In addition-to being responsible for the recruitment of foreign civilian labor by force, Sauckel was responsible for the conditions under which foreign workers were deported to Germany and for the treatment to which they were subjected within Germany. The conditions under which Sauckel's slaves were transported to Germany, were known to Sauckel (2241- PS). Moreover, he accepted responsibility for these conditions. Regulation Number 4 of 7 May 1942, issued by Sauckel as Plenipotentiary General for the Mobilization of Labor, deals with recruitment, care, lodging, feeding, and treatment of foreign workers of both sexes (3044-PS). By this decree, Sauckel expressly directed that the assembly and operation of rail transports and the supplying of food therefor was the responsibility of his agents until the transports arrived in Germany. By the same regulation, Sauckel directed that within Germany the care of foreign industrial workers was to be carried out by the German Labor Front and that care of foreign agricultural workers was to be carried out by the Reich Food Administration. By the terms of the regulation, Sauckel reserved for himself ultimate responsibility for all aspects of care, treat-

[Page 928]

ment, lodging, and feeding of foreign workers while in transit to and within Germany. The regulation reads (3044-PS):

"The care of foreign labor will be carried out.

"a. up to the Reichs border

"by my commissioners or -- in the occupied areas by the competent military or civil labor mobilization agencies. Care of the labor will be carried out in cooperation with the respective competent foreign organization.

"b. Within the area of the Reich

"1. By the German Labor Front in the cases of nonagricultural workers.
"2. By the Reich Food administration in the case of agricultural workers.
"The German Labor Front and the German Food Administration are bound by my directives in the carrying out of their tasks of caring for-the workers.

"The agencies of the labor mobilization administration are to give far-reaching support to the German Labor Front and the German Food Administration in the fulfillment of their assigned tasks.

"My competence for the execution of the care of foreign labor is not prejudiced by the assignment of these tasks to the German Labor Front and the Reichs Food Administration."

*******

"b. Composition and operation of the transports. "The composition and operations of the transports up to the place of work is the task of my representatives, in the occupied territories of the labor mobilization agencies of the military and civil administration. In the countries in which foreign representatives are to direct the transports up to the frontier, the German recruiting agency must take part in the supervision and care of the transports."

"c. Supply for the Transports. "The food supply for the industrial workers in transit within the Reich, is the duty of the (DAF) German workers front, office for labor mobilization. For the rest, my offices effect the supply for the transport." (3044-PS)

Sauckel, in an agreement with Ley, the head of the German Labor Front (DAF) dated 2 June 1943, again emphasized his ultimate responsibility by creating a central inspectorate charged with examining the working and living conditions of foreign

[Page 929]

workers, and reporting thereon to Sauckel's agency (1913-PS). The agreement reads in part as follows:

"*** 2. The Reichsleiter of the German Labor Front, Reichsorganisationleiter Dr. Ley, in collaboration with the Plenipotentiary General for the Arbeitseinsatz, Gauleiter Sauckel, will establish a 'central inspection' for the continuous supervision of all measures concerning the care of the foreign workers mentioned under 1. This will have the designation:

'Central inspection for care of foreign workers.'

"The central inspection for the care of foreign workers exercises its functions upon directives and in the name of the Plenipotentiary General for the Arbeitseinsatz and of the Reichsleiter of the German Labor Front. In order to avoid all duplication of work, it will be its sole responsibility, to scrutinize all measures taken for the care of foreign workers employed in the factories and camps, also to remove immediately all defects discovered -- as far as possible -- on the spot and to issue the necessary instructions for this.

"The authority of the Plenipotentiary General for the Arbeitseinsatz to empower the members of his staff and the presidents of the state employment offices to get direct information on the conditions regarding-the employment of foreigners in the factories and camps, will remain untouched.

"3. The central inspection for the care of foreign workers will be continuously in touch with the main office VI of the Plenipotentiary General for the Arbeitseinsatz. It will instruct the office on the general observations made and will make suggestions for changes, if that should become necessary.

"4. The offices of the administration of the Arbeitseinsatz will be constantly informed by the 'central inspection for the care of foreign workers' of its observations, in particular immediately in each case in which action of State organizations seems to be necessary." (1913-PS)

Sauckel was also responsible for compelling citizens of the occupied countries against their will to manufacture implements of war for use in operations against their own country and its allies These functions were included in the terms of Sauckel's appointment. (1666-PS)

In a series of reports to Hitler, Sauckel described how successful he had been in carrying out his program. One such report,

[Page 930]

dated 14 April 1943, states that in a single year Sauckel had incorporated 1,622,829 prisoners of war into the German economy:

"My Fuehrer,

"1. After having been active as Plenipotentiary for Arbeitseinsatz for one year I have the honor to report to you that 3,638,056 new foreign workers have been added to the German war economy between April 1st. of the last year and March 31st of this year."

*******

"Besides the foreign civilian workers another 1,622,829 prisoners of war are employed in the German economy." (407-V-PS).

A subsequent report dated 3 June 1943, states that 846,511 additional foreign laborers and prisoners of war were incorporated into the German war industry:

"My Fuehrer:

"1. I beg to be permitted to report to you on the situation of the Arbeitseinsatz for the first five months of 1943. For the first time the following number of new foreign laborers and prisoners of war were employed in the German war industry: *** Total: 846,511". (407-IX-PS)

The original plaintext version of this file is available via ftp.

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