Nazi Conspiracy & Aggression Immediately upon receipt of the order from Hitler, Rosenberg
began building his organization, conferring with the various
ministries, issuing his instructions, and generally making
the detailed plans and preparations necessary to carry out
his assigned mission. Although Rosenberg's files, which were
captured intact, were crowded with documents evidencing both
the extent of the preparation and its purpose, the citation
of a small number which are typical should be sufficient.
All the documents now discussed were found in Rosenberg's
files.
In a memorandum dated 8 May 1941, entitled "General
Instructions for all Reichcommissars in the occupied Eastern
Territories", Rosenberg gives instructions to his chief
henchmen and outlines clearly the political aims and
purposes of the attack. In the second two paragraphs of the
English translation the following remarks appear:
"The only possible political goal of war can be the aim
to free the German Reich from the Great Russian
(grossrussisch) pressure for centuries to come. This
does not only correspond with German interests, but
also with historical justice, for Russian Imperialism
was in a position to accomplish its policy of conquest
and oppression almost unopposed, whilst it threatened
Germany again and again. Therefore, the German Reich
has to beware of starting a campaign against
[Page 820]
Russia with a historical injustice, meaning the
reconstruction of a Great Russian Empire, no matter of
what kind. On the contrary, all historical struggles of
the various nationalities against Moscow and Petersburg
have to be scrutinized for their bearing on the
situation today. This has been done on the part of the
National Socialist movement to correspond to the
Leader's political testament as laid down in his book,
that now the military and political threat, from the
East shall be eliminated forever.
"Therefore this huge area must be divided according to
its historical and racial conditions into Reichs-Commissariats, each of which bears within itself a
different political aim. The Reich Commissariat
Eastland (Ostland) including White-Ruthenia will have
the task, to prepare, by way of development into a
Germanized Protectorate, a progressively closer
cohesion with Germany. The Ukraine shall become an
independent state in alliance with Germany and Caucasia
with the contiguous Northern Territories a Federal
State with a German plenipotentiary. Russia proper must
put her own house in order for the future. These
general viewpoints are explained in the following
instructions for each Reich Commissar. Beyond that
there are still a few general considerations which
possess validity for all Reich Commissars." (1030-PS)
The fifth paragraph presents an interesting rationalization
of a contemplated robbery:
"The German people has achieved, in the course of
centuries, tremendous accomplishments in the Eastern
European area. Nearly its entire real estate property
was confiscated without indemnification, hundreds of
thousands (in the South, on the Volga) starved or were
deported or, like in the Baltic territories, were
cheated out of the fruits of their cultural work during
the past 700 years. The German Reich will now have to
proclaim the principle, that after the occupation of
the Eastern Territories, the former German assets have
become property of the people of Greater Germany,
irrespective of the consent of the former individual
proprietors where the German Reich may reserve the
right (assuming that it has not already been done
during resettlement) to arrange a just settlement. The
manner of compensation and restitution of this national
property, will be subject to different treatment by
each Reich Commissariat." (1030-PS)
"An Instruction for a Reich Commissar in the Baltic
Countries
[Page 821]
and White Russia" (1029-PS) is typical of the directives
issued to each of the appointed commissioners. This order is
amazingly frank in outlining the intentions of the Nazi
conspirators toward the country they intended to occupy in
the course of their aggression. It begins:
"All the regions between Narva and Tilsit have
constantly been in close relationship with the German
people. A 700 year old history has moulded the inner
sympathies of the majority of the races living there in
a European direction, and has added this region to the
living space of Greater Germany.
"The aim of a Reich Commissar for Esthonia, Latvia,
Lithuania and White Russia [last words added in pencil]
must be to strive to achieve the form of a German
Protectorate, and then transform the region into part
of the Greater German Reich by germanizing racially
possible elements, colonizing Germanic races and
banishing undesirable elements. The Baltic Sea must
become a Germanic inland sea under the guardianship of
Greater Germany.
"For certain cattle-raising products, the Baltic region
was a land of surplus, and the Reich Commissar must
endeavor to make this surplus once more available to
the German people, and, if possible, to increase it.
With regard to the process of germanizing or
resettling, the Esthonian people are strongly
germanized to the extent of 50o by Danish, German and
Swedish blood and can be considered as a kindred
nation. In Latvia, the section capable of being
assimilated is considerably smaller than in Esthonia.
In this country stronger resistance will have to be
reckoned with and banishment on a larger scale will
have to be envisaged. A similar development may have to
be reckoned with in Lithuania, for here too the
emigration of racial Germans is called for in order to
promote very intensive Germanization (on the East
Prussian border)."
*******
"The task of a Reich Commissar with his seat of office
in Riga will therefore largely be an extraordinarily
positive one. A country which 700 years ago was
captured by German Knights built up by the Hanseatic
League, and by reason of a constant influx of German
blood, together with Swedish elements, was a
predominantly Germanized land, is to be established as
a mighty, German borderland. The preliminary cultural
conditions are available everywhere, and the German
Reich will be able to guarantee the right to a
[Page 822]
later emigration to all those who have distinguished
themselves in this war, to the descendants of those who
gave their lives during the war, and also to all who
fought in the Baltic campaign never once lost courage,
fought on in the hour of despair and delivered Baltic
civilization from Bolshevism. For the rest, the
solution of the colonization problem is not a Baltic
question, but one which concerns Greater Germany, and
it must be settled on these lines." (1029-PS)
The
original plaintext version
of this file is available via
ftp.
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Volume
I Chapter IX
Aggression Against the U.S.S.R.
(Part 11 of 16)