. NMT06-T0839
Volume VI · Page 839
| employment of Russian
prisoners of war in the mining industry in any large numbers could hardly be
considered at all at that phase. In this letter, that is Exhibit 158, he
mentions an attempt made at the Friedrich Heinrich mine, which belonged to the
de Wendel concern but of course lay in the Ruhr, and said that this experiment
had been a complete failure, insofar as, in spite of careful delousing and
issuing of new clothing, typhus had again broken out. When this letter arrived in Berlin, Mr. Flick was not there. He was in Toelz at the time. I was horrified at the contents of the letter, and, moreover, surprised because shortly before I had heard — I think I received a report from the Linke-Hofmann Works which showed that the Vorstand in Breslau had been very pleased with results of employing Russian prisoners of war. The first Russian prisoners of war who were assigned to the railroad car factory of the Linke-Hofmann Works had also arrived in a very bad state. The Vorstand of Linke-Hofmann looked after them in a very careful and humane manner. Director Scholl of the Linke-Hofmann plant, who was the business manager, had worked for many years in Soviet Russia at one time, and his wife was Russian and he knew the language and he knew the mentality of the Russians. The Linke-Hofmann Works reported to me that, first of all, they thoroughly deloused the prisoners of war as they arrived. They had all been medically examined and then all of them had been put to bed and fed well for a week. Then, gradually, they had been put to work, in accordance with their state of health. This report from the Linke-Hofmann Works unfortunately has not been submitted here, nor have we been able to find it in the documents anywhere. At any rate, the Russians were exceedingly grateful to be treated in this manner and they became willing and most usable workers in Breslau. I called up Mr. Flick and told him about having received this letter. Mr. Flick thereupon asked me to draw Mr. Buskuehl's attention to our Breslau experiences and to tell him that perhaps if the people were properly treated quite a lot could still be salvaged. Later on I sent on Mr. Buskuehl's letter to Mr. Flick in Toelz so that he could read it for himself and then, I suppose, Mr. Flick must have added this marginal note "The contrary in Breslau," which he had already told me on the telephone. DR. SOMERS: Your Honor, this marginal note was, by mistake, omitted in the English copy. PRESIDING JUDGE SEARS: We have made a note of it, however, when it was referred to before. DR. SIEMERS: Thank you. DEFENDANT WEISS: In accordance with Mr. Flick's request to inform Mr. Buskuehl accordingly, I wrote the letter dated 18 |
