A. While I was in the camp at Darmstadt in 1946, I heard from a radio broadcast about the trial before the International Military Tribunal where an affidavit of Dr. Sprauer was read, who as far as I recall I believe that he was the head medical officer of Baden. In this affidavit, Dr. Sprauer described how he approached Dr. Conti to object and how Dr. Conti said that this action did not concern the doctors. I believe that this affidavit was submitted here as well in some Document book; I believe that must be the same thing.
Q. Then, Doctor, did you learn later that for what reasons this Euthanasia action was stopped; when did you learn about it?
A. I believe I learned about it at the end of 1941 and it was stopped because of the unrest among the population on this account and because of repeated protests from Catholic and Protestant Bishops and newspaper articles in foreign newspapers. I did not see any of these articles at the time, however, I learned this from someone in the Party Chancellery.
Q. Dr. Blome, we have heard here that after the Euthanasia action was stopped, the so-called Reich Working Committee (Reichsarbeisgemeinschaft) continued to exist. This was the organization in which several cases of so-called "Life Unworthy of Living" were exterminated; did you hear about this Reich Working Committee earlier before this trial or did you learn of it now during the trial?
A. I learned of something like that from a private inquiry, addressed to me. It was a fairly high official who on behalf of an acquaintance of his, who had an idiotic deformed child, approached me. I then asked Dr. Conti whether he knew anything about this, he said to me at that time that it might be that there was some such thing, but that referred only to small children in an incurable condition. Dr. Conti could not, or would not, tell me anything more at the time and I sent the person who had inquired of me to the Chancellory of the Fuehrer.
Dr. Conti had told me earlier that all inquiries concerning the Euthanasia program should be passed on to the Chancellory of the Fuehrer.
DR. SAUTER: Mr. President, in this connection I should like to refer another document in the document book Blome. This is document 6 in the document book Blome on pages 17 and 18. I need not give this document any exhibit number because it is an extract from the book of Dr. Blome, which a whole has been given exhibit No. 1. This extract will also, therefore, for under exhibit I. I shall read this quotation because it shows the fundamental attitude of the defendant, Dr. Blome, on the question of euthanasia. This was at a time when he had no idea that in the year 1947 he would be called upon to defend himself before a Court.
In this book, "Arzt Im Kampf", which appeared in October. 1941, the defendant, Dr. Blome, writes on pages 221, to 223, as follows: I am reading from document No. 6.
"Sterilization is not dishonorable: It is no Disgrace. Even less is a punishment. It is a sacrifice which the individual concerned makes to the community and to the future of his nation.
"The time was not yet ripe to understand such thoughts, far less to made them the subject of a public discussion. But the physician in practice again and again met cases which showed him this problem in its merciless truth and urgency.
"This then formed the subject of discussions in the closer circle of friends, whether it would not be better to put an artificial end to an exist unworthy of a human being and often not even felt by the person concerned.
"We considered it senseless that, for instance, insane persons who endangered their own lives and the lives of others, idiots of high degree who perhaps cannot keep clean or eat by themselves, were brought up and kept alive with great effort end expense. In free nature these creatures would not be able to exist and would be exterminated according to divine law.
"We also did not understand that persons inferior in character and spirit anti-social creatures who had murdered, were, it is true, condemned to death but then as a rule pardoned and kept alive in penitentiaries at the expense of the public.
"But also in cases of quite another nature, where it is not a question of the extermination of inferior life, we wondered, whether the physician should not be given the legal possibility", I emphasize 'legal possibility', to end an unhappy life prematurely. We were thinking of seriously suffering, incurably sick persons, who, until their death, had to expect only enormous mental and physical suffering and who themselves asked the physician to free them from their suffering.
"I remember some cases of incurable suffering in my practice, in which the patients implored me to put an end to their lives. 'Doctor,' they said, 'please give me an injection so that I don't wake up any more. I can't stand it any longer.' Cases in which the daughter drew aside and also asked: 'Please help my father, fulfill his request'. And he then ends his quotation with the words: "I could only say: 'According to the Law the Physician is forbidden to do that.'
"And yet there are cases in which the physician made his own sense of responsibility as a higher law by reasons of profound humanity."
This is the extract from the book by the defendant, which as I said, was published in the year 1941. I lay special emphasis on this date, because at that time the euthanasia action of Hitler was still in operation and the defendant, Blome, was diametrically opposed to this action of Hitler.
Q. Witness, as for the question of euthanasia, to conclude this chapter I should merely like to ask you about a document which was submitted here on the 6th of February. It is the Prosecution document 119, exhibit 445. It a fuehrer order of February -- just a minute - a Feuhrer order of December, 1942, I believe, December, 1942, published in January, 1943, according to with in certain cases the obligation of silence of the doctor is repealed and the doctor has the duty to report. This Fuehrer order of the 23rd December, 1942 which is document, 119, did you know about it at the time. Did it have any connection with the euthanasia action? What do you have to say about it?
A. This Fuehrer order has no connection with the euthanasia action. I was issued in December 1942 when the action had long been stopped. The reason for this Fuehrer order was that leading personalities in public life, including a Gauleiter and a General, had fallen ill of paralysis.
These cases had unfortunate consequences. They were reported to the Fuehrer and Hitler felt it necessary to issue an order that all doctors, lay healers, etc., had to report various illnesses of leading personalities in the State the Party, the Wehrmacht and Industry, disregarding the obligation of silences. They had to report it to Hitler through Professor Brandt. This order had nothing to do with euthanasia. One must say objectively that it had a certain justification.
Q. Dr. Blome, in conclusion, will you please say a few words about that question of euthanasia? Was it clear to you during the course of these long proceedings why you are indicted for euthanasia?
A. No.
Q. Now, I go on to another Chapter, Professor Blome, which will unfortunately be complicated, that is biological warfare, and the problems connected with it. Dr. Blome, what does biological warfare mean?
A. This means the use of small organisms existing in nature which hard or destroy human beings, animals and plants, in human beings and animals primarily bacteria and viruses which cause disease and epidemic, and in the case of plants, insect pests.
Q. Dr. Blome, from whom did you receive an assignment to prepare for biological warfare and when was that?
A. Unless I misunderstood you, you said, an assignment to prepare biological warfare. I never received any such assignment.
Q. It is alleged that you did. What assignment did you receive?
A. I received an assignment for research, for counter measures against biological warfare.
Q. An assignment for counter measures against biological warfare?
A. An assignment for defense measures.
Q. When was that?
A. That was about the beginning of 1942 in a discussion of a meeting the Reich Research council in Berlin in which Ministerialrat Professor Schumann told me I was to take charge of research for measures against biological warfare.
According to his information there were reports that the enemy was working in this field. Therefore, a coordination of research in the three sectors was necessary. These sectors are human beings, animals and plants. This matter had so far been dealt with separately by three separate agencies, the Army Medical Inspectorate, the Army Veterinary Inspectorate, and finally the Chief of Military Science in the OKW. None of these three Wehrmacht agencies wanted to subordinate itself to the other. Therefore, a civilian agency was to be given the supreme authority. One had thought of the Reich Physician Leader, Dr. Conti, for this, out for personal reasons he was not wanted, and, therefore, the choice had fallen on me. Then this whole matter was to be put into civilian hands because there was a great danger for the whole civilian population. In any case, I declared myself willing to take over this assignment.
Q. That was at the beginning of 1942, you said?
A. About the beginning of 1942. I cannot say exactly when.
Q. And when did you get the assignment and from whom?
A Sometime after the first discussion with Professor Schumann there was a talk with Field Marshal Keitel at his office in Berlin. Keitel told me that he was now giving me this assignment. It was to be a secret assignment under my cancer research which already existed. Keitel emphasized that the Fuehrer, that is Adolf Hitler, had strictly forbidden any provisions for the use of biological warfare. Keitel also explained to me that he himself did not believe that biological warfare would be used at all in this war. He did not believe that there would be any gas warfare but Keitel emphasized that by way of precaution every thing had to be investigated in case defense measures should become necessary. There were no definite legitimacy or authority from Keitel to me. Consequently, on the basis of this talk with Keitel I could not yet begin my work.
Q Professor, in the talk with Schumann, whom you just mentioned, and in the talk with Keitel, which you have just described, was it said in any way that there might possibly be an offensive on our part, for example, against Russia or some other enemy state, and under what conditions?
A Only defense measures were discussed in the event that the enemy should begin biological warfare.
Q Only defensive measures?
A Yes, only defensive measures.
Q In this connection, Professor Blome, I should like to point out to you a document submitted by the Prosecution. This is Document 1308, Exhibit 325. I do not believe that it is in any Document Book. It was submitted separately when dealing with biological warfare on the 10th of January. This document 1308, Exhibit 325, is a file note which Stabsarzt Professor Dr. Klieve made in September 1943. Stabsarzt Professor Dr. Klieve you have heard the name mentioned here frequently. It deals with a report which Professor Klieve made in the presence of this Professor Schumann, whom you have just mentioned, to the Chief of Office AWA. Mr. Schumann is supposed to have said, I quote: "We must not sit idly by and watch but we must prepare for the mass use of biological warfare.
America must be attacked with epidemics for human beings and animals and insect pests and the Fuehrer must be won over to this plan." That is the statement of Professor Schumann and Professor Klieve who drew up this file note writes, "It has less to do with the matter but apparently rejects this idea." I should like to ask you, was this not to be preparation for an offensive biological warfare? I believe you were not present at this report and I think this is the only document, Professor, which has been submitted with any such contents but perhaps you will comment on this one document.
AAs for the meeting with the Chief of Office AWA, I believe that is the abbreviation for General Ordnance Office. I learned of it only here. That Schumann made such a statement I consider quite possible. I heard Schumann say on various occasions that everything was sleeping, that the dangers threatening Germany were not recognized and everybody fighting about jurisdiction. One had to exaggerate to wake people up. Everybody thought the war was almost over. In regard to America he said to me when we happened to be together, that one would have to attack America if there should be a biological warfare. When I asked how he thought that could be done he said he did not see any technical possibility but one should examine the general opportunities for the attack, one should have to know them in order to find defense methods. Schumann did not have any special knowledge of biological warfare. Briefly the following about the personality of Schumann: He was generally considered fantastic. He was considered a "busybody" - a person who wants to have his finger in everything. It was known that he did not himself believe everything that he said. His field of work was physics but he dealt primarily with music and composed a great deal. To make it brief, he was unreliable and not to be taken seriously, and an English Major in an interrogation at Karlsberg expressed the same opinion.
Q Mr. Blome, this file note of Professor Klieve is of September 1943. You already had a secret assignment on biological warfare at that time and, I believe, you had received your appointment which was issued in May 1943.
A Yes, that must have been May 1943.
Q But, nevertheless this talk to which the file note referred, you did not hear about it at the time, you were not called upon, you were not informed?
A No, I heard of it here.
Q Professor Blome, in this same document 1308, Exhibit 325, is a report of a meeting of the Working Committee with the name Blitzableiter (Lightening Rod Committee). This meeting was on the 24th of September 1943. You yourself are supposed to have been present at this meeting and the record said, "Further experiments to be conducted in the field of human bacteriology." And then it said, "Since it is unknown whether and under what conditions aerosoles which are breathed in or drops which are sprayed on certain pathogenic germs" I shall repeat, "sprayed drops of certain pathogenic germs create diseases in human beings, Professor Dr. Blome suggested experiments on human beings." Now, with this you are connected with human experiments and I ask you what kind of experiments were they which you are said to have suggested at that time? Were they experiments involving danger to life and health of the subjects, severe pain, etc?
A From examination of Frenchmen or documents found after the campaign in the West I knew that the French were dealing with the question of receptivity of human beings for bacteria which were sprayed. They thought that contagion was possible only if poison gases were also inhaled In July 1945 the English Major in Heidelberg, who was an expert in the problem of bacteriological warfare, explained the same thing. I wanted to know whether this assumption was true and that was why I made the suggestion. It was quite general - I did not suggest any specific bacteria. There would have had to be a definite discussion, for example, whether influenzal bacili or pneumococci, or other bacteria should be chosen. I would have liked to know whether contagion by spraying was possible at all. If experiments had come about we would have cleared up the question with a harmless bacteria as possible. I was thinking of experiments with volunteers.
Q. You were thinking of experiments with volunteers, you say? Is it true that you made the suggestion that experiments should be conducted in the Military Medical Academy in Berlin?
A. Yes, I suggested medical students, medical students of the Wehrmacht, so-called medical officer candidates, but Professor Klieve refused experiments in the Military Medical Academy because there was no clinical section there where the course of the experiments could have been observed. Experiments on soldiers were prohibited in principal because soldiers were not to be taken out of service for such purposes. Experiments on civilians could not be conducted because of the matter of secrecy. Experiments on military doctors and medical students seemed impracticable because these persons would not have been available long enough, as long as necessary for the experiments. Thus it came about that no such experiments were conducted at all.
Q. In the same document, the file note of the 24th of September, 1943 Document 1308, it says on the second page that, as we have already said, you suggested experiments on human beings to be carried out in the laboratory of the "MA". That is apparently the abbreviation for Military Medical Academy. This was refused, "it was still to be discussed, if Professor Blome visited the MA laboratories." That is apparently the laboratories of Professor Klieve. What can you say about that and what happened then? You said no experiments were conducted?
A. No, no experiments were conducted. I was present at this meeting. That was about the experiment about breathing in bacteria. This was a suggestion of mine. No conclusion was reached and I never saw Klieve's laboratories.
Q. The next document, Dr. Blome, submitted by the prosecution had the number 1309, Exhibit 326. It is not in a document book. It was submitted on the 10th of January. In this Document 1309, which I want to put to you, there is again a file note of Professor Klieve of the 23rd of February, 1944. It refers to a discussion with you on the same day, 23rd of February, 1944, and it says that "at Posen a new institute is to be built, under Dr. Blome, at which biological warfare agents are to be studied and tested."
Klieve then goes on to say, "The Wehrmacht, at the request of Field Marshal Keitel, is not to have a responsible part in these experiments since experiments with human beings would be conducted." That is the quotation. You recall that, in connection with the charge against a different defendant, this document has already been discussed. Since this document also refers to you, perhaps you will also comment on it and also refer to this where the document goes on to say, "Above all, an examination of our vaccines would be necessary, especially of the plague vaccine. Experiments on human beings would have to be conducted. There are quite wrong opinions prevalent about the effect and maximum doses of many poisons which can also be removed only through experiments on human beings. As soon as Professor Blome reports to the Reich Marshal Goering and Generalarzt Professor Brandt, he will so report." That is the end of the quotation, and I can also put this to you at the same time. It says that you said that in European Turkey four thousand cases of plague had occurred. Professor, considering what I have just put to you, will you please comment on this file note of Professor Klieve which is very important for you?
A. This part of the file note of Professor Klieve is correct. Himmler did give me the assignment to test the plague vaccine and to establish, by means of experiments on human beings, whether the plague vaccine which we had was effective or not. That was doubted by many people. Therefore, Himmler gave me the assignment to discover and produce an effective plague vaccine in case the enemy should work with plague and the necessity should arrest to take corresponding measures in order to protect our population against the plague. A certain SS Sturmbennfuehrer Karl Gross had been sent to Nesselstedt by Himmler where he was to build my institute to do this work on plague for me, but I have reason to think that the thing was too dangerous for him. In the beginning I considered the idea of plague experiments seriously. Of course, for defensive purposes, but the more I dealt with the problem the clearer it became to me that we had no experi enced doctors and nursing personnel and that we hardly could find experimental subjects for plague experiments.
If we had wanted to attack with plague, the problem could have been cleared up in a few months but that was quite out of the question from the very beginning. I received Himmler's assignment in August 1943 but in January 1945 the institute was not yet finished and consequently the work could not be begun for that reason alone. I did not even have an incubator there. I had only one plague culture which we received only shortly before we left Nesselstedt in January 1945. In September 1944 I discussed with Himmler the possibility to evacuating the Posen Institute. He agreed to a new construction enterprise in Nesselstedt. Until the Americans arrived, however, only the foundation was built. I did not have the intention of doing anything and nothing was done. As for my suggestions to test the effect of poison or the maximum doses, nothing was done. It was not in my sphere of duties. It was merely a suggestion on my part. I made the suggestion because Klieve, when he visited me, spoke about the news of sabotage with poison and bacteria in the East. Since poisoning is frequently treated with socalled anti-toxins and the official maximum doses are very low, I considered it desirable to ascertain how high one can go in the doses of so-called anti-toxins.
THE PRESIDENT: Counsel, the Tribunal will now be in recess.
(A recess was taken.)
THE MARSHAL: The Tribunal is again in session.
Q Witness, I would like to return to the last Document Book 1, Document No. 1308, a file note, and it reads there in the first sentence, and I quote: "At the beginning of September 1943 it was asked what protective measures were being taken against the use of bacteriological means Office Chief AWA should be informed of this." You thought previously that AWA was the abbreviation for Allgemeines Waffen Amt, General Ordinance Office. I am now told that that is not so. It is Allgemeines Wehrmacht Amt General Wehrmacht Office. I should like to correct that for the record so that there is no confusion here. I now go to the document last mentioned here, Document No. 1309, Exhibit 326, file note from Kliewe on the 23rd of February 1944, about which you have already testified in part. Now, in this document there is mention of human experiments. You have already made statements on this subject. And then it reads there are mentioned experiments of human beings that you are supposed to have mentioned, you were speaking at that time about experiments on human beings to test vaccines, particularly vaccines against plague, that had to be carried out. What have you to say about this?
A Yes, I spoke specifically only on vaccines against the plague. I did not mention any other vaccines, nor did that interest me greatly at that time. It was my thought at that time that such experiments should be carried out at Nesselstedt near Posen on voluntary subjects. After the necessary results had been achieved on experiments on animals, it would have been decided whether human being experiments were necessary at all. In the case of vaccines against the plague, the situation was that such vaccines had not been manufactured in Germany for decades, with the exception of insignificant production on the part of the Behring works in Marburg. The effectiveness this war vaccine was doubted by the specialists; it was known that in practice, vaccines against the plague aroused very serious reaction, abcesses internal collapse and they were frequently poisonous. Consequently, I thought it was necessary to make clear just what vaccines could be used in Germany should it become necessary. For decades this field had been worked on only foreign countries.
The few institutes in Germany that were justified at all in working on this matter had only made use of this possibility or opportunity to the extent that they kept special laboratories ready to carry out the necessary diagnostic examinations should they become necessary. Amid special precautions enforced by the State, even the question discussed in foreign countries, whether the cultures for vaccines should be bred at 37 or 22 centigrade, could be answered by no one in Germany from his own experience. Since the discovery of vaccines against the plague by Kolle and Otto in 1907, only foreign countries had worked on the production of such vaccines and had developed such vaccines further.
That human being experiments are inevitable in this connection is proven by Strong's paper, Strong comes from Manila, works by Otten in the Netherlands East Indies and papers by a Frenchman in Madagaskar; also recently works by Karl F. Meier in San Francisco, who carried out experiment on prisoners who had volunteered.
Q In connection with this meeting, which I brought up, you spoke of experiments on human beings, which were to test our vaccines, particularly our plague vaccines; did you also at that time say anything about on what persons and under what conditions and with what experimental aim such experiments were to be carried out, and did you reflect at that time on the question whether such experiments at a later date might be objected to?
A I did not have any reason to think about that or that the experiments at a later date would be objected to, because I would have only made such experiments as were permitted by scientific standards. But, as I said before, this work was never carried out, and our knowledge of plague vaccine remained at the same inaccurate level it occupied during the war.
Q Mr. President, in this matter interesting scientific articles had been made available to me, which appeared in an American Medical periodical which carries the name "Philippine Journal." These excerpts from this journal are at the moment being mimeographed, they are English documents in the English language and these excerpts from the "Philippine Journal" I shall in evidence at a later date as soon as I receive them from the Mimeograph department.
This is scientific material from English and American sources to check on what the defendant Dr. Blome has just testified; that is to said I shall submit these documents later.
Witness, the Blitzableiter lightning conductor committee which has been mentioned here; were you a member?
Q Was Professor Klieve a member?
A Yes.
Q Ministerial Dirigent Schumann was he a member or not?
A I never saw him there, but one of his co-workers; I don't believe that he belonged to it.
Q And who in addition belonged to the Blitzableiter committee?
A Colonel Hirsch as chairman, Ministerialrat Dr. Standin, and two gentlemen from the Amy Veterinary Inspection, one by the name of Dr. Nage? a lieutenant colonel from the Counter Intelligence Service of the Wehrmach Professor Rose, and I believe that is all.
Q Dr. Blome, you said that Professor Schumann, who has frequently been mentioned here, informed you in a conversation that there was news that in the field of biological warfare, on the enemy's side, supposedly on the Russian side, energetic work was being carried out; can you tell us anything about this information that Professor Schumann gave you at that time; can you tell me whether these reports were checked on, and whether later on they proved to be true?
A These reports referred not only to Russia, but to all of our enemy including America and the other countries. The reports were given to us by the so-called Abwehr, a counter intelligence and espionage organization, was until 1943 was part of the Wehrmacht under the later executed Admiral Cana? and later was subordinated to Himmler. In other words, this was official information which according to my experience was usually correct.
Q Is it true that particularly Professor Kliewe, who was a member the Blitzableiter committee, constantly delivered reports on the enemy's activities in these fields, and that in these reports there was always a repeated mention that our enemies in the east were carrying out poisoning experiments and infection experiments of infectious diseases?
A That is correct.
Q Can you tell us the details about these reports?
A Such experiments in poisoning and from infections with a dangerous baccilli occurred in the previously Polish territory very often. A typical case was, for instance, that occurred in Posen, where Polish waiters were ordered to give leading personages through their food typhoid baccilli and they did so. They used for this fountain pens filled with typhoid baccilli and while they brought the food from the kitchen to the dining room, they squirted this baccilli into the food. Many other cases of poisoning occurred and I mention this only as an example.
In this connection, I might mention a lecture that Professor Wirth had held at the fourth meeting of the Consulting Physicians. I believe it is your intention Dr. Sauter to offer this material as a document.
Q Mr. President, this lecture by Professor Wirt I cannot submit too since it has not been returned yet from the Translating Branch. I shall submit it to you later in supplementary volume 2, as Document No. 15. I cannot read the excerpt today because, as I said, the translation has not come back to me.
A May I continue?
Q I don't understand.
A May I continue?
Q Yes.
A For this reason I wanted to have the maximum doses determined, and in this connection I should like to say that the reports I received about the enemy activities in the whole fields of bacteriology and toxicology were received from the aforementioned Professor Klieve and the aforementioned Lt. Colonel in the Blitzableiter Committee.
Q Dr. Blome, a correction in connection with the plague vaccines vaccines that were to be tested. You spoke of living vaccines, is that so?
A Yes.
Q The word "living" did not come through in the interpretation. That should be added to the record, "living vaccines."
Dr. Blome, when one reads these documents which refer to biological warfare which were submitted by the Prosecution, one gains the impression that in this field preparation to defend against bacteriological warfare went on very slowly. It strikes me that by the time Keitel gave you your assignment in the beginning of 1942 and your official appointment by Goering in May of 1943, there is a lapse of time, almost a year and a quarter, and from the file note of Klieve on the 23 February 1944 which we heard about before, document 1309, it can be seen that until the 23rd February 1944 not even an answer had been received to the proposal which the Chief of that section made on 4th of April, that is almost three quarters of a year before then, and again on 19 October 1943, to the ordnance office. How do you explain the slowness that these offices showed in preparing to defend against bacteriological warfare?
A Undoubtedly, this was in connection with the well known Fuehrer order, according to which all preparations for offensive bacteriological warfare were forbidden. If this had not been forbidden then you can be assured that great activity in this field would have developed, and that we should not have had such difficulties as we did have in our study of defensive preparations. Evne Goering, who gave me my assignment, was not seen by me during the entire time I was assigned to do this work.
Q With Hitler himself you did not speak on the subject of biological warfare at all?
A No, I have already said I did not speak with Hitler at all throughout the war, and I emphasize particularly I received no instructions from him in the field of bacteriological warfare.
Q Can you tell why this assignment to work on defense against bacteriological warfare was also a secret assignment?
A Yes, I can. First of all the enemy was not to know the extent of our defensive measures, and secondly, the population was not to be worried. Those are the clear reasons.
Q Do you know anything about why precisely you, Dr. Blome, were given this assignment regarding preparations to defend against biological warfare, and why this assignment was brought into any connection with the assignment of cancer research?
A Yes, I can tell you very precisely about that. This idea was one of Keitel's who knew of my memorandum to Hitler regarding the cancer problem; which he had discussed with me in detail. At that time he said it would be expedient that my biological research assignment should run concurrently with the cancer assignment as secret.
Q Witness, I should now be interested to hear from you, when was your work to combat biological warfare actually begun and what did it achieve? Was work done, and what was this work?
A Roughly in May of 1943 I received a document informing me of my assignment as plenipotentiary of Cancer Research Reich Research Councillor. This assignment had taken place through Goering. Then in June 1943 I invited the Chiefs of the corresponding Wehrmacht departments to a discussion in Berlin, namely, the Army Medical Inspector Handloser, the Army Veterinary Inspector, Professor Schultz, and the Chief of the Scientific Office of the OKW, Professor Schumann. After I had informed the gentlemen who turned up of my biological assignment, I asked them for a report of what work had previously been done in those three sectors. This report was refused to me. Dr. Handloser and Dr. Schultz' deputy, Veterinary General Richter, told me on the contrary that they knew nothing of my assignment and that for this reason they could give me the information that this material was secret work. I then told Professor Menzel about this meeting, the Chief of the Managing Committee in the Reich Research Council.
Then in June 1943, Goering at my request, asked Keitel to tell the three branches of the Army to give me reports, and to state what the results they had and what new work they intended in his field of biological warfare. Then in August, 1943, I received Keitel's order, as Chief of the OKW, to this effect. I believe this order was dated June 1943, and it reached my hands in August. In other words, it took quite a while. This order provided that every two months the Blitzableiter Committee and I should participate in discussions on this question. Simultaneously with Keitel's order on the basis of the above mentioned Fuehrer order, I was told that all preparations for employment of biological warfare were forbidden. Thus it again became clear that these preparations for biological warfare were of a purely defensive nature, and were not for offensive purposes.
Q Witness, you spoke previously of the fact that the order you received was designated as secret, but in the documents it can be seen that thought was being given even to having this matter reported in the press. Now, how could these two facts be reconciled?
A I believe you are referring to Dr. Handloser's testimony on the witness stand, and as a matter of fact at that aforementioned Congress I did bring up the question of whether there should not be reports in the press regarding the danger implicit in an offensive effort on the part of our enemy in the field of biological warfare. This was, however, unanimously rejected.
Q Now, Dr. Blome, so far you have told us only of conferences that took place as a result of this assignment. I should now be interested, and I must repeat a question I asked before, in knowing what activity developed in the period that followed in connection with this defense against biological war? What was actually done?
A I shall be brief in this so that I do not use up too much time. I shall mention the essential matters. In the human sector or essential research work was carried out. I was satisfied with the necessary work in the civilian sector. These were exclusively measures to combat any infectious diseases which might break out, and I considered the regulations which had already been issued as sufficient.
If I had wanted to make offensive preparations then I should have had to make the necessary assignments for research. At least I would have had to agreed on this with the Physician General Schreiber, because Schreiber was the plenopotentiary for epidemics research. Regarding biological warfare per so I spoke with Schreiber on the 30 January 1945 for the first time, but I did not give to Schreiber or to any other scientist an assignment to carry out research. In the animal sector no essential research was carried out during my assignment.