. NMT06-T0808
Volume VI · Page 808
| Q. In this trial and
probably through the press reports on the big IMT case, you have learned a few
things about the method used in this compulsory recruitment — allegedly
used. May I ask you, did you ever, perhaps later on when, as you say, you were
more or less morally convinced that there was obviously some sort of compulsion
involved, did you ever, with regard to these methods, that is, for instance,
picking up the people outside the cinemas and similar things we have heard
about here — did you ever know anything about this? Did you suppose
anything? Had it been told to you? Had you heard rumors to this effect-up to
the time I have just mentioned — of the press reports on the IMT case?
A. I never had any knowledge of that. |
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| * * * * * * * * * * | |
| Q. Very well. Now
there is another report here about Krivoi Rog. What about that? A. Krivoi Rog was dealt with in the report of a sociological nature of the Reich Association Coal. I believe this is the first document or the first copy of the reports on social policy of the RVK,¹ and this report is thirty pages long. It is initialed by myself, but I have already explained in another connection what this initialing on my part means. I initialed every document that came to my desk, without regard to whether I had read it or not I also stated the significance of my initialing documents. This was that I had had the opportunity of making myself acquainted with the document. And voluminous treatises of the department for social policy of the RVK, amounting to 30 pages and more — to study those was neither my job, nor did I have the time to do it. I therefore assume with certainty that I did not read this document either. Moreover, since the document has been submitted here, I would like to point out here that it refers to a time — I believe the summer or autumn of 1941 — when as a rule nobody in Germany ever thought of forcible deportation. The contents of the document are convincing. They were miners from the Krivoi Rog area. That is the Russian mining district, the major part of which the Russians had destroyed with its installations before their retreat, and there obviously resulted a considerable amount of unemployment. Q. Then we must mention a report from the Anhaltische Kohlenwerke² containing complaints and laments about the in- [...capability] |
¹ Document NI-4104, Prosecution Exhibit 267, RVK report of 1 November 1941, reproduced in part earlier in section VII B.
² Document NT-5391, Prosecution Exhibit 140, letter of 18 January 1945, the last document reproduced in B above.
