The Reich Minister and Chief of the Reich Chancellery
Vossstrasse 6, Berlin W8, July 5, 1942 at present Fuehrer's Headquarters
All postal communication must be sent to the Berlin address without exception.
RK. 9495 B
Please use the above chiffre in further communications.
To the Highest Authorities in the Reich, and to all departments directly subordinate to the Fuehrer
The Fuehrer has charged Reichleader Rosenberg in his capacity as delegate of the Fuehrer with the supervision of the entire spiritual and political education and schooling of the NSDAP, with the spiritual fight against the Jews and Freemasons as well as against all allied with them in their doctrinal opposition to National Socialism, as the instigators of the present war. For this purpose the Fuehrer has ordered that the staff of the Reichsleader Rosenberg shall have the right, in occupied territories under Military Government and in occupied Eastern territories under civil administration (this does not include the General Government) to search libraries, archives, lodges, and other political and cultural institutions of all kinds for suitable material for the fulfillment of his task, and to ask the competent army and police offices to confiscate the material thus procured for the implementation of the world doctrinal tasks of the NSDAP, and for later scientific research work of the university, whereby the police political files will remain with the police, all other documents however to be turned over to the staff of the Reichleader Rosenberg. The same request to be made by this staff in regard to all cultural goods which are the property or in the possession of Jews which do not belong to anyone, or whose owners cannot be determined. The measures on procedure about the collaboration with the Wehr-
610
847-PS
macht will be issued by the Chief of the High Command of the Wehrmacht in accordance with Reichleader Rosenberg. The necessary measures within the Eastern territories under German administration will be taken by Reichleader Rosenberg in his capacity as Reich Minister for the occupied Eastern territories.
I am giving notice of this, the Fuehrer's order, and request to support Reichleader Rosenberg in the fulfillment of his task.
Signed: Dr. Lammers
SECRET
Reich Minister and Chief of the Reich Chancellery Rk. 507 A g
Please use this chiffre in all further communications
Vossstrasse 6, Berlin W8, July 16, 1942 Present field quarters. All mail to be sent to the Berlin address without exception. II 1C
II 1 C 791/42g, rec. 20 July 42*
end 1
To the Reich Minister for the occupied Eastern territories
Berlin W35 '
Kurfuerstenstrasse 134
(Notes illegible)
Concerning: Fuehrer decree of March 1, 1942 To the letter of July TO, 1942-11 1 C 705/42g
The regulations of which you wish to be informed are contained in enclosed circular letter to the highest Reich authorities of July 5, 1942—Rk. 9495 B—which was also sent to you. A further copy of this circular is enclosed for your use.
Deputy
[signature illegible]
1. There is nothing to be done from here.
2. Mr. R.R. Guilleaume to be informed after his return (7 Aug).
[signature illegible]
[name illegible]
Please ask in the Registrar's Office of the Reich Chancellery if the Fuehrer's decree of 1 March 42 exists. Apparently we have only been sent the measures of procedure.
(initials illegible) 3 July The Fuehrer's decree of 1 March is enclosed. PR. 4 August.
611
847-PS
The Reich Chancellery has received the Fuehrer decree of 1 March 42, as a copy from the Reichsleitung Rosenberg. I asked for it there.
Pr. 31/7
Give first to Ministerialdirector Dr. Runte w4th a request for his acknowledgment.
LABS, 5 August [illegible marks]
FUEHRER DECREE
Jews, Freemasons, and those allied with them in their world doctrinal conceptions are opponents of National Socialism and are the instigators of the present war directed against the Reich. The planned spiritual fight against these powers is a necessary war measure.
I have therefore, charged Reichsleader Alfred Rosenberg to carry out this task in accord with the Chief of the High Command of the Wehrmacht. His staif for the occupied territories has the right to search libraries, archives, lodges, and other world doctrinal and cultural institutions of all kinds for pertinent material and to have it confiscated for the world doctrinal task of the NSDAP and the later research work of the university cultural values which are the property or are in the possession of Jews, which do not belong to an owner, or whose owners cannot be determined, are subject to the same regulation. The measures on procedure about the collaboration with the Wehrmacht will be issued by the Chief of the High Command of the Wehrmacht in accord with Reichleader Rosenberg.
The necessary measures within the Eastern territories under German administration will be taken care of by Reichleader Rosenberg in his capacity as Reich Minister for the occupied Eastern territories.
Fuehrer Headquarters, March 1, 1942
To all administrative departments of the Wehrmacht, the Party,
and the State. '
Signed: Adolf Hitler
Circular letter to government departments, instructing cooperation with Rosenberg's program to collect material from libraries and other institutions for research and "doctrinal tasks," and Hitler's decree authorizing the operation
Authors
Hans H. Lammers (Dr., Chief of Reich Chancellery)
Hans H. Lammers
German jurist, Nazi politician, and Head of the Reich Chancellery (1879-1962)
- Born: 1879-05-27 (Lubliniec)
- Died: 1962-01-04 (Düsseldorf)
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: judge; jurist; lawyer; politician
- Member of political party: German National People's Party (until: 1932-01-01); Nazi Party
- Member of: Schutzstaffel
- Participant in: Ministries Trial (role: defendant); Nuremberg Medical Trial (role: affiant, witness)
- Significant person: Adolf Hitler (role: superior); Karl Brandt (role: colleague)
Labs (Dr., oberregierungsrat (1941))
Walter Labs
German jurist
- Born: 1910-07-13 (Gladbeck)
- Died: 1988-12-07
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: jurist
- Member of political party: Nazi Party
- VIAF ID: https://viaf.org/viaf/398104
- ISNI: https://isni.org/isni/0000000027854816
- WorldCat Identities ID: https://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n86055242
Adolf Hitler (Fuehrer, Reich Chancellor, Supeme Commander of Wehrmacht)
Adolf Hitler
Austrian nationalized German politician, leader of the National Socialist party and dictator of Germany (1889-1945)
- Born: 1889-01-01 1889-04-20 (Braunau am Inn) (country: Austria-Hungary; located in the administrative territorial entity: Archduchy of Austria above the Enns; statement is subject of: Adolf-Hitler-Geburtshaus)
- Died: 1945-04-30 (Berlin Führerbunker) (country: Nazi Germany; located in the administrative territorial entity: Berlin; statement is subject of: death of Adolf Hitler)
- Country of citizenship: Cisleithania (period: 1889-04-20 through 1918-11-11); First Republic of Austria (period: 1919-01-01 through 1925-04-30); Nazi Germany (end cause: death of Adolf Hitler; period: 1933-01-30 through 1945-04-30); Republic of German-Austria (period: 1918-01-01 through 1919-01-01)
- Occupation: painter (statement is subject of: paintings by Adolf Hitler); political writer; politician (reason for preferred rank: generally used form); soldier
- Member of political party: German Workers' Party (period: 1919-09-12 through 1921-07-11); Nazi Party (series ordinal: 556)
- Member of: Nazi Party
- Participant in: Aktion T4; Beer Hall Putsch; The Holocaust; ethnic cleansing
- Significant person: Albert Speer; Benito Mussolini; Eva Braun; Joseph Stalin
Date: 05 July 1942
Literal Title: [second page:] Concerning: Fuhrer decree of March 1, 1942.
Defendant: Alfred Rosenberg
Total Pages: 3
Language of Text: English
Source of Text: Nazi conspiracy and aggression (Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.)
Evidence Code: PS-847
HLSL Item No.: 451031
Notes:Hitler isssued the Fuehrer Decree on 1 March 1942. This document was not entered as evidence in the trial. Document PS 154 has another copy of Lammers's letter.
Trial Issues
Art and cultural treasures, plundering of (Rosenberg; Linz project) (IMT) Persecution of political, religious, and ethnic ("racial") groups (IMT, NM…
Document Summary
PS-847: Photostat of Original Hitler Decree to all Army, State and Party Officials Stating Rosenberg's Powers in Confiscating Property Belonging to Jews, Free-Masons and Philosophical opponents of Naziism