“At the time the 4-year-plan was established, I issued the statement where I made it clear that a completely autarchical economy is impossible for us, because the need of men will be too great. Nevertheless, my solution was always to provide the necessary reserves for missing stocks respectively to secure the delivery in wartime through economic alliances.” (1456-PS)
On this macabre note the story of this aggression comes to an end. In view of the solemn pledge of nonaggression; the base and sinister motives involved; the months of secret planning and preparation; and the suffering intentionally and deliberately wrought; it may perhaps not be too much to say that in the history of relations between sovereign nations, a blacker chapter has never been written than the one which tells of the Nazi conspirators’ unprovoked invasion of the territory of the Soviet Union.
LEGAL REFERENCES AND LIST OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO AGGRESSION AGAINST THE USSR
| Document | Description | Vol. | Page |
| Charter of the International Military Tribunal, Article 6 (a) | I | 5 | |
| International Military Tribunal, Indictment Number 1, Sections IV (F) 6; V. | I | 27, 29 | |
| ————— | |||
| Note: A single asterisk (*) before a document indicates that the document was received in evidence at the Nurnberg trial. A double asterisk (**) before a document number indicates that the document was referred to during the trial but was not formally received in evidence, for the reason given in parentheses following the description of the document. The USA series number, given in parentheses following the description of the document, is the official exhibit number assigned by the court. | |||
| ————— | |||
| *444-PS | Original Directive No. 18 from Fuehrer’s Headquarters signed by Hitler and initialled by Jodl, 12 November 1940, concerning plans for prosecution of war in Mediterranean Area and occupation of Greece. (GB 116) | III | 403 |
| *446-PS | Top Secret Fuehrer Order No. 21 signed by Hitler and initialled by Jodl, Warlimont and Keitel, 18 December 1940, concerning the Invasion of Russia (case Barbarossa). (USA 31) | III | 407 |
| *447-PS | Top Secret Operational Order to Order No. 21, signed by Keitel, 13 March 1941, concerning Directives for special areas. (USA 135) | III | 409 |
| *864-PS | Top Secret Note, 20 October 1939, on conference between Hitler and Chief OKW concerning future relations of Poland to Germany, 17 October 1939. (USA 609) | III | 619 |
| *865-PS | Correspondence between Keitel, Rosenberg and Lammers, April 1941, concerning appointment of Jodl and Warlimont as OKW representatives with Rosenberg. (USA 143) | III | 621 |
| *872-PS | Memorandum of Discussion between the Fuehrer and the OKW, concerning case “Barbarossa” and “Sonnenblume” (African operation). (USA 134) | III | 626 |
| *873-PS | Top secret memorandum of discussion with the Chief “L”, 30 April 1941, about the invasion of Russia. (USA 137) | III | 633 |
| 874-PS | Draft letter to Todt, initialled K, J, and W, 9 March 1941, concerning Deception measures. | III | 634 |
| 876-PS | Letter from Keitel, 12 May 1941, concerning Deception of the enemy. | III | 635 |
| 886-PS | Fuehrer decree, 13 May 1941, on courts-martial and treatment of enemy civilians in the district “Barbarossa”, signed by Keitel for Hitler, and initialled by Jodl. | III | 637 |
| *1017-PS | Memorandum entitled “Memorial No. 1 regarding USSR”, 2 April 1941, found in Rosenberg’s “Russia File”. (USA 142) | III | 674 |
| *1019-PS | Appendix to Memorandum No. 2. Recommendation as to the personnel for the Reich Commissariats in the East and for the Political Central Office in Berlin, 7 April 1941. (USA 823) | III | 681 |
| *1029-PS | Paper entitled “Instructions for a Reich Commissar in the Baltic States”, 8 May 1941, found in Rosenberg’s “Russia File”. (USA 145) | III | 690 |
| *1030-PS | General instructions for all Reich Commissars in the Occupied Eastern Territories, 8 May 1941, found in Rosenberg file. (USA 144) | III | 692 |
| 1034-PS | Minutes of discussion concerning Construction and Administration, 22 June 1941. | III | 693 |
| *1039-PS | Report concerning preparatory work regarding problems in Eastern Territories, 28 June 1941, found in Rosenberg’s “Russia File”. (USA 146) | III | 695 |
| *1058-PS | Excerpt from a speech, 20 June 1941, by Rosenberg before people most intimately concerned with Eastern Problem, found in his “Russia File”. (USA 147) | III | 716 |
| 1156-PS | Report to Goering from Chief of Office for War Mobilization of Economy, 19 March 1941. | III | 808 |
| *1157-PS | Report on conference, 29 April 1941, concerning top secret plan for Economic exploitation of Soviet Areas (Oldenburg Plan). (USA 141) | III | 811 |
| *1229-PS | OKW Directive to the German Intelligence Service in the East, signed by Jodl, 6 September 1940. (USA 130) | III | 849 |
| 1316-PS | Top secret note for files on conference of 21 March 1941 concerning employment of Quartermaster General. | III | 908 |
| *1317-PS | Top secret notes taken by Hamann of a discussion of the economic exploitation of Russia, presided over by General Thomas, 28 February 1941. (USA 140) | III | 911 |
| *1456-PS | Thomas memorandum 20 June 1941; Keitel consulted about resources of USSR. (USA 148) | IV | 21 |
| *1517-PS | Memorandum from Rosenberg concerning discussion with the Fuehrer, 14 December 1941. (USA 824) | IV | 55 |
| *1799-PS | Annex 1 to report of Chief of General Staff of the Army, 5 December 1940, concerning planned operation in the East. (USA 131) | IV | 374 |
| *1834-PS | Report on conference between Ribbentrop and Oshima, 23 February 1941. (USA 129) | IV | 469 |
| *2353-PS | Extracts from General Thomas’ Basic Facts for History of German War and Armament Economy. (USA 35) | IV | 1071 |
| *2718-PS | Memorandum “About the result of today’s discussion with State Secretaries about Barbarossa”, 2 May 1941. (USA 32) | V | 378 |
| 3014-PS | Affidavit of General Ernst Koestring, former German military attache in Moscow, concerning planning for the attack on the USSR in early August 1940. | V | 734 |
| 3031-PS | Affidavit of General Warlimont, 21 November 1945, stating that first directive for campaign against USSR was issued in August 1940. | V | 740 |
| 3032-PS | Affidavit of General Walter Warlimont, 21 November 1945, stating that the projected campaign against USSR was first made known to him at conference with Jodl, 29 July 1940. | V | 741 |
| *3054-PS | “The Nazi Plan”, script of a motion picture composed of captured German film. (USA 167) | V | 801 |
| 3579-PS | Memorandum, signed Schnurre, on the status of deliveries under German-Russian economic agreement, 28 September 1940. | VI | 276 |
| *C-33 | Entries in Naval War Diary, concerning operation “Barbarossa” and “Marita”. (USA 133) | VI | 846 |
| *C-35 | Entry in Naval War Diary, January 1941, p. 401. (USA 132) | VI | 852 |
| C-37 | References to operation “Barbarossa” in the German Naval War Diary, June 1941. | VI | 854 |
| *C-38 | Letter, 13 June 1941, requesting decision on action against enemy submarines and Order to attack Soviet submarines, 15 June 1941. (GB 223) | VI | 855 |
| *C-39 | Timetable for Barbarossa, approved by Hitler and signed by Keitel. (USA 138) | VI | 857 |
| *C-50 | Covering letters and Order of 13 May 1941, signed by Keitel on ruthless treatment of civilians in the USSR for offenses committed by them. (USA 554; GB 162) | VI | 871 |
| C-51 | Order signed by Keitel, 27 July 1941, for destruction of all copies of Order of 13 May 1941 (document C-50) without affecting its validity. | VI | 875 |
| C-53 | Order signed by Keitel, 20 September 1940, concerning Military Missions to Rumania. | VI | 877 |
| C-54 | Fuehrer Order, 23 May 1941, concerning military activities in Rumania. | VI | 877 |
| *C-77 | Memorandum from Chief of High Command to Navy High Command, 18 May 1941. (GB 146) | VI | 908 |
| *C-78 | Schmundt’s Order of 9 June 1941, convening conference on Barbarossa on 14 June. (USA 139) | VI | 909 |
| C-150 | Letter from Hitler to General Antonescu, 18 June 1941. | VI | 963 |
| *C-170 | File of Russo-German relations found in OKM files covering period 25 August 1939 to 22 June 1941. (USA 136) | VI | 977 |
| *L-172 | “The Strategic Position at the Beginning of the 5th Year of War”, a lecture delivered by Jodl on 7 November 1943 at Munich to Reich and Gauleiters. (USA 34) | VII | 920 |
| *TC-25 | Non-aggression Treaty between Germany and USSR and announcement of 25 September 1939 relating to it. (GB 145) | VIII | 375 |
| Statement XIV | Hungarian Relations with Germany Before and During the War by Nicholas Horthy, Jr., Nurnberg, 22 February 1946. | VIII | 756 |
| Statement XV | Why Hungary Went to War Against the Soviet Union by Nicholas Horthy, Jr., Nurnberg, 3 May 1946. | VIII | 767 |
13. COLLABORATION WITH ITALY AND JAPAN AND
AGGRESSIVE WAR AGAINST THE UNITED STATES:
NOVEMBER 1936 TO DECEMBER 1941
In the course of two years, the swastika had been carried forward by force of arms from a tightly controlled and remilitarized Germany to the four corners of Europe. The conspirators then projected the Nazi plan upon a universal screen, involving the old World of Asia and the New World of the United States of America. As a result, the wars of aggression that were planned in Berlin and launched across the frontiers of Poland ended some six years later, almost to the day, in surrender ceremonies aboard a United States battleship riding at anchor in the Bay of Tokyo.
A. Formal German—Japanese—Italian Alliances.
The first formal alliance between Hitler’s Germany and the Japanese Government was the Anti-Comintern Pact signed in Berlin on 25 November 1936 (2508-PS). This agreement, on its face, was directed against the activities of the Communist International. It was subsequently adhered to by Italy on 6 November 1937 (2506-PS).
It is an interesting fact—especially in light of the evidence to be presented regarding Ribbentrop’s active participation in collaboration with the Japanese—that Ribbentrop signed the Anti-Comintern Pact for Germany, at Berlin, even though at that time, November 1936, Ribbentrop was not the German Foreign Minister, but simply Hitler’s Special Ambassador Plenipotentiary.