TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT NO-1016
PROSECUTION EXHIBIT 46
NOTE TO DEFENDANT FANSLAU, 13 JULY 1944, FOR DEFENDANT VOLK, AND ENCLOSURE: DESCRIPTION OF "ORGANIZATION AND TASKS OF OFFICE GROUP W" OF WVHA
[illegible marginal sign]
Berlin,
13 July 1944
Dr. [illegible] /Mi.
To SS Oberfuehrer Fanslau
in the building
Subject: Contribution to lectures.
Reference: Your letter of 1 July 1944
Enclosures: 2
Oberfuehrer!
In the enclosure 2 compositions are submitted for SS Hauptsturmfuehrer Dr. Volk, presently absent.
[initial illegible]
SS Hauptsturmfuehrer
******************************************
[Enclosure]
Organization and Tasks of Office Group W [Wirtschaft-Economy]
Division W comprises all economic enterprises under SS control. In studying the W enterprises first of all the urgent question arises: Why does the SS engage in business? This question was brought forward especially by circles who think in exclusively capitalistic terms and who do not like to see the development of public enterprises, or of enterprises which at least are of a public character.
The era of the liberal economic system demanded the precedence of economy, that is to say: first came the economy and then the State. In contrast to that National Socialism maintains this point of view:
The State gives orders to the economy; the State does not exist for the benefit of the economy; but the economy exists for the benefit of the State.
The activities of the Allies, which brought about the present World War, confirmed the rightness of the principles of National Socialist economic leadership, which introduced an economy controlled by the State as early as 1933. The economy had to face problems which under all circumstances had to be solved in case war should break out. It was during this time that the economic enterprises of the SS were developed.
The Reich Leader SS in his capacity as chief of the German Police was confronted with the task of solving problems, which the Reich as such was not able to solve, viz. to get hold of all antisocial elements, who no longer had a right to live within the National Socialist State, and to turn their working strength to the benefit of the whole nation. This was effected in the concentration camps. The Reich Leader SS, therefore, delegated SS Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl to set up concentration camp enterprises. In addition, he gave orders to establish companies on a private economy basis for the purpose of employing the prisoners.
All shareholders or partners in the single companies, carried on in the form of the joint stock company [AG] or of a limited company [G.m.b.H.] are united in the Deutsche Wirtschaftsbetriebe G.m.b.H., all shares of which in their turn are under the supervision of the chief of the main office of the SS Economic and Administrative Main Office, SS Obergruppenfuehrer and Lieutenant General of the Waffen SS Pohl acting in a trustee capacity for the Reich Leader SS. Apart from this capital relationship most of the economic enterprises furthermore are linked with the holding company by an organic tax relationship.
According to this identity in the field of production the single economic enterprises maintained by the SS are united in the offices W I-VIII. At head of these offices stands the W staff of SS Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl, regarded from the point of view of private economic the Deutsche Wirtschaftsbetriebe G.m.b.H.
Office W I includes enterprises connected with the exploitation of minerals and soil, granite quarries, and tile works. Prisoners are used as labor. In several porcelain factories, also belonging to office W I some of the workers are prisoners, others civilian workers. The porcelain factory Allach Munich G.m.b.H and the "Bohemia" Keramische Werke AG are firms known to everybody.
Arising from the cultural endeavor of the SS and originating in the idea, of providing every SS man and his family with a suitable home, wood manufacturing firms were set up at a very early date which in part are working with prisoners and in part with civilian manpower. While in peacetime these factories manufactured the finest furniture, today, governed by the idea of mobilizing all available forces for victory, they are almost exclusively engaged in work for armament and war economy.
The enterprises important for war economy, include the following firms:
Deutsche Ausruestungswerke G.m.b.H.
Deutsche Meisterwerkstaetten G.m.b.H., in Prague.
Deutsche Edelmoebel AG, in Butschowitz near Brno.
Deutsche Heimgestaltung G.m.b.H.
In 1939 Poland was defeated in a unique campaign of 18 days. Many people of German race from the Bucovina, Bessarabia, Galicia etc., found a second home within this territory which became incorporated into the greater German Reich as the Government General.
It was a task of highest ranking importance to build residences and houses for the German population in the new German Eastern territories with the maximum possible speed, in order to provide them [population] again with a proper home.
In order to get the market for building material under way the first condition was that building materials had to be produced. At that time SS Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl, acting on the orders of the Reich Leader SS in his capacity as Reich Commissioner for the Strengthening of Germanism, took over the eater part of these building material production plants as a trustee. These building material production plants for the greater part were kept working by Polish or Jewish capital funds.
Almost 400 plants had to be administered by the chief of the Main Office. He founded the office W II which was in charge of keeping up production in these plants. It was clear from the beginning that these enterprises could not be carried on for good trusteeship enterprises. Therefore, in agreement with the Reich Commissioner for the Strengthening of Germanism, a limited company was established, the Ostdeutsche Baustoff G.m.b.H., which carries on production in the tileworks, on behalf of the Reich. A subordinate company is represented by the Klinker Zement G.m.b.H., which mainly produces fire bricks and cement. Office W III comprises all the food producing plants under SS control. In founding these enterprises the Reich Leader SS was governed by the idea that alcohol is responsible to a great extent for the large number of accidents and crimes. In order to decrease the drinking of alcohol it was necessary to bring into the market a cheap beverage, available also to the poorest of our fellow citizens. So it happened that the shares of the Mattoni AG, of the Apollinaris Brunnen AG, as well as the shares of the Sudetenquell were acquired by the SS, which after carrying through these transactions holds 75 percent of the mineral water market.
Besides the cheap, but delicious table and medical waters the Reich Leader SS however has ordered that the enterprises under office W III have to produce fruit juice from purest fruit only, in order to counteract lack of vitamins especially now under the prevailing war conditions. This so-called "Vitaborn", which in the first place is intended for expectant and nursing mothers as well as for the soldiers, is being produced by the Freudenthaler Getraenke G.m.b.H. The Deutsche Lebensmittel G.m.b.H, which also works under the supervision of the chief of office W III is purely a supply enterprise for the concentration camps and the troops. It produces sausage, bread, and meat.
The economic enterprises have not only industrial agriculture factories, but are also occupied with agriculture. All these enterprises are included in office W V. Numerous estates are used for agriculture or forestry. The legal possessor is the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt fuer Ernaehrung und Verpflegung G.m.b.H. The Deutsche Versuchsanstalt also has plantations for herbs. As a result of the war it is hardly possible to import the spices which are absolutely necessary for housekeeping, the products of the herb plantation, Dachau, furnish a welcome substitute.
The Textil- und Lederverwertung m.b.H., is another industrial enterprise within office W VI. It produces clothing for prisoners and troops.
The circle of the economic enterprises of the SS would not be complete, if it did not also have a great publishing office, to introduce the ideological views of the SS to its SS members and further to additional circles of the population. The Nordland Publishing Office G.m.b.H., has developed a great deal during the last year and now belongs to the main publishing firms and already today occupies the fifth place among the main publishing firms of the greater German Reich. Besides this Nordland publishing firm, we have the Voelkischer Kunstverlag which in the main produces pictures, e.g., photographs of the Fuehrer, the Reich Leader SS and other important Party and State personalities. In addition it produces reproductions of oil paintings. Nordland Publishing House and Voelkischer Kunstverlag work under supervision of the chief of office W VII.
Office W VIII is the last office of the economic enterprises. Attached to it are:
1. Recreation centers fuer Naturgemaesse Heil- und Lebensweise e. V.
2. Recreation centers fuer Naturgemaesse Heil- und Lebensweise
3. Gesellschaft zur Foerderung und Pflege deutscher Kulturdenkmaeler G.m.b.H.
4. Koenig Heinrich foundation.
5. Externsteine foundation.
The Gesellschaft zur Foerderung und Pflege deutscher Kulturdenkmaeler has the task of carrying out the development of certain places of culture, e.g., the Wewelsburg.
In the recreation centers fuer Naturgemaesse Heil- und Lebensweise, which will be enlarged considerably after the war, each SS man and his family are to be able to enjoy real recreation, that is the idea of Reich Leader SS. During the war, the administration, also the administration of all SS hospitals, is conducted by office W.