PART 53

German Armistice Delegation for Economics

Wiesbaden 16 November 1944 No. 2971 Enclosures Berlin C 111, 7 November 1944

Chief Administration of the Reichskreditkassen

Journal No. 10906/44 Re: Your letter of 12 October 1944 No. II 2846

The French moneys in the amount of frs. 2,931,000,000 deposited with us by the military commander in France have been accounted for by us with the Bank of France, Belfort branch, as per our letter of 25 October 1944, photocopy of which is enclosed.

Chief Administration of the Reichskreditkassen [initials illegible]

To the German Armistice delegation for Economics (12 b) _Salzburg_ Hotel Osterreichischerhof

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1742-PS

The Reichmarshal of the Greater German Reich. V.P. 18727/6/3 _Distribution_:

Berlin, October 26, 1942 W8 No. 3, Leipziger Street

OKW W.F.St. OKW Wi Amt, OKH Gen.St.d.H. OKW Gen. Qu. Chef d. Gen.St.d. Luftw. Reichsfuehrer SS, Ostmin. Reichsernaehrungsmin. Chef wi Srab Ost Gen. Bev. f. d. Arb. Eins., Org. Todt, Reischsarbeitsdienst, Chefgr. Ernaehrung.

Simultaneously with the intensified combating of gang activities, [Bandentaetigkeit] ordered by the Fuehrer, and with the cleaning up of the Hinterland in particular that behind the Army Group Middle, I request that the following aspects are taken into consideration and that the deductions drawn therefrom are put into practice.

1. During combating of the underground and the combing through of the areas contaminated by them, all the available _cattle stock_ there, must simultaneously be driven off to safe areas. _Food supplies_ are to be evacuated and protected similarly, so that they will no more be accessible to the bands.

2. All masculine and feminine labour which can be considered for some kind of employment, must be seized by force and transported to the plenipotentiary Chief of the Labour Exchange who will employ them in the safe areas of the hinterland or at home. The accommodation of the children in the hinterland camps is to be regulated separately.

3. In the execution of the directives outlined under pars 1 and 2, no regard is to be paid to whether the agricultural or any other production in these areas will suffer or succumb owing to these measures. Since up to now these band infested areas have nothing to show in the way of production anyway, but were directly or indirectly useful to the bands.

I request all authorities concerned, in as far as it is necessary, in mutual agreement, to effect the requisites within their spheres of competence, in order to act according to the directives outlined by me.

About the detailed delimitation of areas an Agreement must be reached between the various head groups of agriculture of the Economy Offices [Wirtschaftsdienststellen].

(signed) Goering attested: Schwimpe Registrar of the Ministry.

PARTIAL TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1743-PS

[Page 1] Economic Operations Staff East

TOP SECRET

Note: Up to mobilization day these instructions are to be treated as “Top secret”, as of mobilization day open for “Restricted”.

_Guiding Principles for the Economic operations in the newly occupied Eastern territories_

(Green portfolio)

Section I Assignments and organization of the Economy

Berlin, June 1941 Printed at the Armed Forces High Command

_Introductory remark._ [page 3]

The “green portfolio”, Section I, serves the military leadership and the Economic offices for orientation in the Economic assignments in the Eastern territories to be newly occupied. It contains instructions concerning the supplying of the troops from that land and provides the guiding principles for the troops to assist the Economy.

The instructions and guiding principles contained in the “green portfolio” correspond to the military orders issued by the armed forces high command and the branches of the armed forces.

The Major Economic Assignments

The following executions are first of all intended for orientation during the course of operations. But they contain simultaneously the guiding principles, which serve for the duration of the occupation as a fundamental principle. The Economic arrangements necessary in the further progress of the occupation will be released as soon as the great political aim is publicized, which will be determined in connection with the necessary improvement of the German war Economy.

I. In accordance with the commands given by the Fuehrer, all measures are to be taken which are necessary, to bring about the immediate and highest possible exploitation of the occupied territories in favor of Germany. On the contrary all measures are to be refrained or to be held back that could be harmful to this goal.

II. The Exploitation of the territories to be newly occupied must be executed first of all in the realm of food and mineral oil economy. To gain for Germany as much food stuff and mineral oil as possible is the main goal of this action. Aside of that order raw materials are to be transported from the occupied territories for the German War Economy, insofar as it is technically possible and with a view towards the production to be maintained outside. As far as kind and amount of the factory production to be maintained the occupied territory, to be reconstructed or newly ordered is concerned, this likewise is also in the very first line to be decided according to the needs, provided by the exploitation of the agriculture and the mineral oil Economy for the German War Economy.

For the Economic leadership in the occupied territories the main points are to be clearly outlined in accordance with this. This is valid with regards to the main aim as well as for the individual assignments and those that serve to aid their execution. From that it can be further concluded, that these assignments, that cannot agree with the given basic direction toward the goal, respectively those that may make their retention difficult, must be left out of consideration, no matter if their individual compilation does appear desirable. The conception would be totally off the track, if it would come to the point to uniformly pursue the idea in the occupied territories, that it can be directly restored to order and reconstructed with the greatest expediency. The treatment of the individual districts of the country will have to be on the contrary, entirely varied. Only those territories must be economically promoted and urgently kept in order in which considerable food and mineral oils can be rendered accessible for us. In other sections of the country, which cannot feed themselves--therefore in big sections of north and middle Russia--the economic operations must be limited to the available supplies.

Which mobilization factories are to be maintained or reconstructed, is reserved for later decision.

III. The individual fields consist of the following [Page 4]:

a. Food and agriculture:

1. The main assignment to be accomplished as soon as possible, is the uninterrupted supply of the German troops, in order thereby to relieve the supply situation in Europe and to ease the burden on the means of transport. The entire need of oats for the armed forces is to be taken care of from middle Russia, the main section for the growth of oats, insofar as it cannot be obtained from other occupied territories. In South-Russia it is to be achieved to feed barley and corn instead of oats.

2. The main weight in procuring of food stuff for the domestic economy has to be placed on grain and oil fruits. The surplus of the crop that can be obtained and stocks in the southern territories are to be secured by all means, the proper handling of the harvest is to be watched, the removal into agricultural deficient Middle and North Russia has to be stopped ruthlessly, insofar as exceptions are not ordered or made necessary in order to feed the troops.

b. The main weight as far as industrial raw materials are concerned, is to be placed on mineral oil. Under these measures, which do not serve the food management, all tasks connected with the production and shipment of mineral oil, will have first priority, by all means. For the execution of the decrees in the mineral oil field, especially to be issued for the Caucasus, the Continental Oil Company will be appointed. * * *