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           Nazi Conspiracy & Aggression, Volume VI
               Translation of Document 3702-PS

                                                  [Page 411]
                                                            
                          STATEMENT
                              
Ultimate authority and responsibility for military affairs
in Germany was vested in the Head of State who prior to 2
August 1934 was Field Marshal von Hindenburg and thereafter
until 1945 was Adolf Hitler.

Specialized military matters were the responsibility of the
three branches of the Armed Forces subordinate to the
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (at the same time
Head of State), that is to say the Army, the Navy, and the
Air Force. In practice, supervision within this field was
exercised by a relatively small group of high-ranking
officers. These officers exercised such supervision in their
official capacity and by virtue of their training, their
positions, and their mutual contacts. Plans for military
operations of the German Armed Forces were prepared by
members of this group according to the instructions of the
OKW in the name of their respective Commanding Officers and
were presented by them to the Commander-in-Chief of the
Armed Forces (at the same time Head of State).

The members of this group were charged with the
responsibility of preparing for military operations within
their competent fields and they actually did prepare for any
such operations as were to be undertaken by troops in the
field.

Prior to any operation, members of this group were assembled
and given appropriate directions by the Head of State.
Examples of such meetings are the speech by Hitler to the
Commander-in-Chief on 22 August 1939 prior to the Polish
campaign and the consultation at the Reich Chancellery on 14
June 1941 prior to the first Russian campaign. The
composition of this group and the relationship of its
members to each other were as shown in the attached chart.
This was in effect the General Staff and High Command of the
German Armed Forces.

                                             [signed] HALDER
                                                            
                                                  [Page 412]
                                                            
                               CHART
                            [Initialed] H.
                         +---------------------+
                         | SUPREME COMMANDER OF|
                         | THE ARMED FORCES    |
                         | ------------------- |
                         |       Hitler        |
                         +----------+----------+
                                    |
           +-----------+------------+-------------+  +-------------------------+
           |           | CHIEF OF THE HIGH COMMAND|  | ARMED FORCES            |
+----------+---------+ | OF THE ARMED FORCES      |  | OPERATIONS STAFF        |
| COMMANDER IN CHIEF | | ------------------------ +--+ ------------------------|         
| OF THE ARMY        | |        Keitel            |  | Chief:             Jodl |
| ------------------ | +------------+-------------+  | Deputy Chief: Warlimont |
|  von Brauchitsch   |              +----------------+-------------------------+
|  (later Hitler)    | +------------+-------------+  
+----------+---------+ | COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF    |  +-------------------------+ 
           |           | THE NAVY                 |  | COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF   | 
+----------+---------+ | -----------------------  |  | THE AIR FORCE AND REICHS-
| CHIEF OF THE GEN-  | |        Raeder            |  | MINISTER OF AIR         |
| ERAL STAFF OF THE  | |    (later Doenitz)       |  | ----------------------- |
| ARMY               | +------------+-------------+  |         Goering         |
| ------------------ |              |                |    (later von Greim)    |
| Beck (later Halder,| +------------+-------------+  +------------+------------+
| Zeitzler, Guderian,| | CHIEF OF NAVAL WAR STAFF |               |
| Krebs)             | | ------------------------ |  +------------+------------+
+----------+---------+ |        Schniewindt       |  | CHIEF OF THE GENERAL    |
           |           |  (later Fricke, Meisel)  |  | STAFF OF THE AIR FORCE  |
+----------+---------+ +------------+-------------+  | ----------------------- |
| COMMANDER IN CHIEF |              |                |       Jeschonnek        |
| OF ARMY GROUPS     | +------------+-------------+  | (later Korten, Kreipe,  |
| ------------------ | | COMMANDER IN CHIEF IN THE|  | Keller)                 |
| COMMANDERS IN CHIEF| | NAVY                     |  +-------------------------+
| OF ARMIES          | +--------------------------+
+--------------------+                               +-------------------------+
                                                     | COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF   |
                                                     | AIR FORCES              |
                                                     +-------------------------+

                                                   [Page 413]

CITY OF NURNBERG: SS

Before me, Walter H. Rapp, Captain, Cavalry, ASN 0-454231, an officer duly qualified
to take oaths, appeared Colonel General Franz Halder, to me known, who in my 
presence signed the foregoing "Erklaerung" (statement) consisting of two pages
in the German language with amendments initialed by him and an attached chart
initialed by him, and swore that the same, including the attached chart, was true
on the 7th. day of November 1945.

                                 [Signed] Walter H. Rapp
                                          WALTER H. RAPP
                                           Captain, CAV.
                                                0-454231

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