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(8) Plunder of art treasures. In his capacity as the Fuehrer's delegate, Rosenberg established the Institute for the Exploration of the Jewish Question, in Frankfort on Main. (This institute, commonly known as the "Hohe Schule" has been referred to in the discussion of the Plunder of Art Treasures in Chapter XIV.) Into its library there flowed books, documents, and manuscripts which were looted from virtually every country of occupied Europe. As Ideological Delegate Rosenberg conducted the fabulous art looting activities of the Einsatzstab Rosenberg, activities which extended to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, the Occupied Eastern Territories, Hungary, and Greece. The extent of the plunder is indicated in document 1015-B-PS which contains a detailed account of the seizure of over 21,000 valuable objects of art, and in document 188 in which the looting of the contents of over 71,000 Jewish homes is described.

The importance of Rosenberg's activities as official ideologist of the Nazi party was not overlooked. The Hart biography of Rosenberg, entitled, "The Man and His Work" (3559-PS), states that Rosenberg won the German National prize in 1937. The creation of this prize was the Nazis' petulant reply to the award of the Nobel prize to Carlin Assietsky, an inmate of a German concentration camp. The citation which accompanied the award to Rosenberg read as follows:

"Alfred Rosenberg has helped with his publications to lay the scientific and intuitive foundation and to strengthen the philosophy of the National Socialist in the most excellent way. His indefatigable struggle to keep National Socialist philosophy clean was especially meritorious. Only future times will be able to fully estimate the depth of the influence of this man on the philosophical foundation of the National Socialist Reich. The National Socialist movement, and beyond that, the entire German people, will be deeply gratified that the Fuehrer has distinguished Alfred Rosen-

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berg as one of his oldest and most faithful fighting comrades by awarding him the German National Prize." (3559-PS)

The contribution which Rosenberg's book, "The Myth of the Twentieth Century," made to Nazi ideological propaganda was appraised in the November 1942 edition of the official National Socialist book review publication, "Bucher Kunde" as follows:

"Next to the Fuehrer's book it has contributed to a unique extent to the rise and the spiritual and physical development of this people. Twelve years after Alfred Rosenberg's 'Mythus' first appeared, a million copies of the book have been published and circulated."

*******

"It must therefore be stated that the phrases coined by Alfred Rosenberg have passed into the consciousness of the whole people, and it is just today that they are proving pillars of an ideological building whose completion is the purpose of the fight being waged not least today." (3554-PS)

The significance of ideological training in promoting the aims of the conspiracy is emphasized in a brief statement which Hitler made to his supreme commanders on 23 November 1939. On that occasion, Hitler said:

"The building up of our armed forces was only possible in connection with the ideological education of the German people by the Party." (789-PS)

The contribution which Rosenberg made through formulation and dissemination of National Socialist ideology was fundamental to the conspiracy. As apostle of neo-paganism, exponent of the drive for "Lebensraum," glorifier of the myth of nordic superiority, and as one of the oldest and most energetic Nazi proponents of anti-Semitism, he contributed materially to unification of the German people behind the swastika. He provided the impetus and philosophy of National Socialism.

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

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