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[dis...] tributed. Industry had taken the course because of the
difficulties in getting experts, of retaining their own experts by occupying
them with other work, so that, when certain orders arrived in their plants,
they could use these people whom they had held in reserve in this way.
The agencies and authorities responsible for the allocation of manpower
investigated this state of affairs and, in some cases, they asked for all
expert opinion from my agency.
Q. You just mentioned the expression
“stages of priority.” Already this morning we discussed this. Tell
quite briefly whether, in the labor question as well, you were able to
determine these stages of priority or not?
A. The case was exactly the
same in the procurement of labor. I was able to make suggestions, but the
decision was in somebody else’s hands.
Q. Was it true that you
could allocate workers to certain construction plants, that you could actually
say, “One thousand workers will be sent to a particular
construction”? Or could you not say that?
A. I could not do this.
I could only examine the requests that carne in from the firms and I could give
my opinion whether this was in order, justified or not. The actual employment
and commitment of these workers was done, of course, by the labor offices that
had to do this work.
Q. To whom did your expert opinion go?
A.
When there were no workers and when workers had to be transferred from other
areas to the area in which they were needed, my expert opinion went to the
Reich Labor Ministry, which had the top decision to make in questions of labor.
Q. We can show this to the Tribunal with the aid of a document
introduced by the prosecution, Document NI-1237, Prosecution Exhibit 457,* Document
Book 21, English page 109, German book page 196. Did you find this letter?
A. Yes, I found it.
Q. By whom is it written and to whom is it
addressed?
A. It comes from the Plenipotentiary General for the
Construction Industry, Inspector General Todt, and it is addressed to the Reich
Labor Ministry, attention State Secretary Syrup.
Q. What can we see
from this letter.
A. They speak about the so-called Krauch Plan for
which 13,000 workers are lacking at the present time. “There are a little
over 100 construction plans. I asked Dr. Krauch to send you. [without delay]
State Secretary Syrup, a list of the construction projects ordered according to
labor regions, and I ask you that you give the correspond- [...ing]
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* Letter from Todt to the
Reich Ministry of Labor, 31 August 1939, reproduced earlier in subsection VII
G5, volume VII, this series.
626 |
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