The Nizkor Project: Remembering the Holocaust (Shoah)

Shofar FTP Archive File: imt//tgmwc/tgmwc-04/tgmwc-04-30.08


Archive/File: imt/tgmwc/tgmwc-04/tgmwc-04-30.08
Last-Modified: 1999/09/23

Rosenberg conceived the spread of National Socialism
throughout the world, and, as will be subsequently shown,
took an active part in promoting the infection of other
nations with his creed. In the "Nature, Principles and Aims
of the N.S.D.A.P.," he states:

   "But National Socialism still believes that its
   principles and ideology, though suitable methods of
   fighting will differ according to individual and racial-
   national conditions - will be directives far beyond the
   borders of Germany for the inevitable fights for power
   in other countries of Europe and in America. There, too,
   a clear line of thought must be drawn, and the racial-
   nationalistic fight against the loan-capitalistic and
   Marxist-internationalism, which is the same in every
   case, must be taken up. National Socialism believes
   that, once the great world battle is concluded, after
   the defeat of the present epoch, there will be a time
   when the swastika will be woven into the different
   banners of the Germanic peoples as the Aryan symbol of
   rejuvenation."

This statement was made in 1922. It is thus seen that the
defendant Rosenberg gave authoritative expression to the
basic tenets upon which National Socialism was founded, and
through the exploitation of which the conspiracy was
crystallised in action.

Rosenberg's value to the conspiratorial programme found
official recognition through his appointment in 1934 as the
Fuehrer's delegate for the entire spiritual and
philosophical education and supervision of the N.S.D.A.P.
His activities in this capacity were vast and varied.

I now offer in evidence the National Socialist Year Book for
the year 1938 as Exhibit USA 597. At Page 180 of this book,
which is our Document 3531-PS, the functions of Rosenberg's
office as the Fuehrer's delegate are described as follows:

   "The sphere of activity of the Fuehrer's Commissioner
   for all spiritual and ideological instruction and
   education of the movement, its organisation, including
   the 'Strength through Joy,' extends to the detailed
   execution of all the educational work of the Party and
   of the affiliated bodies. The office, set up by
   Reichsleiter Rosenberg, has the task of preparing the
   ideological education material, of carrying out the
   teaching programme, and is responsible for the education
   of those teachers suited to this educational and
   instructional work." As the Fuehrer's delegate,
   Rosenberg thus supervised all ideological education and
   training within the Party.

It was Rosenberg's personal belief that upon the performance
of his new functions as ideological delegate depended the
future of National Socialism. I offer Document 3532-PS as
Exhibit USA 598. This is an excerpt from an

                                                  [Page 123]

article by Rosenberg appearing in the March, 1934, issue of
"The Educational Letter." At Page 9 of this publication
Rosenberg states:

   "The focus of all our educational work from now on is
   the service for this ideology, and it depends on the
   result of these efforts whether National Socialism will
   die with our fighting generation or whether, as we
   believe, it really represents the beginning of a new
   era."

In his capacity as the Fuehrer's delegate for the spiritual
and ideological training, Rosenberg assisted in the
preparation of the curriculum for the Adolf Hitler schools.
These schools, it will be recalled, selected the most
suitable candidates from the Hitler Jugend and trained them
for leadership within the Party. They were the elite schools
of National Socialism. This document, entitled "Documents of
German Politics," is already in evidence as Exhibit USA 365.
Translations of excerpts from this document are found in
Document 3529-PS, Page 389, and read as follows:

   "As stated by Dr. Ley, Reichsorganisationsleiter, on
   23rd November, 1937, at Ordensburg Sonthofen, these
   Adolf Hitler schools, as the first step of the principle
   of selecting a special elite, form an important branch
   in the educational system of the National Socialist
   training of future leaders.
   
   The curriculum has been laid down by Reichsleiter
   Rosenberg, together with the Reichsorganisationsleiter
   and the Reich Youth Leader."

Rosenberg exercised further influence in the education of
Party members in the establishment of community schools for
all organisations of the Party. Document 3528-PS is a
translation of Page 297 of the 1934 edition of "Das Dritte
Reich," which I offer as Exhibit USA 599. It reads as
follows:

   "We support the request of the Fuehrer's Commissioner
   for the supervision of the whole spiritual and
   ideological training and instruction of the N.S.D.A.P.,
   Party member Alfred Rosenberg, to organise community
   schools of all organisations of the N.S.D.A.P. twice a
   year, in order to show by this common effort the
   ideological and political unity of the N.S.D.A.P. and
   the steadfastness of the National Socialist will."

This programme was endorsed by the defendant Schirach as
well as by Himmler, Ley and others.

THE PRESIDENT: Are you not dealing with this rather in a
cumulative way? Is it not possible to summarise this
evidence against Rosenberg more than you are doing?

MR. BRUDNO: I will try to, your Honour. However, although
the Indictment charges, and there is already substantial
proof to show that the defendant conspirators used
ideological training as an implement in achieving their rise
to power and in consolidating their control, there seems to
be little evidence as to Rosenberg's position, and I am
introducing this evidence in order to show that he played a
dominant role in this connection. However, I will try to
summarise these documents if I can.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I have taken down about twenty
documents that you have alluded to, all of which deal with
Rosenberg's ideological theories.

MR. BRUDNO: Yes, your Honour. I was merely trying to show
the scope of his activities.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

MR. BRUDNO: Your Honour will recall that it was in his
capacity as Fuehrer's delegate that Rosenberg established
the Institute for the Exploitation of the Jewish Question in
Frankfort. This institute, commonly known as the "Hohe
Schule," has been referred to in connection with the
exposition of art plunder. Into its library there flowed
books, documents and manuscripts which were looted from
virtually every country of occupied Europe. Further evidence
on this score will be introduced by the Prosecutor of the
Republic of France.

                                                  [Page 124]

Your Honour will also recall, and the record shows (Pages 64
to 73, Part 3) that it was as ideological delegate that
Rosenberg conducted the fabulous art looting activities of
the Einsatzstab Rosenberg, activities which extended to
virtually every country occupied by the Germans. I will not
attempt to summarise the extent of the plunder, but merely
refer the Tribunal to Document 1015 B-PS, which has already
been introduced as Exhibit USA 385 and Document L-188, which
has been introduced as Exhibit USA 386. Document 1015 B-PS
details the looting of 21,000 artistic treasures, Document L-
188, the looting of the contents of over 71,000 Jewish homes
in the West. This subject, too, will be further developed by
the French Prosecutor.

The importance of Rosenberg's activities as official
ideologist of the Nazi Party was not overlooked. In Document
3559-PS, which I wish to introduce as Exhibit USA 600 - this
document, incidentally, is the Hart biography of Rosenberg,
entitled "The Man and His Work" - it is stated that
Rosenberg won the German National Prize in 1937. The
creation of this prize, your Honour will recall, was the
Nazis' petulant reply to the award of the Nobel Prize to
Karl von Ossietzki, an inmate of a German concentration
camp. The citation which accompanied the award to Rosenberg
read as follows:

   "Alfred Rosenberg has helped with his publications to
   lay the scientific and intuitive foundation and to
   strengthen the philosophy of the National Socialist in
   the most excellent way. The National Socialist movement,
   and beyond that, the entire German people, will be
   deeply gratified that the Fuehrer has distinguished
   Alfred Rosenberg as one of his oldest and most faithful
   fighting comrades, by awarding him the German National
   Prize."

The contribution which Rosenberg's book, "The Myth of the
Twentieth Century," the foundation of all his ideological
propaganda, made to the development of National Socialism
was appraised in a publication "Bucher Kunde" in 1942. This
publication is our Document 3554-PS, dated November, 1942. I
offer it as Exhibit USA 601. The first page sets forth an
appraisal of the "Myth of the Twentieth Century."

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Brudno, you referred us to the "Myth of
the Twentieth Century" on several occasions.

MR. BRUDNO: Yes, your Honour.

THE PRESIDENT: We really do not want to hear any more about
it.

MR. BRUDNO: I wish to show that this book is regarded as
being one of the pillars of the movement and I wish to show
also, sir, that it had a circulation of over a million
copies.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think it is absolutely clear from the
evidence which has already been given that Rosenberg was
enunciating doctrines of the ideology of the Nazi Party, and
I do not think that it is necessary to go any further into
details about it.

MR. BRUDNO: Very well. If the Tribunal is satisfied that
Rosenberg's ideas formed the foundation for the National
Socialist ideological movement, I will pass on.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you have already brought out the fact
that he was appointed the Fuehrer's deputy for that purpose;
was he not?

MR. BRUDNO: Yes, your Honour. I shall pass on from that
point. I would merely like to make reference, however, to
Document 789-PS, which has already been introduced as
Exhibit USA 23. This document records a meeting between
Hitter and his Supreme Commanders, on which occasion Hitler
said: "The building up of our armed forces was only possible
in connection with the ideological education of the German
people by the Party."

We submit that the contribution which Rosenberg made through
formulation and dissemination of National Socialist ideology
was fundamental to the conspiracy. As the apostle of neo-
paganism, the exponent of the drive for

                                                  [Page 125]

"Lebensraum," and the glorifier of the myth of Nordic
superiority, and as one of the oldest and most energetic
Nazi proponents of anti-Semitism, he contributed materially
to the unification of the German people behind the swastika.
He provided the impetus and the inspiration for the National
Socialist movement. His doctrines were responsible for the
sublimation of morality and the crystallisation of the
Nordic dream in the minds of the German people, thereby
making them useful tools in the hands of the conspirators
and willing collaborators in the prosecution of their
criminal plan.

I now pass to the second phase of Rosenberg's criminal
activities - his active contribution toward the preparation
for aggressive war through the international activities of
the A.P.A. - the Foreign Policy Office of the Party.

As previously indicated in my quotation from "Das Deutsche
Fuehrer Lexikon" which is Exhibit USA 593, Rosenberg became
a Reichsleiter, the highest level of rank in the Leadership
Corps, and was made chief of the Foreign Political Office of
the Party in April, 1933. The organisation manual of the
Party, Document 2319-PS, which I offer as Exhibit USA 602,
describes the functions of the A.P.A. as including the
influencing of public opinion abroad so as to convince
foreign nations that Germany desires peace. The far-flung
activities of the A.P.A. are indicated at Page 14 of the
translation of this document and are stated as follows:

   "1. The A.P.A. is divided into three main offices:
   
      A. Office for Foreign Areas with its Main Sections-
          (a) England and Far East;
          (b) Near East;
          (c) South East;
          (d) North;
          (e) Old Orient;
          (f) Controls, personnel questions, etc.
      
      B. Office of the German Academic Exchange Service.
      
      C. Office of Foreign Commerce.
   
   2. Moreover, there is in the A.P.A. a main office for
   the Press service and an Educational office."

The Press activities of the A.P.A. were designed to
influence world opinion in such a manner as to conceal the
conspirators' true purposes and thus facilitate the
preparation for waging aggressive war. The activities were
carried out on an ambitious scale. I offer into evidence
Document 003-PS, which is entitled "A Short Report on the
Activities of the A.P.A. of the N.S.D.A.P." It is Exhibit
USA 603. The last paragraph on Page 5 of the translation
describes the Press activities as follows:

   "The Press Division of the A.P.A. is composed of persons
   who together master all the languages that are in use.
   Daily they examine approximately 300 newspapers and
   deliver to the Fuehrer, the deputy Fuehrer and all other
   interested offices the condensations of the important
   trends of the entire world Press. The Press Division
   furthermore conducts exact archives on the attitudes of
   the most important papers of the world. Many
   embarrassments during conferences in Germany could have
   been avoided had one consulted these archives. Further,
   the Press Division was able to arrange a host of
   interviews as well as to conduct a great number of
   friendly foreign journalists to the various official
   representatives of Germany."

And then:

   "Hearst then personally asked me to write often about
   the position of German foreign policy in his papers.
   This year five detailed articles have appeared under my
   name in Hearst papers all over the world. Since these
   articles, as Hearst personally informed me, presented
   well-founded arguments, he asked me to write further
   ones for his paper."

                                                  [Page 126]

Thus, Rosenberg used his foreign policy office to influence
world opinion on behalf of National Socialism.

It is interesting to note in passing that Rosenberg states,
at Page 4 of this document, that the Roumanian anti-Semitic
leader, Cuza, followed his suggestions as (in Rosenberg's
words) "he had recognised in me an unyielding anti-Semite."
We will hear more of this affair shortly.

The nature and extent of the activities of the A.P.A. are
amply disclosed in a single document. This is the principal
document to which I will refer in this phase of the case
against Rosenberg. This document bears our number 007-PS and
is entitled "Report on the Activities of the Foreign Affairs
Bureau of the Party from 1933 to 1943." It is signed by
Rosenberg. Portions of Annex 1, attached to the report, have
already been read into evidence as Exhibit GB 84. The body
of the report and Annex 2 have not been referred to
heretofore. As will be seen, the document contains a recital
of widespread activities in foreign countries. These
activities range from the promotion of economic penetration
to fomentation of anti-Semitism; from cultural and political
infiltration to the instigation of treason. Activities were
carried on throughout the world and extended to such widely
separated points as the Middle East and Brazil.


Home ·  Site Map ·  What's New? ·  Search Nizkor

© The Nizkor Project, 1991-2012

This site is intended for educational purposes to teach about the Holocaust and to combat hatred. Any statements or excerpts found on this site are for educational purposes only.

As part of these educational purposes, Nizkor may include on this website materials, such as excerpts from the writings of racists and antisemites. Far from approving these writings, Nizkor condemns them and provides them so that its readers can learn the nature and extent of hate and antisemitic discourse. Nizkor urges the readers of these pages to condemn racist and hate speech in all of its forms and manifestations.