Archive/File: imt/nca/nca-02/nca-02-16-responsibility-13-01
Last-Modified: 1997/05/12

   Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression, Volume Two, Chapter XIV
                              
          13. GUSTAV KRUPP von BOHLEN und HALBACH*

                                                  [Page 774]
                                                            

A. IN FURTHERANCE OF THE NAZI CONSPIRACY, KRUPP CIRCUMVENTED
THE RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES ON THE
REARMAMENT OF GERMANY. AS THE RESPONSIBLE HEAD OF THE HUGE
ARMAMENTS CONCERN, FRIED. KRUPP A.G., HE CONCEALED ITS
ARMAMENT ACTIVITY IN ORDER TO DECEIVE THE ALLIED
GOVERNMENTS. HE WAS THEREFORE, IN A POSITION TO PROMOTE THE
OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSPIRACY BY THE RAPID PRODUCTION OF
MUNITIONS OF WAR ON A HUGE SCALE AFTER THE CONSPIRATORS'
ACCESSION TO POWER.

In an article entitled "Manager and Armament Worker" written
for the 1 March 1942 issue of the Krupp magazine, Krupp
stated:

     "*** I knew German history well, and out of my
     experiences in the rest of the world I believed to know
     the German kind; therefore I never doubted that,
     although for the time being all indications were
     against it, one day a change would come. How, I never
     knew or asked, but I believed in it. But with this
     knowledge -- and today I may speak about these things
     and for the first time I am doing this extensively and
     publicly -- with this, as responsible head of the Krupp
     works, consequences of the greatest importance had to
     be taken. If Germany should ever be reborn, if it
     should shake off the chains of Versailles one day, the
     Krupp concern had to be prepared again. ***"
     
     "*** I wanted and had to maintain Krupp, in spite of
     all opposition, as an armament plant for the later
     future, even if in camouflaged form. I could only speak
     in the smallest, most intimate circles about the real
     reasons which made me undertake the changeover of the
     plants for certain lines of production for I had to
     expect that many people would not understand me, ***"
     
*Since the name of Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was
severed from the Nurnberg trial which commenced on 20
November 1945, the trial brief outlining the case against
Krupp, which was prepared before his severance, was not
presented to the Tribunal. Despite his personal absence from
the prisoners' dock, however, Krupp remained technically
still under indictment and liable to prosecution in
subsequent proceedings. Moreover Krupp was still regarded by
the prosecution as a member of the Nazi conspiracy. The
following summary of evidence, adapted from the trial brief,
is included here in order to show the role played by Krupp
as co-conspirator.
     
                                                  [Page 775]
     
     "Without arousing any commotion, the necessary measures
     and preparations were undertaken. Thus to the surprise
     of many people Krupp began to manufacture goods which
     really appeared to be far distant from the former work
     of an armament plant. Even the Allied snooping
     commissions were duped. Padlocks, milk cans, cash
     registers, track repair machines, trash carts and
     similar 'small junk' appeared really unsuspicious and
     even locomotives and automobiles made an entirely
     'civilian' impression.
     
     "After the accession to power of Adolf Hitler I had the
     satisfaction of being able to report to the Fuehrer
     that Krupps stood ready, after a short warming-up
     period, to begin the rearmament of the German people
     without any gaps of experience -- the blood of the
     comrades of KAR. Saturday 1923 had not been shed in
     vain. Since that time I was often permitted to
     accompany the Fuehrer through the old and new workshops
     and to experience how the workers of Krupp cheered him
     in gratitude. In the years after 1933 we worked with an
     incredible intensity and when the war did break out the
     speed and results were again increased. We are all
     proud of having thus contributed to the heretofore
     magnificent successes of our army."
     
                           *******
     
     "I have always considered it to be an honor as well as
     an obligation to be the head of an arms factory and I
     know that the employees of Krupp share these feelings.
     Thanks to the educational work of the National
     Socialist Government this is the case all over Germany.
     I know that the things I have said here about the
     armament worker in particular hold true for every
     German worker. With these men and women who work-for
     the cause with all their hearts, with cool heads and
     skilled hands we will master every fate." (D-94; see D-
     64) .

In a memorandum of a conference held on 9 December 1942,
concerning the proposed publication of a book dealing with
Krupp's armament activities, Von Bulow, confidential
secretary Krupp, wrote:

     "For the period of transition from 1919 up to
     rearmament, A. K. [Krupp] had undertaken various tasks
     in order to keep up the Company's activity in the field
     of artillery, in the sense of observing activities in
     that field in the rest of the world (relation: BOFORS)
     and then also for the production of artillery material,
     within and to a certain extent also be-
     
                                                  [Page 776]
                                                            
      yond, the limitation established by the peace dictate'
                                                  (D-249 ) .

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