The third (644-PS) 22 May 1933, relates to the death of Louis Schloss, an inmate of Dachau. Attached to the letter is a copy of a report of the autopsy conducted in the Schloss case, signed by the examining physicians. The letter of 22 May 1933, begins:

"In the afternoon of 16 May 1933 the police station Dachau formed the State Prosecution that an inmate of the concentration camp Dachau, the merchant Louis Schloss, from Nurnberg widowed, born on 21 June 1889, has hanged him-self in, solitary confinement. At the request of the state prosecution, on the same day the legal inspection was performed with the assistance of the state court physician with the state Court Munich II. As it was proven that the corpse exhibited numerous whip marks and as the cause of death appeared doubtful, an autopsy was carried out on 17 May 1933., According to a preliminary certificate of the partici-

[Page 204]

pating physicians, the autopsy did not prove death by hanging". (644-PS)

The preliminary opinion of the examining physician states:

"Preliminary opinion:

"I. The death through hanging could not be proven by autopsy.

"II. Extensive blood suffusions and whipmarks were found, particularly on the back, on the buttocks and on both arms, as well as on both legs, abdomen and thorax to a minor extent. In the region of the buttocks and shoulders extensive destruction of adipose tissue was found together with the blood suffusions. This is adequate to explain death through autointoxication and fat embolism." (644-PS)

The fourth (645-PS) 1 June 1933, relates to the death of Sebastian Nefzger, another Dachau prisoner. The letter reads:

"On 27 May 1933, the following report was received by the Lower Court Dachau:

"Concentration Camp Dachau, Political Division, 27 May 1933, to the Lower Court Dachau. An inquest on the dead body of the prisoner Nefzger Sebastian merchant in Munich, Schommerstrasse 17/0, born: 10 January 1900 in Munich, religion: Catholic, marital status: married -- showed that death through the action of third persons must be excluded. Death was indubitably caused by excessive bleeding-resulting from an opened artery of the left hand. Signed Dr. Nuernberg, Camp Physician.

"Neither the Lower Court Dachau nor the State Attorney Munich II had up to that time been informed of Nefzger's death reported in the letter in spite of the fact that Nefzger had already died in the night of 25 May 1933 to 26 May 1933. The Lower Court Dachau informed the State Attorney, Munich II of this letter. A coroner's inquest was ordered, which took place as late as 27 May 1933. Since the physician appointed by the Superior Court, doubted that death had occurred to excessive bleeding and in identified marks of strings on the victim's neck, a judicial autopsy was arranged by the State Attorney on 29 May 1933. The resulting opinion of the expert is so far: I) The autopsy discloses that excessive bleeding due to a cut on the left arm must be excluded as a cause of death: II) The cut on the left wrist reveals three incisions of the bone. Trial cuts are lacking. These findings are contrary to the assumption that the wound has been self- inflicted: III) It must be assumed that the cause of death was suffocation. As a cause for suffocation, strangu-

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lation and throttling must be considered. The characteristics of the marks left by the strings do not agree with those otherwise observed in cases of death caused by hanging."

These four murders, committed within the short space of two weeks in the Spring of 1933, each by different SS guards, are but a few examples of SS activities in the camps eve as early as 1933. Many similar examples from that period and later periods could be produced.

Indeed, that sort of thing was officially encouraged. Disciplinary Regulations for the Dachau Concentration Camp were issued on 1 October 1933 by SS Fuehrer Eicke, who later became commander of all the Death Head Units (778-PS). The fourth paragraph of the introduction of those rules provides:

"Tolerance means weakness. In the light of this conception, punishment will be mercilessly handed out whenever the interests of the Fatherland warrant it. The fellow countryman who is decent but misled will never be affected by these regulations. But let it be a warning to the agitating politicians and intellectual provocators -- regardless of which kind -- be on guard not to be caught, for otherwise it will be your neck and you will be shut up according to your own methods." 778-PS)

So many inmates were killed "while trying to escape," to use the pat official phrase, that by 1936 the Minister of Justice was moved to appeal to Himmler to regulate the use of firearms by the Death Head Units. A memorandum 9 March 1936, prepared by Minister of Justice Guertner, reads as follows:

"On the 2d of this month, using the Hoppe case as an illustration, I discussed the question of use of arms by the guard personnel of the concentration camp with the Reichsfuehrer SS. I suggested to Himmler that he issue an order on the use of arms for the officials subordinated to him. I referred in this respect to the example of the decree on the use of arms by the armed forces of 17 January of this year. Himmler has promised me that such a decree will be issued and will grant us participation in the preliminary work." (781-PS)

The memorandum bears the pencil notation, "Initiative with Himmler". Subsequent events showed how Himmler carried out this initiative.

b) Administration of concentration camps through SS agencies. Furnishing guard personnel was not the only function of the SS with relation to the camps. The entire internal manage of the camps, including the use of prisoners, their housing,

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clothing, sanitary conditions, the determination of their right to live and the disposal of their remains, was controlled by the SS. Such management was first vested in the leader of the SS Death Head Units, who also had the title of Inspector of the Concentration Camp. This official was originally a part of the SS Main Office (SS Hauptamt), represented on the chart by the second box from the left (Chart Number 3)

During the course of the war, in March 1942, control of concentration camps was transferred to another of the departments of the SS Supreme Command, the SS Economic and Administration Main Office (commonly known as WVHA). That department is indicated on the chart by the third box from the left (Chart Number 3).

That change was announced in a letter to Himmler 30 April 1942 from SS Obergruppenfuehrer and General of the Waffen SS Pohl, the Chief of WVHA (R-129). In that letter Pohl reported on the measures he had taken to carry out Himmler's order of 3 March 1942 to transform the camps into large scale economic enterprises, and inclosed an order to all concentration camp commanders which provided that no longer was there to be any limit on working hours in the camps. (R-129)

(c) SS control of concentration camps and the slave labor program. This shift of control to WVHA coincided with the change in the basic purposes of the concentration camps. Political and security reasons, which previously had been the grounds for confinement, were abandoned and the camps were made to serve the Nazi slave labor program.

To satisfy the increased demands for manpower it was not enough to work the inmates of the camp harder. More inmates had to be obtained. Through its police arm, the SS was prepared to satisfy this demand. On 17 December 1942 an order was issued to all commanders of the Security Police and SD directing that at least 35,000 prisoners qualified for work be sent immediately to the concentration camps (1063-D-PS). Thirty-five thousand prisoners was, of course, merely the beginning. The SS dragnet was capable of catching many more slaves. A directive to all the departments of the SS Supreme Command signed by Himmler at his field headquarters on 5 August 1943, ordered the collection of men, women, and children for work in coal mines (744-PS). This directive implements an order signed by Keitel directing the use of all males captured in guerilla fighting in the East for forced labor (744-PS). The Himmler directive, it will be noted, is addressed to every main office in the SS Supreme Command:

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     "Subject: Manpower for coal mining industry. Reference:
     Letter of the command staff of the Reichsfuehrer SS --
     journal No. Ia/1909/43 secret.                        Secret
     
      1. Chief of the personal staff of Reichsfuehrer SS.
      2. SS Main Office.
      3. Reich security main office (RSHA).
      4. Race and resettlement main office-SS.
      5. Main office, ordinary police.
      6. SS economic administrative main office.
      7. SS personal main office.
      8. Main office SS court.
      9. SS Supreme Command -- Headquarters of the Waffen SS.
     10. Staff Headquarters of the Reichscommissar for the con-
         solidation of Germanism.
     11. Main office center for Racial Germans (Volksdeutsche
         Mittelstelle).
     12. Office of SS Obergruppenfuehrer Heissmeyer.
     13. Chief of the guerilla-fighting units.
     14. Higher SS and Police Leader Ostland.
     15. Higher SS and Police Leader Russia-Center.
     16. Higher SS and Police Leader Russia-South.
     17. Higher SS and Police Leader Northeast.
     18. Higher SS and Police Leader East.
     19. Higher SS and Police Leader Alpine territory.
     20. Higher SS and Police Leader-Serbia.
     21. Commissioner of the Reichsfuehrer SS for Croatia.
     
     "To figure 4 of the above-mentioned order, I order,
     that all young female prisoners, capable of work, are
     to be sent to Germany for work, through the agency of
     Reich Commissioner Sauckel.
     
     "Children, old women, and men are to be collected and
     employed in the women's and children's camps,
     established by me, on estates as well as on the border
     of the evacuated area." (744-PS)

In April 1944 the SS was called on to produce even more laborers, this time 100,000 to be drawn from Hungarian Jews, as shown by the minutes of Speer's discussion with Himmler on 6 April 1944 and 7 April 1944. (R-124)

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