Nazi Conspiracy & Aggression D. The Nazi Conspirators Compelled the Occupied Countries
and Their Nationals to Furnish the Monetary Requirements for
the German Exploitation, by Means of Occupation Levies,
Forced Loans, and the Requisition of Gold and Foreign
Exchange in Amounts Far in Excess of the Needs of the
Occupation Armies.
Except for the early period of the occupation, during which
Reichskreditkassen certificates were issued to finance the
needs of the occupation troops (Lemkin, Axis Rule in
Occupied Europe, p. 329), the Nazis obtained the necessary
local currency through
[Page 1064]
the levy of excessive occupation charges, the imposition of
clearing arrangements under which the local central banks
were compelled to finance exports to the Reich, and by
requisition of gold and foreign exchange.
(1) The Nazi conspirators exacted excessive occupation
charges from the conquered countries.
Belgium
The Nazi conspirators demanded from Belgium both "internal
occupation costs" and "external occupation costs" (ECR-2).
The former was defined as "those sums which have gotten out
of the country to finance the needs of the German military
formations located in the country" (ECR-32). The term
"external occupation costs" was used interchangeably with
the title "antibolshevistic contribution" (EC-401). Under
whatever theory, the exaction of occupation charges was made
"to the limit of capacity". (ECR-59)
Throughout the period of German occupation, a substantial
part of the contribution charges obtained from Belgium was
used as a matter of regular practice "not for occupation
cost purposes" (ECR-166; ECR-155-A; ECR-35), including:
(a) Exports to Germany, Holland, and France (ECR-89; ECR-104).
(b) Exchange for Belgian francs of RKK certificates, a "not
inconsiderable part" of which did "not have the least thing
to do with occupation costs" (ECR-39; ECR-142).
(c) "Political purposes (that is, SS, Propaganda, Hitler
Youth)" (ECR-106).
(d) Purchases in the "black market" (ECR-106), many of them
destined for export. (See supra, B, (2).)
(e) General war expenses, including the supply of troops
based in Belgium for military operations against England
(ECH-5); the Commander-in-Chief of the Army rejected a
recommendation of the Military Commander that a distinction
be drawn between occupation troops and those for military
operations (ECH-5).
Notwithstanding the extensive use of occupation levies for
nonoccupation purposes, the contributions exacted from
Belgium
"were not only sufficient to cover the needs of the
Wehrmacht *** but also made it possible *** to found a
cash reserve which reached at certain times about
2,500,000,000 bfrs". (ECH-5)
France
The occupation cost accounts of the Reichskreditkasse in
Paris disclose on their face that a large part of the
occupation funds was obtained and used for nonoccupational
purposes. Two sets of occupation cost accounts were
maintained: Account A, into which payments were made on
behalf of various Reichs ministries and agencies, and for
specified purposes; and Account B, into which payments were
made for disposal for the Wehrmacht (3615-PS)
The funds in Account A were used for obviously
nonoccupational purposes, as follows:
June 1940 to
end 1943
A I. Reich Minister for Economic Affairs
(primarily for the buying agency, "Roges,"
also for the purchase of securities and
devises) - RM 1,518,000,000
A II. Foreign Office (for propaganda purposes in France)
27,000,000
A III. Payment of support to dependents of laborers
recruited in France for work in Germany 1,500,000
A IV. Reich Minister for Transportation (purchase of
securities) 2,500,000
A V. Paris Agency of the Reichstierstelle (Reich Agency for
Animals) -- imports of meat and meat products 19,000,000
A VI. Exchange by the Bank of France of RM notes for
persons evacuated from Alsace-Lorraine 900,000
A VII. Financing purchases of raw sugar in North France by
sugar refiner in South Germany 1,285,000
A VIII. Compensation for war damage to Reichsdeutsche and
Volkdeutsche in France 8,500,000
A IX. Sale of French francs to the Reich (Commodity imports
into Alsace-Lorraine) 66,000,000
A X. Reich Minister of Education (Purchases for libraries in
the Reich of books destroyed in air raids) 1,000,000
(3615-PS)
The available records do not disclose the full extent to
which the Wehrmacht used the funds at its disposal in
Account B for nonoccupational purposes. It is certain,
however, that large sums were expended for such purposes.
Thus, a communication of the
[Page 1066]
OKW to the Foreign Office of 6 November 1942, explaining
the decrease in reserve for Account B, states:
"In addition, payments to a considerable extent had to
be made from the occupation cost funds which were not
allotted to meet the demands of those units of the
German Wehrmacht stationed in France. On 15 January the
B account of occupation costs was approximately 3 bill.
RM. The reason for the decrease appears from the
following compilation:
Million RM
a. For procurement of goods exported from
France during the period of 1 January 1942 -
Therefrom it appears that the decrease of reserves of
occupation cost funds amounting to 3,000 mill. RM on 15
January 1942 is primarily due to expenditures for
purposes unrelated to the occupation."
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Volume
I Chapter XIII
Germanization & Spoliation
The
Western Occupied Countries
(Part 4 of 9)
31 October 1942 an estimated 10 X 90 mill. RM 900
b. To Roges Raw Material Trading Company Ltd. for
purchases on black market 700
c. For procurement of foreign bills by the Navy (the
purchase of foreign bills with French francs was
necessary to buy and repair merchant ships in Spanish
harbors. These merchant ships are to serve for supplying
Rommel's Panzer army in Africa) 40
d. Reimbursement to Foreign Office (account Syria) 4
e. Allotments in favor of families of French workers
working in Germany 1.5
f. Special commissioner Rumania 1.3
g. Costs of building completions for directors of
French powder factories 0.2
-------
1,647