Archive/File: imt/nca/nca-02/nca-02-15-criminality-02-09
Last-Modified: 1996/12/28

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A memorandum by Reichsleiter Bormann of a conference called
by-Hitler at his headquarters on 16 July 1941 (L-221),
states, in part, as follows with respect to the maintenance
of order in the occupied Eastern areas:

     "The Crimea has to be evacuated by all foreigners and
     to be settled by Germans only *** We have now to face
     the task of cutting up the giant cake according to our
     needs in order to be able first, to dominate it,
     second, to administer it, and third, to exploit it. The
     Russians have now ordered partisan warfare behind our
     front. This partisan war *** has some advantage for us;
     it enables us to eradicate everyone who opposes us. ***
     Our iron principle is and has to remain: we must never
     permit anybody but the Germans to carry arms***."

According to the above memorandum, the foregoing conference
attended by Reichsleiter Rosenberg, Reich Minister Lamer,
Field Marshal Keitel, Reich Marshal Goering, and Bormann,
lasted about 20 hours. The memorandum states that discussion
occurred with respect to the annexation by Germany of
various parts of conquered Europe. The memorandum also
states that a long discussion took place with respect to the
qualifications of Gauleiter Lohse, who was proposed by
Rosenberg at the conference as governor of the Baltic
country. Discussion also occurred with respect to the
qualifications of other Gauleiter and commissioners for the
administration of various areas of occupied Russia. Goering
stated that he intended to appoint Gauleiter Terboven for
the "exploitation of the Kola Peninsula; the Fuehrer
agrees." With respect to the security of the German
administration in the eastern areas, the memorandum states:

     "This giant area would have to be pacified as quickly
     as possible; the best solution was to shoot anybody who
     looked sideways *** Field Marshal Keitel emphasizes the
     inhabitants themselves ought to be made responsible for
     their things because it was, of course, impossible to
     put a sentry in front of every shed or railway station.
     The inhabitants had to understand that anybody who did
     not perform their duties properly would be shot, and
     that they would be held responsible for each offense."
     (L-221)

(d) Subversion of Christian Church and Persecution of the
Clergy. The evidence relating to the systematic effort of
the conspirators to eliminate the Christian churches in
Germany is discussed in Section 6 of Chapter VII. The
evidence hereinafter limited to proving the responsibility
of the Leadership

                                                   [Page 60]
                                                            
Corps and its members for participation in illegal
activities against the Christian church and clergy.

Bormann, who was a Reichsleiter and Chief of the Nazi Party
Chancellery, issued a secret decree addressed to all
Gauleiter, entitled "Relationship of National Socialism and
Christianity" (D-75). In this decree Reichsleiter Bormann
flatly declared that National Socialism and Christianity are
incompatible and that the influence of the churches in
Germany must be eliminated:

     "National Socialist and Christian concepts are
     irreconcilable. *** Our National Socialist ideology is
     far loftier than the concepts of Christianity, which,
     in their essential points, have been taken over from
     Jewry. For this reason also, we do not need
     Christianity. *** If, therefore, in the future our
     youth learns nothing more of this Christianity, whose
     doctrines are far below ours, Christianity will
     disappear by itself. *** It follows from the
     irreconcilability of National Socialist and Christian
     concepts that a strengthening of existing confessions
     and every demand of originating Christian confessions
     is to be rejected by us. A differentiation between the
     various Christian confessions is not to be made here.
     For this reason, also, the thought of an erection of an
     Evangelical National Church by merger of the various
     Evangelical churches has been definitely given up,
     because the Evangelical Church is just as inimicable to
     us as the Catholic Church. Any strengthening of the
     Evangelical Church would merely react against us. ***
     
     "For the first time in German history, the Fuehrer
     consciously and completely has the leadership of the
     people in his own hand. With the Party, its components,
     and attached units, the Fuehrer has created for
     himself, and thereby the German Reich leadership, an
     instrument which makes him independent of the Church.
     All influences which might impair or damage the
     leadership of the people exercised by the Fuehrer, with
     the help of the NSDAP, must be eliminated. More and
     more the people must be separated from the churches and
     their organs, the pastors. Of course, the churches must
     and will, seen from their viewpoint, defend themselves
     against this loss of power. But never again must an
     influence on leadership of the people be yielded to the
     churches. This influence must be broken completely and
     finally.
     
     "Only the Reich Government and, by its direction, the
     Party, its components and attached units have a right
     to leadership
     
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     of the people. Just as the deleterious influences of
     astrologers, seers and other fakers are eliminated and
     suppressed by the State, so must the possibility of
     Church influence also be totally removed. Not until
     this has happened, does the State leadership have
     influence on the individual citizens. Not until then
     are people and Reich secure in their existence for all
     the future." (D-75)

On 25 April 1941 a letter was issued from Bormann's office
to Rosenberg in his capacity as the Fuehrer's Representative
for the Supervision of the Entire Mental and Ideological
Training and Education of the NSDAP (070-PS). In this letter
Bormann's office stated that measures had been taken leading
to the progressive cancelation of morning prayers and other
religious services and their substitution by Nazi mottos and
slogans:

     "We are inducing schools more and more to reduce and
     abolish religious morning services. Similarly the
     confessional and general prayers in several parts of
     the Reich have already been replaced by national
     socialist mottos. I would be grateful to know your
     opinion on a future national socialist morning service
     instead of the present confessional morning services
     which are usually conducted once per week ***. (070-PS)

In a letter from Reichsleiter Bormann to Reichsleiter
Rosenberg, dated 22 February 1940, Bormann declared to
Rosenberg that the Christian religion and National Socialism
are incompatible (098-PS). Bormann cited, as examples of
hostile divergence between Naziism and the churches, the
attitude of the latter on the racial question, celibacy of
the priests, monasteries and nunneries, etc. Bormann further
declared that the churches could not be subjugated through
compromise, but only through a new philosophy of life as
prophesied in Rosenberg's writings. In this letter, Bormann
proposed the- creation of a National Socialist catechism, in
order to give that part of the German youth which declines
to practice confessional religion, a moral foundation, and
lay a moral basis for National Socialist doctrines, which
were eventually to supplant the Christian religions. Bormann
suggested that some of the Ten Commandments could be merged
with the National Socialist Catechism and stated that a few
new Commandments should be added, such as: Thou shalt be
courageous; thou shalt not be cowardly; Thou shalt believe
in God's presence the living nature, animals, and plants;
Thou shalt keep thy blood pure; etc. Deputy of the Fuehrer
Bormann concluded that considered the problem so important
that it should be dis-

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cussed with the members of the Reich Directorate, comprising
the top leaders of the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party,
as soon as possible. (098-PS)

At one point in this letter, Bormann stated:

     "Christianity and National Socialism are phenomena
     which originated from entirely different basic causes.
     Both differ fundamentally so strongly, that it will not
     be possible to construct a Christian teaching which
     would be completely compatible with the point of view
     of the National Socialist ideology; just as the
     communications of Christian faith would never be able
     to stand by the ideology of National Socialism in its
     entirety ***." (098-PS)

After discussing various proposals for the formulation of a
Nazi religious credo for instruction in the German school
system, Bormann stated:
     
     "The-Fuehrer's deputy finds it necessary that all these
     questions should be thoroughly discussed in the near
     future in the presence of the Reich Leaders
     [Reichsleiter] who are especially effected by them
     ***." (098-PS)

In a circular letter, dated 17 June 1938, addressed by
Bormann as Reichsleiter and Deputy of the Fuehrer to all
Reichsleiter and Gauleiter, there was enclosed a copy of
rules prepared by Reichsleiter Hierl, setting forth certain
restrictive regulations with respect to participation of the
Reich Labor Service in religious celebrations (107-PS).
Pertinent portions of the directives issued by Reichsleiter
Hierl read as follows:

     "The Reich Labor Service is a training school in which
     the German youth should be educated to national unity
     in the spirit of National Socialism ***.

     "What religious beliefs a person has is not a decisive
     factor, but it is decisive that he first of all feels
     himself a German. "Every religious practice is
     forbidden in the Reich Labor Service because it
     disturbs the comrade-like harmony of all working men
     and women.
     
     "On this basis, every participation of the Reich Labor
     Service in churchly, that is religious, arrangements
     and celebrations is not possible." (107-PS)
     
The position of Bormann as Deputy of the Fuehrer and chief
of the Nazi Party Chancellery, and the position of Rosenberg
as the Fuehrer's Representative for the Whole Spiritual and
Philosophical Education of-the Nazi Party, give to the
foregoing views on religion and religious policy the highest
official backing. The anti-Christian utterances and policies
of these two conspirator-

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defendants reveal a community of mind and intention amongst
the most powerful leaders of the party which was amply
confirmed by the actual treatment of the churches since 1933
and throughout the course of the conspiracy. An excerpt from
page 514 of "The Myth of the 20th Century," written by
Rosenberg, reads as follows:

     "The idea of honor -- national honor -- is for us the
     beginning and the end of our entire thinking and doing.
     It does not admit of any equal-valued center of force
     along side of it, no matter of what kind, neither
     Christian love, nor the Free-Masonic humanity, nor the
     Roman philosophy." (249-PS)

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