"From 1 December 1943 until the collapse I was chief of Bureau No. 1 in Work Group D (Amt I of Amtsgruppe D) of the Economics and Administration Main Office.
"The WVHA, the chief of which was SS Lieutenant General Oswald Pohl, was responsible for all administrative matters such as housing, feeding and medical care in the concentration camps."
And turning to page 3 of the affidavit, paragraph numbered "B.1," he states:
"From 1940 on, in the entire Reich Territory as well as in the German-occupied territories, so-called outside work camps were set up. They were attached to plants mainly of the armement industry, some of which were government woned, the majority of which however, were in the hands of private industry. These camps were created for the housing of concentration camp inmates employed as work details by the respective industrial concerns. In all cases known to me from the time I was camp commandant of the Auschwitz complex, and later as chief of Bureau No. 1 of work Group D in the Economy and Administrative Headquarters, inmates of concentration camps had been requested through the industrial plants directly from camps respectively from the inspection officials of the concentration camps. On the list marked Appendix I -'Explanation of the Markings' -- (Seven pages), I designated the 59 work camps or outside work camp complexes known to me which I included in chart 'Concentration Camps' marked Appendix II, according to their approximate location, as the plants in which concentration camp inmates were employed."
And then I would like to read, as an example of the procedure which was followed in supplying inmates to private concerns, Hoess's description of I.G. Farbenindustrie. He says:
"Labor detachments formed of concentration camp inmates were assigned to innumerable plants of this combine throughout the entire German Reich. A big plant of the I.G. 'BUNAWERKE' was to be erected near the Auschwitz concentration camp. In spring 1941, the Reichsfuehrer of the SS, in company with SS Lieutenant General Wolf, inspected the Auschwitz concentration camp. On this occasion he gave me the order to keep 10,000 camp inmates ready for the construction of the Bunawerke. Shortly afterwards, the Auschwitz camp was visited by a commission of the I. G. Farben, carrying the plans for the construction of the Buna plants. The committee was formed of Dr. Ambros, Dr. Duerrfeld, Dr. Lisfeld and Dr. Santo. During the summer of 1941, I was invited by the I.G. Farbenindustrie to visit their installations at Leuna and at Ludwigshafen, in order to get acquainted with the manufacturing procedure of synthetic gasoline and to see how such a plant was working, so that I would be in a better position to utilize the labor of concentration camp inmates in such a plant. I spent a day in Leuna and a day in Ludwigshafen. At that time I.G. Farben had already employed in different plants six to eight thousand concentration camp internees; The utilization of inmates, as such, was discussed there by the I.G. Farben people and myself, the supplementary employment of inmates, for instance in the sheet metal forge plants, was not the subject of the discussion at that time. The Buna plant was about seven kilometers from Auschwitz; its construction was finished at the beginning of 1943."
And the remainder of that paragraph continues to describe the procedure at I.G. Farben. The rest of the affidavit refers to the Hermann Goering Works, SiemensSchuckert, Krupp and other private industries.
I might state that another affidavit of Hoess was introduced at page 35 of Document Book No. 3. That was NO-3868-PS and was Exhibit 51. This, however, is a different affidavit of Hoess. Next I offer-
THE PRESIDENT: Did you give this document an exhibit number, Mr. Robbins?
MR. ROBBINS: I believe this is 297, Your Honor. I next offer NO-2126 as Exhibit 298. This is an affidavit by Phillipp Grimm, who was a labor allocation officer of Buchenwald.
JUDGE PHILLIPS: Before you leave this document which you just offered in evidence NO-034, on page 4 right under the lettering page 6, my copy is not very distinct and I want to see if I read a word correctly. "Upon invitation of Dr. -
MR. ROBBINS: Ambrose - A-m-b-r-o-s-e.
JUDGE PHILLIPS: And right on down a little bit further, "during which a long conference took place between Pohl, SS Lt. General Gluecks, and Frank." What Frank is that?
MR. ROBBINS: I am sorry to say that I cannot tell from this affidavit what Frank this is.
JUDGE PHILLIPS: You don't know whether it is the Defendant Frank in this case or not.
MR. ROBBINS: I cannot say.
JUDGE PHILLIPS: All right.
DR. SEIDL: (For defendant Oswald Pohl): I make the proposal that the next document, NO-2126, be admitted only on condition that the prosecution will be in a position to supply this witness for crossexamination. This is an affidavit by a certain Phillip Grimm. In order to go into the evidence here, it is essential to be able to examine this witness before this court. I would therefore ask the prosecution to tell me whether the prosecution knows the present address of this witness. In the event that they do not know the address I suggest not admitting this affidavit as evidence.
THE PRESIDENT: Do you know the address of this witness, Mr. Robbins?
MR. ROBBINS: No, Your Honor, I don't know the address.
THE PRESIDENT: Will you turn over to Dr. Seidl any information that you have or can get?
MR. ROBBINS: Yes, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: As to the whereabouts of this witness and then upon the request of the defense the Tribunal will order his production as a witness.
MR. ROBBINS: I should like to suggest to the Tribunal and defense counsel if there is a regular procedure that is set up for procurement of witnesses. OCC has a special division that does nothing else but procure witnesses and I understand the proper procedure to be to make written application to the Tribunal for procuring witnesses and then we will do everything in our power to cooperate with them.
THE PRESIDENT: That is the procedure we suggest.
MR. ROBBINS: I offer Document NO-2126 as Exhibit 298. This is an affidavit by Phillip Grimm who was the labor allocation officer of Buchenwald, later at Sachsenhausen and Neuengamme, and he was also an official at Dachau, and the concentration camp at Cracow. He also worked in Amtsgruppe C and D and in the precursors of Amtsgruppe A. He states in the third paragraph that "On 18 October 1939 I was drafted in Berlin for a course for administration conducted by the Waffen-SS, and designated as the Waffen-SS Administration Course Berlin-Lichterfelde-West. This school was under the command of Hans Baier," who is the defendant in this case, "in those days Obersturmbannfuehrer. There they taught the basic principles of administration in the Waffen-SS. Among other things, they taught there everything in connection with the administration of troops in a concentration camp, not however the administration of prisoners. After successful completion of the course on 2 November 1939, I was transferred to the 3rd SS-Recruit-Regiment, Administration, WeimarBuchenwald, where I remained until 15 December 1939. In this unit I was Second Administration Officer.
From 16 December 1939 till 31 April 1940 I remained in the same unit, which was however transferred to Dachau. From 1 May 1940 to 31 August 1940 I was Administration Officer in Prague in the administration of the 1/16 SS-Regiment. On 1 September 1940, I was transferred to the SS Main Office for Budget and Construction, Main Division 1/5, Labor Assignment," which was a precursor of Amtsgruppe A, "During the dissolution of the regiment in Prague I fell ill, and had to report after recovery at the Main Office for Budget and Construction to Georg Loerner;" who is a defendant, "there I received an order to transfer, according to which I was transferred to Flossenbuerg. I believe, this order of transfer was signed by Georg Loerner. My transfer was canceled when I was already due to leave, and I was informed by Untersturmfuehrer Lange, at that time adjutant, that I had been transferred to Buchenwald." He states then that he was transferred to Buchenwald in October 1940 and then on page 3 of the original he states, "Pohl thereupon wired to Koch, whereupon I was immediately placed in my position as Labor Assignment Officer, had my work allotted to me and began my regular work. I remained in Buchenwald till 30 November 1942.
"On 1 December 1942 I entered my new office, the Concentration Camp of Sachsenhausen, as Labor Assignment Officer. On 1 September 1943, I was transferred to the SS-Main Economic Administrative Office D II, Oranienburg, where I worked till 31 May 1944. On 1 June 1944 I was transferred to the Concentration Camp Cracow-Plaszow, where I stayed until 31 August 1944." In 1944." In 1944 he states that he was transferred to Neuengamme where he stayed until January 1945. In Cracow he says they appointed him as "labor assignment officer and camp commander in Hamburg-Neuengamme as Labor Assignment Officer only. I was transferred by Standartenfuehrer Maurer personally to Cracow-Plaszow and he appointed me Camp Commander and Labor Assignment Officer. From 1 February 1945 till 7 May 1945 I was transferred to the Army Corps under the command of SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Kamler (of Amtsgruppe C) for assignment.
In the last mentioned office I was assigned to the Corps Administration Office. The Corps Administration Officer was SS-Standartenfuehrer Maurer.
"Through my activity as Labor Assignment Officer I knew that in 1942 an order by Pohl was sent to the Concentration Camps which authorized the Camp Commanders to retain prisoners who had been released for discharge by the Reich Security Main Office, but were important for the organization of labor in the camp. The duration of this illegal imprisonment could be extended to the end of the war.
"I also knew through my activity in 1/5 and B II that at the time I was working in the above-named Concentration Camps there was never any differentiation between the various categories of prisoners and that prisoners of war as well as prisoners of any other category were ruthlessly assigned to armament plants or any other outside labor detachments."
I next offer Document NO-2125 as Exhibit 299. This is an affidavit of Schwartz, who was a concentration camp official in Danzig and Buchenwald. In the paragraph just at the end of page 2 of the original he states, "In all external detachments newly to be established which worked under the Amtsgruppe W, the respective chief of the office had to apply for these prisoners to D II (MAURER). In my capacity as leader of labor assignment of D II I was instructed to dispose of these prisoners, as far as contingents were concerned which had to come from Buchenwald. If an increase of a labor contingent became necessary, the respective Chief of the W-office had also to apply for such an increase to D II."
On page 4 of the original he states, "Karl Sommer visited Buchenwald at the end of 1944. The reason for this visit was to get all available labor for the construction of a secret Fuehrerquarter in the proximity of Ohrdruf. This building was repaired in greatest haste, though all authorities knew that such a project would take a longer time."
He goes ahead to state that many prisoners died from over-work and undernourishment. On page 4 of the affidavit he gives the code names of various projects under Amtsgruppe B, or the A Projects, B Projects, S and V Projects.
On the last page Schwartz says "I know that transports of free Eastern workers arrived by mistake at Buchenwald and were treated as concentration camp prisoners immediately after their arrival. In one case Eastern-Workers were released later on by order of Amtsgruppe D and placed at the disposal of the free labor market. But it took 8 weeks until they were released and in the meantime they were treated and employed as all other concentration camp prisoners. I know of a second case where a transport of the firm Hassage, consisting of free Polish workers, arrived by mistake from Lodz at Buchenwald. Though the camp-administration knew that these workers were also not concentration camp prisoners, these free Polish workers were not released by order of Amtsgruppe D, but registered as regular concentration camp prisoners and placed as such with external detachments by the labor office."
We turn to page 21 of the Document Book, NI-091, which will be Exhibit 300. This is an affidavit of Fritz Suhren. He states in the second paragraph "From the beginning of 1942 till about October 1942, I was in active training at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
"From about November 1942 until the collapse, I was commandant of the Ravensbrueck concentration camp as successor to the camp commandant SS Oberstrumbannfuehrer Koogel."
And then the second paragraph of No. 4 states, "During my time of service in Ravensbrueck, Obergruppenfuehrer Oswald Pohl inspected the concentration camp twice. The first time, in 1943, he came alone and inspected the camp with me; the second time, in 1944, he was accompanied by SS Gruppenfuehrer Loerner, chief of the W-industries." That is Georg Loerner.
Paragraph 6 states, "Commissioned by my head office: Administrative Group D of WVHA, I had visited all those firms employing prisoners from the Ravensbrueck concentration camp or planning the employment of such, in order to negotiate with them on the employment conditions as well as the establishment of outside employment centers where these did not already exist."
Then Paragraph No. B, where he gives various firms using concentration camp inmates.
On page 23 of the same affidavit - - - we of the Document Book, that has lists of concerns, and in the fourth column there are the managers of these concerns. The Court will note that George Loerner is indicated as managing two of those, on page 23.
On page 24 Amtsgruppen C is listed as using 150 inmates in certain building construction.
On page 25 he states; "The following private firms, also entered by me in the enclosed lists, employed concentration camp prisoners." In paragraph No.1 he said that the Brick-works under Amtsgruppen W employed 2000 male prisoners. The balance of that affidavit is taken up with most of the concerns employing concentration camp inmates.
I next offer Document NI-310 as Prosecution's Exhibit No. 301. This is on page 31, which is the affidavit of Kurt Pany, and he states that he is now Secretary of the Central Association of the Czechoslovak industry, and that he says; "I was imprisoned in the Mauthausen concentration camp from the 6 February 1942 until 5 May 1946 for resistance and sabotage against the Third Reich."
And in the following paragraph he states his duties in that camp. In the paragraph towards the bottom of the page, he says: "In 1942 only the following Outside Working Groups were in Mauthausen: Gusen, instituted in 1939 where work was done for the Deutsche Erd - und Steinwerke. The prisoners of the Mauthausen Camp also worked at first exclusively for this firm. Dest was a joint stock company, instituted by the SS-Kantinengemeinschaft." Dest - it is the same "Deutsche Erd Und Steinwerke". And this corroborates the testimony of the witness Krysiak.
I now turn to page 35 of the Document Book, and offer NO-1949, as Prosecution's Exhibit No.302. This is an affidavit of van Velsen made in Sachsenhausen-Auschwitz camps, and he describes the conditions in these camps, and any work details in those camps.
He states in the third paragraph:" Without being summoned before a courtmartial and thus not condemned, I was shipped out in September 1941, and delivered to the concentration camp Sachsenhausen." On the next page he says:" In November 1942 I was sent to Auschwitz (Upper Silesia) where I stayed at the so-called commando Buna until January 1943."
DR. SEILD: Dr. Seidl for the defendant Oswald Pohl. If the tribunal please, I object to the admission of the offer of document No-1949, as that statement has not been sworn to, nor does it comply with the other requirement which exist according to the rules of the court. If the document can be recognized as an affidavit, it is purely a record of an examination, and there is no certificate attached to it at all.
MR. ROBBINS: Then I withdraw the offer of this affidavit at this time, Your Honor.
I now turn to page 42 and offer the document No. NO-1580 as Prosecution's Exhibit No. 303.
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Robbins, don't you think it would be better if you should keep the number "302" for the previous document?
MR ROBBINS: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: In other words, if you later should authenticate it.
MR. ROBBINS: Yes, I think that is better. I assign the number "303" to document No. NO-1580, on page 42. This is an affidavit of Werner Courte' an SS man. He states that he is assigned to the WVHA, and he was first sent at Dachau, and then in the beginning of 1943 he came back to Berlin and was assigned to the Office C/V. He states further that in March 1944 he was called to Berlin to assist the Kammler's socalled Specila Staff, and he was working in Amtsgruppen C. At the beginning of 1943 he said: " I became managing engineer of Section IV, and was in charge of constructing the branch railway to the armament plant, an the concentration camp of Buchenwald, as already mentioned I was the chief super intendant of building operations management.
I was the appointed manager of the construction and was subordinate to the Economich and Administrative Mail Office (WVHA) Office Group C". The balance of the affidavit describes the conditions at that location.
Now, I turn to page 46, and offer Document No. NO*1065 as Prosecutions Exhibit No. 304. This is an affidavit by the defendant Karl Sommer, and consist of listing of various plants which employed concentrations camps inmates. The Court will note that Plant No 4, under paragraph A, is a construction enterprise S 3 Ohrdruf, (construction department of the SS-WVHA, responsible head: Dr. Kammler) approximately 10,000 prisoners. Plant No. 15 is another project, E 11 Malachit, Halberstadt employing approximately 3,600 prisoners. NO 26, "Laura" is also a firm under Amtsgruppen C, which manufactured "V2 weapons. He also lists Hermann Goerings Qerks, VAW, the Volkswagen werke, approximately 3,000 priners. The "DEST" and the Klinkerworks, put through projects under Amtsgruppen C, and Kammler.
THE PRESIDENT: Is this affidavit of the defendant?
MR. ROBBINS: Yes, Your Honor.
I turn now to page 60 of the Document Book, and offer Document NO-2326, the affidavit of Katzen-Ellenbogen, the Buchenwald inmates Physician. He states for a time he was on the teaching staff, on post graduate medical staff in New York City. On the second page of the Affidavit page 3 of the original he states: "about October 1943 by order of the labor Pool (Arbeitseinsatz) about 1200 french officers were taken away to the "Dora" V-Weapon Hocks, where they had to build galleries to set up this factory. After 6 to 7 weeks about 19 of those 1200 officers, returned to Buchenwald, and told us that the others had died in "Dora" I saw for myself that every day trucks with 80 to 100 CASE IV corpses from "Dora" arrived at the crematorium.
The Frenchmen were put into a gallery, and, on once entering, were not allowed to leave it again. They had to sleep on palliasses in the galleries themselves. These palliasses would already be wet through, after the first night, due to the dampness. As, at that time, large numbers of SS members were still used for guard duties, these prisoners, who had to work about 14 hours a day, were not left in peace, and they were beaten as soon as they took a moment rest."
I turn to the document on page 64 of the Document Book, which is No. NI-280, which will be Prosecution's Exhibit No. 306. It is an affidavit of Kaindl. The first part of the affidavit appears at page 65-A of my document book. The document was assembled incorrectly. Appendix I, appears first on the third page, that is the beginning of the affidavit. Starting with paragraph 2:"From 22 August 1942 until the collapse I was camp commandant at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.3. My superior authority was the WVHA; Chief: SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Oswald Pohl, and or his division D, chief: SS-Gruppenfuehrer Richard Gluecks. 4, Glueck's deputy, Standartenfuehrer Maurer and his deputy, Sommer were in charge of the employment of concentration camp labor. (Sommer, who in my opinion is best informed about the over-all aspect of the employment of concentration camp labor, was a youngman between 25 and 30, whose leg had been injured in the war. As far as I know, Sommer is in the Neumuenster Internment camp." In Paragraph 6, he said that "Out of the approximately 25,000 inmates of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, about 15,000 were employed" - I cannot make out next word.
THE PRESIDENT: "Either at outside places of Work." That is, "either at".
MR ROBBINS: "Either at outside places of work, or were sent to work from the main camp."
Then Appendix I lists various industries, such as Heinkel, and Seamens, which employes concentration camp labor, and the SS-Clothing.
CASE IV Manufacturing Factory, Oranienburg.
Appendix 2 at page 68 list other industries employing concentration camp inmates, and including the Gross-B Brick Factory at Oranienburg; the German Food Ltd. Oranienburg, and the Labor Camp, SS-Clothing Depot at Oranienburg, that is No. 5, and page 69, Commando Speer, 2,000 under Division W of the WVHA.
Appendix 3 is also a listing of industries employing concentration carp inmates.
At page 73 appears Document No. 2222-PS. This has already been offered in evidence and will not be offered again now. This was Exhibit No. 178 in Book 6 at page 86 of Book 6. It concerned the conditions at the concentration camp "Dora." where the "V" bombs were being manufactured.
At Page 73 appears Document 222-PS. This has already been offered in evidence and will not be offered again now. This was Exhibit 178 in Book VI, at Page 86 of Book VI. It concerns the concentration camps Dora, where V-bombs were being manufactured. It states that between 75,000. and 80,000 were employed in that camp on the V-bomb work.
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Robbins, what is that previous exhibit number which corresponds to this document?
MR. ROBBINS: Number 178, Your Honor.
I turn to Page 90 and offer document NO-2153 as Prosecution Exhibit 307. This is a memorandum signed by Pohl, Dr. Salpeter and another person and outlines the bookkeeping operations which were designed to reflect the savings which were accomplished by using concentration camp inmates. It is a rather interesting document, and I should like to read a part of it. This is on the letterhead of the Cooperative Home Building Society, ltd.:
"The members of the Board of Directors enumerated below have passed the following resolution:
"1. The building expenditures for the three construction sections up to now do not contain the earth-moving, carried out not be firms but by prisoners of the concentration camp Dachau. To fix the value of the whole block of flats exactly, it is, however, necessary to enter the earth moving and so on carried out by prisoners into the books of the 'G.mb.H.'
"2. According to the enclosed survey of the architect Dinkel, dated 17 December 1938, the value of the earth moving carried out by prisoners amounts to 65,351 RM. The survey contains a number of errors in calculating. The architect is about 3,000 - out in his calculations.
"Therefore the resolution is passed to enter the earth moving in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd construction sector, which have been carried out by prisoners into the books of the 'G.m.b.H'. with a total amount of 70,000 RM and to credit at the same the Registered Society for the Furtherance and Upkeep of German Cultural Monuments which had taken over the pre-financing of the whole block.
"As far as the amount of 70,000 RM does not reach the amount of the enclosed survey, the balance is taken to be compensation for the interest which the Registered Society for the Furtherance and Upkeep of German Cultural Monuments has borne for a total amount of 430,000 RM without having debited the G.M.B.H."
On the next page the document indicates that certain amounts were entered in the books as savings in construction which were effected by the use of concentration camp inmates, which comes to a total of 65,315 RM.
I turn to Page 95, Document NO-2301, which will be Prosecution Exhibit 308. This is a memorandum from the commandant of Buchenwald prescribing a numbering system for inmates in that camp, and it states that:
"Each labor camp will receive serial numbers of certain thousands, thus designating every individual prisoner with a new number which is intended as a postal number for Buchenwald concentration camp."
Then the key to the numbers is given there.
An interesting sidelight on the administration of the camp is contained in paragraph (7):
"Outgoing mail has in any case to be directed through Buchenwald concentration camp; the head of the detachment will be hold responsible for this. Incoming mail will be forwarded to the labor camps after being censored."
Page 97 contains document NO-546, and I offer this as Prosecution Exhibit 309. This is a letter from Maurer of Office III C to Pohl stating that the DAW had transferred the manufacturing of cane-mats which was located at Ravensbrueck to Office I, pursuant to SS Oberfuehrer Loerner. This again is George Loerner referred to.
At Page 99 I offer Document NO-2143 as Exhibit 310. This is a letter by Juettner, stating that Himmler has ordered that all work camps in the West Wall area are to be taken over by the Waffen-SS and placed under the supervision of the Inspectorate of Concentration Camps.
On the next page, Page 100, I offer Document NO-21002102 as Prosecution Exhibit 311. This is a letter by Grimm, the labor assignment officer in Buchenwald, dated 28 October 1940, and the first paragraph reads:
"It has been found that in transfers of prisoners to other camps, prisoners are frequently turned over who are totally unfit or only conditionally fit for work. Measures of this kind have a detrimental effect especially on the camps requesting prisoners for employment on essential and current work. According to orders by the Inspectorate of Concentration, SS-Obergruppen fuehrer Gluecks, weak and ailing prisoners are by and by to be transferred to Dachau concentration camp."
I turn to Page 102 and offer Document NO-1971 as Prosecution Exhibit 312. This is a letter dated 11 December 1940, by Gluecks regarding the release of prisoners doing important work. I should like to read the letter in full.
"In order to be able to meet in good time any possible difficulties arising out of the release from concentration camps of prisoners employed at important work locations, it has been arranged that, as soon as prisoners start work at such locations, camp commanders must immediately report the fact to the Secret State Police Office or the Reich Criminal Police Office respectively. Apart from personal data, these reports must also contain a brief reason for not effecting immediate release, together with an indication of the period required for training a substitute. The above particulars will be duly considered by the Police Bureau when deciding on the release."
On the next page I offer document NO-2109 as Exhibit 313. This is a letter dated 13 December 1940 by Grimm, the labor officer at Buchenwald, regarding the Transfer of inmates from Dachau to Buchenwald. I should like to read the first part of the first paragraph:
"On 3 December 1940 Grimm, the Labor Assignment Officer of Buchenwald, inspected in Dachau 520 prisoners, who, in compliance with the aforesaid reference letter of the Inspectorate of Concentration Camps, were to be transferred from Dachau to Buchenwald.
"The inspection or review was carried out by slowly marching about 1500 prisoners, stripped to the waist, past Untersturmfuehrer Grimm; from among their number suitable men, looking fairly fit and capable of work, were selected. Instead of 500 prisoners to be transferred, a total of 520 were selected in order to have replacements for cases of sickness or physical deficiencies discovered later on."
This indicates that in the transports of concentration camp inmates, a larger number of inmates were selected than were requisitioned in order to take case of those who died in the course of the transport.
On the next page, the letter refers to the various deficiencies which were contained in the transports, and it says, "About 800 of all prisoners had lice, scabies or other diseases. About 100 prisoners had to be transferred to the hospital at once." And so on.
On Page 106 I offer MI 1240 as Exhibit 314. This is a letter from Goering to Himmler dated 18 February 1941 concerning population measures of Auschwitz for the building of the Buna plant for the I. G. Farben concern. It says that about 8,000 to 10,000 workers will be needed, and in Paragraph (1) "The Jews at Auschwitz and in the surrounding area must be quickly expelled especially for the purpose of clearing their lodgings in order to billet the construction workers of the Buna Plant."
Previous documents have shown that this is a plant owned and operated by I. G. Farben.
At Page 108 appears Document MI 127. I do not propose to offer this document in evidence.
I turn to Page 112 and offer Document NO 2309 as Exhibit 315. This is a series of letters. The one of principal interest is on Page 114. It is from the Reich Minister of Labor. Page 3 of the original document. The signature I can not make out, but it is on the letterhead of the Reich Minister of Labor. It is concerning the employment in the brick and stone industry. The second paragraph reads:
"The Reichfuehrung SS has taken over a number of works in the brick and stone industry in which mainly prisoners of concentration camps are employed. These prisoners are being systematically trained in training shops, thereby acquiring considerable skills in the production of building stones. In the face of the great lack of such labor, it accordingly appears opportune to assign these prisoners after their release from the concentration camps --" And I emphasize "after their release from the concentration camps. "-- as brick and quarry workers, or in similar occupations, to plants making building stones.
"For this purpose it was agreed with the Reichfuehrung SS that the commandants of the concentration camps should send to the local labor exchanges certificates stating the accurate personal data, the respective regional labor office and the acquired training and skills of suitable prisoners. On the basis of such certificates the labor exchanges shall enter in the labor passports on page 3, column c, and in the labor passport cards in column 15 the type of training and skills acquired by the prisoners."