITNESS SPEER: In February 1942 as Minister for Military Armament with the title Reich Minister for Armament and Munitions; beginning September 1943 I was given the title Reich Minister for Armament and War Production for the entire production with the exception of the airarm. Q. Will you please give a description as to how the direction by the State of the economic branches under your supervision was developed, especially to what extent the freedom of the industrialists was restricted as a result of this. Please distinguish between the following: |
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a. Coal. |
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| A. First, the
direction of the coal industry by the State. The Reich Association Coal was
established for the purpose of direction by the State. This Reich Association
Coal was competent for all commercial questions, the allotments of coal as well
as for the extraction of coal. Business and distribution was supervised by the
Reich Ministry of Economics; beginning September 1943 production was under the
supervision of the Ministry I headed. To my knowledge the rate of production
for the individual major enterprises was determined by the President of the
Reich Association Coal. The President of the Reich Association Coal, Paul
Pleiger, carried out his task with great independence. Consequently I do not
know in particular how far Pleiger went into details in his instructions
regarding questions of production, that is, to what extent Pleiger left it to
the discretion of the industrialists to draft his plan for extraction
independently. [Second] Iron producing industries. In the iron producing industry there was also the Reich Association Iron which had the same powers as the Reich Association Coal with its tasks divided in the same manner as to the authority of the two Ministries. In addition, however, there existed the Main Ring [Hauptring] Iron Production which was exclusively subordinated to my Ministry and which determined the manner in which the |
