Archive/File: imt/nca/nca-02/nca-02-15-criminality-02-01
Last-Modified: 1997/09/01

   Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression, Volume 2, Chapter 15

             2. THE NAZI PARTY LEADERSHIP CORPS

The Nazi Party Leadership Corps -- it is proposed to
demonstrate -- was responsible for planning, directing, and
supervising the criminal measures carried into execution by
the Nazi Party, which was the central core of the common
plan or conspiracy charged in Count I of the Indictment.
Moreover, it will be shown, the members of the Leadership
Corps themselves actively participated in the commission of
illegal measures in aid of the conspiracy. In the light of
the evidence to be discussed, the Leadership Corps may be
fairly described as the brain, the backbone, and the
directing arms of the Nazi Party. Its responsibilities are e
massive and comprehensive than those of the army of
followers who blindly and faithfully did its bidding.

                                                   [Page 24]
                                                            
A. Composition, Functions, Responsibilities, and Powers of
the Leadership Corps.

In considering the composition and organizational structure
of the Leadership Corps, preliminary reference is made to
the organization chart of the Nazi Party (Chart Number 1) as
well as a chart of the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party
appearing at page 9 of a magazine published by the Chief
Education Office of the Nazi Party entitled "Das Gesicht der
Partei" (The Face of the Party). These charts and the
evidence to follow show that the Leadership Corps
constituted the sum of the officials of the Nazi Party- it
included the Fuehrer; the Reichsleiter and Reich office
holders; the five categories of leaders who were area
commanders (called Hoheitstraeger, or "bearers of
sovereignty' ) ranging all the way from the 40-odd Gauleiter
in charge of large districts down through the intermediate
political leaders to the Blockleiter, charged with looking
after 40 to 60 households; and what may best be described as
the Staff Officers attached to each of the 5 levels of
Hoheitstraeger.

Organized upon a hierarchical basis, forming a pyramidal
structure, the principal Political Leaders on a scale of
descending authority were:

     Fuehrer
     Reichsleiter (Reich Leaders) and Main Office and Office Holders
     Gauleiter (District Leaders) and Staff Officers
     Kreisleiter (County Leaders) and Staff Officers
     Ortsgruppenleiter (Local Chapter Leaders) and Staff Officers
     Zellenleiter (Cell Leaders) and Staff Officers
     Blockleiter (Block Leaders) and Staff Officers

A large part of this and other evidence relating to the
composition of the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party is to
be found in the 1943 edition of the Organization Book of the
NSDAP, an authoritative primer on Nazi organizations which
was edited by the defendant, Reich Organization Leader of
the NSDAP, Dr. Robert Ley.

The Reichsleitung of the Leadership Corps consisted of the
Reichsleiter or Reich Leaders of the Party, the Hauptaemter
(Main Offices) and the Aemter (or Offices). The Reichsleiter
of the Party were, next to Hitler, the highest officeholders
in the Party hierarchy. All the Reichsleiter and Main Office
and officeholders within the Reichsleitung were appointed by
Hitler and

                                                   [Page 25]
                                                            
were directly responsible to him. The Organization Book of
the NSDAP puts it as follows:

     "The Fuehrer appoints the following Political
     Directors:
     
     "Reichsleiter and all Political Directors, to include
     the Directors of the Womens Leagues within the Reich
     Directorate or Reichsleitung." (1893-PS)

The significant fact is that through the Reichsleitung
perfect coordination of Party and State machinery was
guaranteed. The Party Manual describes it this way:

     "In the Reichsleitung the arteries of the organization
     of the German people and of the German State merge."
     (1893-PS)

To demonstrate that the Reichsleiter of the Leadership Corps
included the most powerful coalition of political overlords
in Nazi Germany, it is necessary only to mention their
names. The list of Reichsleiter includes the following
defendants on trial: Rosenberg, Von Schirach, Frick,
Bormann, and Ley.

The evidence to be presented will show that Rosenberg was
the leader of an organization named for him, the Einsatzstab
Rosenberg, which carried out a vast program of looting and
plunder of art treasures throughout occupied Europe. The
evidence will further show that, as Representative of the
Fuehrer for the Supervision of Nazi Ideology and Schooling,
Rosenberg participated in an aggressive campaign to
undermine the Christian churches and to supersede
Christianity by a German National Church founded upon a
combination of irrationality, pseudo-scientific theories,
mysticism, and the cult of the racial state.

It will be shown that the late Defendant Ley, acting as the
agent of Hitler and the Leadership Corps, directed the Nazi
assault upon the independent labor unions of Germany and
before destroying himself first destroyed the free and
independent labor movement; and that he replaced it by a
Nazi organization, the German Labor front or DAF, which he
employed as a means of exploiting the German labor force in
the interests of the conspiracy and to instill Nazi ideology
among the ranks of the German workers.

It will be shown that Frick participated in the enactment of
many laws which were designed to promote the conspiracy in
its Several phases. Frick shares responsibility for the
grave injury done by the officials of the Leadership Corps
to the concept of the rule of law by virtue of his efforts
to give the color of law and normal legality to a large
volume of Nazi legislation violative of he rights of
humanity, such as the legislation designed to stigmatize and
eliminate the Jewish people of Germany and

                                                   [Page 26]
                                                            
German-occupied Europe. As chief of the Party Chancellery,
immediately under Hitler, Bormann was an extremely important
force in directing the activities of the Leadership Corps.
As will be shown, a decree of 16 January 1942 provided that
the participation of the Party in all important legislation,
governmental appointments, and promotions had to be
undertaken exclusively by Bormann. He took part in the
preparation of all laws and decrees issued by the Reich
authorities and gave his assent to those of the subordinate
governments.

The list of Reichsleiter of the NSDAP set forth in the
National Socialist Yearbook (1943 Edition) shows that the
following 15 Reichsleiter were in office in 1943 (2473-PS):

               "THE REICHSLEITERS OF THE NSDAP
     
     "Max Amann                 Reichsleiter for the Press.
     
     "Martin Bormann            Chief of the Party Chancery.
     
     "Phillipp Bouhler          Chief of the Chancery of the
                                Fuehrer of the NSDAP. Chairman 
                                of the official Party Investigation 
                                Commission for the Protection of 
                                National Socialist Writings.
     
     "Walter Darre              On leave.
     
     "Otto Dietrich             Reich Press Chief of the NSDAP.
     
     "Franz von Epp             Chief of the Kolonialpolitischen Amtes.
     
     "Karl Fiehler              Chief of the main office for Municipal 
                                Politics.
     
     "Wilhelm Frick             Leader of the National Socialist 
                                "faction" in the Reichstag.
     
     "Joseph Goebbels           Reich Propaganda Leader of the NSDAP.
     
     "Konstantin Hierl          Leader of the Reich Labor.
     
     "Heinrich Himmler          Reich Leader of the SS.
                                The Deputy of the NSDAP,
                                for all questions of Germandom.
     
     "Robert Ley                Reich Organization Leader of the NSDAP. 
                                Leader of the German Labor Front.
     
     "Victor Lutze              Chief of Staff of the- SA.
     
     "Alfred Rosenberg          Representative of the Fuehrer
                                for the supervision of all mental
                                and ideological training and education 
                                of the NSDAP.
     
                                                   [Page 27]
                                                            
     "Baldur von Schirach.      Reich Leader for the Education
                                of Youth of the NSDAP.
     
     "Franz Xaver Schwarz.      Reich Treasurer of the NSDAP."
                                                   (2473-PS)

The principal functions of the Reichsleiter included
carrying out the tasks and missions assigned to them by the
Fuehrer or by the Chief of the Party Chancellery, Martin
Bormann. The Reichsleiter were further charged with insuring
that Party policies were being executed in all the
subordinate areas of the Reich. The Reichsleiter were also
responsible for insuring a continuation of new leadership
into the Party. With respect to the position and
responsibilities of the Reichsleiter, the Organization Book
of the NSDAP states as follows:

     "NSDAP represents the political conception, the
     political conscience, and the political will of the
     German nation. Political conception, political
     conscience, and political will are embodied in the
     person of the Fuehrer. Based on his directives and in
     accordance with the program of the NSDAP the organs of
     the Reich Directorate directionally determine the
     political aims of the German people. It is in the Reich
     Directorate that the arteries of the organization of
     the German people and the State merge. It is the task
     of the separate organs of the Reich Directorate to
     maintain as close a contact as possible with the life
     of the nation -- through their sub-offices in the Gau ***

     "The structure of the Reich Directorate is thus that
     the channel from the lowest Party office upwards shows
     the most minute weaknesses and changes in the mood of
     the people ***
     
     "Another essential task of the Reich Directorate is to
     assure a good selection of leaders. It is the duty of
     the Reich Directorate to see that there is leadership
     in all phases of life, a leadership which is firmly
     tied to National Socialist ideology and which promotes
     its dissemination with all its energy ***

     " *** It is the supreme task of the Reich Organization
     Leader to preserve the Party as a well-sharpened sword
     for the Fuehrer."

The domination of the German Government by the top members
of the Leadership Corps was facilitated by a circular decree
of the Reich Minister of Justice, dated 17 February 1934,
which established equal rank for the offices within the
Reichsleitung of Leadership Corps and the Reich offices of
the government. In this decree it was expressly provided
that

                                                   [Page 28]
                                                            
     "the supreme offices of the Reichsleitung are equal in
     rank to the supreme Reich Government authorities."

The Party Manual termed the control exercised over the
machinery of government by the Leadership Corps "the
permeation of the State apparatus with the political will of
the Party."

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