Archive/File: imt/nca/nca-05/nca-05-3016-ps
Last-Modified: 1998/08/21

               Translation of Document 3016-PS
                              
                                                  [Page 735]
Nurnberg
Germany

Max Amann being duly sworn deposes and says:

1. I joined the NSDAP in 1921 and held membership in that
Party continuously until the end of the war. In 1922 at
Hitler's request I took over management of the party
publishing business known as the Franz Eher Verlag. Since
1933, when the party came into power, I held the position of
Reich leader of the press [Reichsleiter fuer die Presse] and
president of the Reich press chamber which was a subordinate
chamber of the Reichskulturkammer. My duties and
responsibilities as Reich leader of the press were defined
generally in the Organizationsbuch der NSDAP, and my duties
and responsibilities as president of the Reich press chamber
were defined generally in the law establishing the
Reichskulturkammer. I considered that I discharged my duties
and responsibilities in those offices consistently with the
description of my functions as contained therein and
consistently with article 23 of the party program.

2. After the party came into power in 1933 the
socialdemocrat and Marxist press was promptly liquidated or
suppressed pursuant to orders of Hitler. Decrees were
subsequently issued, including racial laws and regulations
which adversely affected other publishing concerns. Many of
these concerns such as the Ullstein publishing firm, which
were owned or controlled by Jewish interests, or by
political or religious interests hostile to the NSDAP, found
it expedient to sell their newspapers or assets to the Eher
concern. There was no free market for the sale of such
properties and the Franz Eher Verlag was generally the only
bidder. In this manner the party publishing business, that
is, the Franz Eher Verlag, together with publishing concerns

                                                  [Page 736]
                                                            
owned or controlled by it, expanded into a monopoly of the
newspaper publishing business in Germany. By virtue of
economic operation and close supervision, the party
investment in these publishing enterprises became
financially very successful.

3. It is a true statement to say that the basic purposes of
the Nazi press program was to eliminate all press in
opposition to the party.

4. The Zentralverlag der NSDAP was the central publishing
house and holding company of the entire party publishing
machine and all of its official organs which included Der
Voelkischer Beobachter, Der Angriff, Der SA Mann, Das
Schwarze Korps, Die HJ, Der SA Fuehrer, NS Monatshefte, etc.
I was employed as the business manager of the Sentralverlag
der NSDAP, Franz Eher Nachf., G.m.b.h., and the above-named
newspapers and magazines were published with the approval of
the then German government before the seizure of power by
Hitler.

                                               /s/ Max Amann
                                                   MAX AMANN
                                                            
Sworn to before me this 19th day of November, 1945, in the
Justice Building, Nurnberg.

                                        /s/ Thomas S. Hinkel
                                                Lt. Col. IGD
                                                            

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