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his public utterances and proclamations down to and including the
announcement of the Four Year Plan.
The Four Year Plan, according to
the prosecution's version of the evidence, was designed to rearm and rebuild
Germany, militarily and economically, for the purpose of waging aggressive war,
and the part played by the defendants in the execution of that plan is relied
upon as a strong circumstance tending to show their wilful participation in
Hitler’s plans for aggressive war. The Four Year Plan was announced to the
German public and the world by Hitler’s speech of 9 September 1936,
delivered at a Nazi Party Rally at Nurnberg. He first reviewed in exaggerated
fashion the accomplishments of Germany in the economic field since his rise to
power. He then launched into an outline of an ambitious program to further
rehabilitate and strengthen Germany in the ensuing four years. He reminded the
people in demagogic style that lie had already procured for them increased
employment, better highways, more automobiles, stable currency, more constant
food supply, and increased production in various fields through German skill
and through the development of chemical, mining, and other industries. He
justified the increase in Germany's armed forces upon the ground that this was
necessary and in proportion to the increasing dangers surrounding Germany. He
then said: “The German people, however, has no other wish than to live in
peace and friendship with all those who want the peace and who do not interfere
with us in our own country.”
On 30 January 1937, Hitler made a
speech in Berlin at the Kroll Opera House, in which he again discussed the Four
Year Plan and announced a city-planning program of construction for Berlin,
concerning which he said: “For the execution of that plan. a period of 20
years is provided. May the Almighty grant its peace, during which the gigantic
task may be completed.”
On 12 March 1938, Hitler issued a
proclamation in extravagant terms attempting to justify the Austrian Anschluss.
He attacked the Austrian Government under Chancellor Schuschnigg as an
oppressor of the people that had proposed a fraudulent election which could
only lead to civil war. This, Hitler sought to prevent.
On 18 March
1938, Cardinal Innitzer and the bishops of Austria issued, from Vienna, a
solemn declaration in which they said: “We recognize with joy that the
National Socialist movement has produced outstanding achievements in the
spheres of national and economic reconstruction as well as in their welfare
policy for the German Reich and people, and in particular for the poorest
strata of the people. We are also convinced that through the activities of the
National Socialist movement the danger of all-destroying godless bolshevism was
averted.” Thus it appears that even high ecclesiastical leaders were
misled as to Hitler’s ultimate purpose. |
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