Wiirde eines Ehrensenators zu verleihen, hat mich hoch erfreut und es ist rnir Bediirfnis, Ihnen fiir die mir zuteil gewordene.
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EDITOR’S NOTE The system of document presentation in this volume is the same as that in Volume XXVI.Explanation overleaf. ~n~lish,French, and German documents are reproduced in the original language as before; in the absence of a Soviet editorial staff, it is impossible to publish any documents in Russian. Docu- ments originally in languages other than English, French, or German are published in one of these three languages. Documents are printed in full, unless otherwise stated, and care has been taken to make their reproduction as faithful as possible; grammatical, orthographical, typing and other errors in the original have not been corrected. Editor of the Record
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KEY TO TYPES AND Explanatory Notes and Footnotes . . . Petit Bodoni (See Specimen Document overleaf) In the reproduced documents: Print or typing . . . . . . . Borgis Excelsior Handwriting . . . . . . . . Borgis Excelsior (italic) Rubber stamps . . . . . . . Petit Erbar [bold] Underlining (hand-drawn) will be indicated by the symbol ::-::before and after the underlined passage; underlining (other than hand-drawn) by widely spaced lettering. In general, the nature of the document (hook-quotation, official letter) will show whether the original was printed or typed; in other cases the footnotes will indicate passages in print. Supplementary information will also be given in the footnotes. ABBREVIATIONS Ab Absrhrift Orange Orangestift Abs Adr Absatz Adressat OrgP Original Paraphe Ausf Ausfertigung Phot Photokopie BeglVm Blau Beglaubigungsvermerk Blaustift P1 Plan Prig.. . Blei Bleistift (2. B. Pragstempel) Bk dr Ds E Eing Graublan Graugriin Griin hs As IMT Kd.F. K1 KOP Briefkopf gedruckt Durchschlag Entwurf Eingangsvermerk Graublaustift Graugrunstift Griinstift handschriftlich Handzeihnung International Military Tribunal Kanzlei des Fuhrers Klammer Kopierstift Pnrpor r RVm Rosa Rot S Si Sk S~P T Tb teilw Ti Tu 0 Purpurstift rechts Randvermerk Rosastift Rotstift Schriftstudc Siegel Skizze Stempel Text Tabelle teilweise Tinte Tusche unten Unterschrift I links Uherschrif t LegVm Legalisationsvermerk unl unleserlich Lila Lilastift Urk Urkunde Lk Landkarte Vm Vermerk ms rnaschinenschriftlich Vert Verteiler Mi Mitte Verv Vervielfaltigung n 0 neben oben W z Wiedergabe Zeile
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THE DOCUMENT (REPRODUCED ON THE PRECEDING PAGE) AS APPEARS IN DOCUMENT 862-PS TOP-SECRET REPORT OF THE DEPUTY GENERAL OF THE ARMED FORCES WITH THE REICH PROTECTOR OF BOHEMIA AND MORA- VIA, LIEUTENANT GENERAL FRIDERICI, 15 OCTOBER 1940. ON THE SUGGESTIONS FOR THE SOLUTION OF THE CZECH QUESTION MADE BY KARL HERMANN FRANK AT AN OFFICIAL CONFERENCE ON 9 OCTOBER 1940 AND HITLER’S DECISION ON THE MATTER: COMPLETE GERMANIZATION OF THE CZECH NATION IS TO BE CARRIED OUT (EXHIBIT USA-313) -BESCHREIBUNG: U Kop, darnnter r: P unl (Ti) I Bk dr I oberer Stp rot I unterer Stp blao I r nnter Datum: P unl, 21/10 (Blau) I Unterstreihungen im ms Chefsache-Vm Rot I unter Bk hs-Vm: ,,g.Kdos4′ Kop I ,,1.” vor ,,Ausfertigung6′ Rot I anf Blatthalfte 1 n T in Hohe von erstem Abs heginnend nacheinander Stp und folgende Vm’e I Eingangs-Stp (griin): ,,L 18OKT. 1940 Nr. 33327140 gK 2″, Akten-Nr. Ti I r oherhalb davon kleines Kreuz (Rot), dariibergesrhrieben: W (Griin); darunter: IV (Rot); diht r davon: a/x (Blau), darunter: d (Blau, gestrichenl; r oberhalb davon: I 19/10 (Blau) I I n Mi des T RVm: ,,Chef OKW (unterstrichen) iiber Chef WFSt (unterstri&en) v.”, darunter: ,,W 18.110.” (alles Griin); r n ,,OKWL’: Zeiden unl (Griin), K 21/X (Purpur); 1 unter RVm: J (Orange), d. (Blei) Geheime Kommandosache Der Wehrrnachtbevollmachtigte beim Reichsprotektor in Bohmen und Mahren. -Prag, den 15. Oktober.. 1940. N r. 2 2 / 4 0 g.Kdos ::-:: CHEFSACHE! (Nur durch Offizier zu behandeln) ::-:: B e t r.: Grundsatze der Politik 4 Ausf ertigungen im Protektorat. 1.Ausf ertigung Chefsachel -1-Anlage Nur durch Offizierl Das Amt des Reichsprotektors hat am 9. 10. 1. J. eine Dienst- besprechung abgehalten, in der Staatssekretar SS-Gruppenfiihrer K.H. Fr a n k dem Sinne nach etwa folgendes ausfiihrte: Seit Schaffung des Protektorats Bohmen und Mahren haben sowohl Parteidienststellen, als auch Wirtschaftskreise, sowie zentrale Behordendienststellen Berlins Erwagungen iiber die Lijsung des tschechischen Problems angestellt. Der beim Reichsprotektor in Bohmen und Friderici General der Inf anterie
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DOCUMENT 2605-PS AFFIDAVIT OF DR. REZSCj (RUDOLPH) KASTNER, 13 SEPTEMBER 1945: DETAILS OF THE PERSECUTION AND MASSACRE OF JEWS IN HUNGARY 1941 TO 1944; HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL SUM- MARY OF ACTIONS AGAINST THE JEWS IN SEVERAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES (EXHIBIT USA-242) DR. REZSO (RUDOLPH) KASTNER -Page 2 -Dr. Rezso (Rudolph) KASTNER, being duly sworn deposes and says: I was born in 1906 at Kolozsvar (now Cluj, Rumania), solicitor and journalist, residing at Chemin Krieg, 16, Pension Sergey, Geneva, now temporarily at 109, Clarence Gate Gardens, London. I was in Budapest until November 28, 1944; as one of the leaders of the Hungarian Zionist organization I not only witnessed closely the Jewish persecution, dealt with officials of the Hungarian puppet government and the Gestapo but also gained insight into the operation of the Gestapo, their organization and witnessed the various phases of Jewish persecution. The following biographical data of mine might be of interest: Between 1925-1940 Political Editor of “Uj Kelet” Jewish daily newspaper published in Koloszvar; Secretary-General of the Parliamentary Group of the Jewish Party in Rumania. Between 1929-1931 Worked in Bucharest; member of the Exec-utive of the Palestine Office of the Jewish Agency. In Dec. 1940 Being a Jew I was excluded from the Chamber of Lawyers; “Uj ~elet” the daily, was closed down by the Hungarian authorities: I moved to Budapest. Between 1943-1945 Associate President of the Hungarian Zionist Organization. 3uly 1942 I have been called up for Labor Service: together with 440 other Jewish intellectuals and citizens we worked in South-Eastern Transylvania on fortifications along the Hun- garian-Rumanian border. In Dec. 1942 I was demobilized. Returned to Budapest. Some time before being drafted I have begun to organize relief
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work for refugee Slovakian Jews. After my demobilization I succeeded in establishing -through diplomatic couriers -contact with the Relief Committee of the Jewish Agency, working in Istambul. On their instructions I have taken over the leadership of the Relief Committee in Budapest. Our task was: To help to smuggle Jews from Slovakia and Poland into Hungary to save them from the threat of the gas-chamber. 2) To feed and clothe them and to assist in their emigration to Palestine. To forward the minutes based on the declaration of the refugees on the question of deportation and annihilation of Jews to Istambul, later to Switzerland, to the hands of the representatives of the Jewish Agency and the Joint Distribution Committee. 4) To co-operate with the Relief Committee of Bratislava in matters concerning saving, hiding of refugee Jews and exchange of information. After German occupation of Hungary, on the 19th March 1944, the Relief Committee concentrated its efforts on the saving of Hungarian Jewry. The Relief Committee of the Jewish agency of which I was a president was engaged in helping Allied prisoners of war. Moreover we sent confidential reports to the Allies thru Istambul and Switzerland about our connections with officials of the German government. We helped to hide and supported leaders of the Hungarian underground and gave a wealth of information to those Hungarian author- ities which were working against the Germans. During the siege of Budapest, when I was already out of the country, other members of the Relief Committee partic- ipated in street fights against the Germans. -Page 3 -On May 15, 1944 One of my collaborators, Eugen Brand was sent by the Germans to Istambul to pass on certain business pro- posals in connection with saving of the Hungarian Jews. On 21 August 1944 I travelled from Budapest under German escort to the Swiss frontier and acted as intermediary for the first conversation between Kurt Becher and Saly Mayer, Swiss representative of the Joint D.C. to discuss the price of abandoning the gassing. The conversation took place between St. Margareten and Hochst on the bridge. From there I returned to Budapest.
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On 14 October 1944 I travelled for the second time to St. On 30 October 1944 I travelled to St. Gallen, accompanied Kurt Becher and Dr. Wilhelm Billitz, director of the Weiss Works. On this occasion an interview took between Becher and McClelland, Swiss representative of War Refugee Board in the Savoy Hotel, at Zurich. I to On 28 November 1944 I left on German instructions to the Swiss border. On 20 December 1944 I entered Switzerland. On 27 December 1944 I started out to travel back to Budapest, but could only get to Vienna. The Red Army encircled Budapest. On 29 Dec.44-28 March 1945: I remained in Vienna. Afterwards toured Bratislava-Spitz an der Donau -Berlin -Bergen-Belsen -Hamburg -Berlin -Theresienstadt. On 19 April 1945 I crossed the Swiss border. The Germans entered into discussion with leaders of the Jewish community for reasons of administrative efficiency. We conducted the discussion in the hope that we might be able to save some human lives. By holding the ax over their1) heads they made them2) responsible for financial contributions and other exactions imposed on the Jewish community. Ultimately the leaders of the “Jewish council” and other intermediaries were also scheduled for exter-‘ mination. The SS and the Gestapo was particularly intent on liqui- dating those who had direct knowledge of their operations. I escaped the fate of the other Jewish leaders because the complete liquidation of the Hungarian Jews was a failure and also because SS Standartenfuhrer B e c h e r took me under his wings in order to establish an eventual a 1 i b i for himself. He was anxious to demonstrate after the fall of 1944 that he disapproved the depor- tations and exterminations and endeavored consistently to furnish me with evidence that he tried to save the Jews. SS Hauptsturm- fuhrer Wisliczeny repeatedly assured me that according to him Germany cannot win the war. He believed that by keeping me alive and by making some concessions in the campaign against the Jews he might have a defense witness when he and his organ- ization will have to account for their atrocities. Strangely he came to Hungarian Jews with the letter of recommendation from leading Slovak Jews. The latter were not deported in 1942 and were saved over until the end of 1944. . “theirrs stricken out; “our” inserted in pencil ‘) “them” striken out; “us” inserted in pencil
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