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Four Year Plan were left without a unifying head; by losing Goering,
they had in fact no longer a chief to whom they were responsible, nor could
other Reich offices give them orders instead.
Q. In another
interrogation, which took place on the morning of 30 May 1945, you mentioned
that you had founded, unofficially in 1942, an "Advisory Council for Economic
Warfare," for which you selected industrialists like Voegler, Krauch, and
Roechling, as well as some power experts. Please describe to me how you set up
this advisory council, who were its members, and what functions this Advisory
Council for Economic Warfare had?
A. It seems to me that in the minutes
here, the meaning of the statements I made at that time is not clearly given.
It was not an advisory council for economic warfare that was in question. I
intended to create an advisory body which was to assist the General Staff of
the Air Force in selecting strategically and economically important bombing
targets. As the minutes correctly state, I had chosen these men mentioned above
for this particular purpose. It was not necessary to call a meeting of this
advisory body, because after a short time it became apparent that the Air Force
no longer was in a position to carry out large-scale air raids on economic
targets. Consequently, the plan to set up this advisory board was not carried
out. It was replaced by a special plan, which was subsequently carried out by
the Planning Adviser of the Inspector General for Water and Electric Power, Dr.
Karl, whom I placed directly under me for this purpose.
Q. This
council, therefore, never did meet? And merely its founding was discussed by
you and the members?
A. The council never met, and it was never
officially founded. According to my recollection, I did not personally discuss
the subject with the individual members intended for the council.
Q.
Before September to October 1943, as Minister for Armaments, you had, with the
exception of pure explosives and chemical warfare agents, nothing to do with
chemical production. Is that correct?
A. Not quite. The Armaments
Office, under the direction of General Becht, continuously worked on questions
of chemical production. General Thomas had created a section in the Armaments
Office which was to assume supervision at the outbreak of war of the tasks
which had been prepared already before the beginning of the war by the
plenipotentiaries of the Four Year Plan. I learned later that at the beginning
of the war there were arguments about this between Keitel and Goering, and that
Goering, with the approval of Hitler, unequivocally fixed the unlimited
authority of the Four Year Plan, also with relation to the Armaments Office.
General Recht, therefore, took no leading part in |
987 |
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