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The defense has stressed, not wholly without merit, that the
concentration-camp workers lived under the control of the SS and worked under
the immediate employment and direction of the construction contractors (some
200 or more) who were engaged in preparing the site and building the plant. It
is clear that Farben did not deliberately pursue or encourage an inhumane
policy with respect to the workers. In fact, some steps were taken by Farben to
alleviate the situation. It voluntarily and at its own expense provided hot
soup for the workers on the site at noon. This was in addition to the regular
rations. Clothing was also supplemented by special issues from Farben. Despite
this, however, it is evident that the defendants most closely connected with
the Auschwitz construction project bear great responsibility with respect to
the workers. They applied to the Reich Labor Office for labor. They received
and accepted concentration-camp workers, who were placed at the disposal of the
construction contractors working for Farben. The chief engineer, Duerrfeld,
with the advice of other defendants, had a definite responsibility regarding
the project in the over-all supervision of and authority over the construction
work. Responsibility for taking the initiative in the unlawful employment was
theirs and, to some extent at least, they must share the responsibility for
mistreatment of the workers with the SS and the construction contractors.
Concentration-camp workers by no means constituted all of the laborers
on the plant site. Free workers were employed in large numbers. Foreign workers
made their appearance there in 1941. Many, if not all, of these were at first
voluntary workers, that is, foreigners who had contracted to come to Germany
for a stated amount of pay. They consisted chiefly of Poles, Ukrainians,
Italians, Slavs, French, and Belgians. Some experts and technicians were also
recruited on a similar basis. After Sauckel’s program of forced labor
became effective, workers of this type began to appear at Auschwitz in
increasing numbers. The defendants contend that, the recruitment of labor being
under direct control of the Reich, they did not know the conditions under which
the recruitment took place and, since the foreign workers at first were
procured on a voluntary basis, the defendants were unaware later that the
method had been changed and that many of the subsequent workers had been
procured through a system of forced-labor recruitment. This contention cannot
be successfully maintained. The labor for Auschwitz was procured through the
Reich Labor Office at Farben's request. Forced labor was used for a period of
approximately 3 years, from 1942 until the end of the war. It is clear that
Farben did not prefer either the employment of concentration-camp workers or
those foreign nationals who had been compelled against their will to enter
German labor |
1185 |
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