Further evidence is contained in the affidavit of Otto Hoffman, SS Obergruppenfuehrer and General of the Waffen SS and Police, who was chief in the Main Office for Race and Settlement in the SS Supreme Command until 1943. This affidavit, taken at Freising, Germany, on 4 August 1945 reads as follows:
“* * * 2. The executive power, in other words the carrying out of all so-called resettlement actions, that is to say, sending away of Polish and Jewish settlers and those of non-German blood from a territory in Poland destined for Germanization, was in the hands of the Chief of the RSHA (Heydrich and later Kaltenbrunner, since the end of 1942). The Chief of the RSHA also supervised and issued orders to the so-called immigration center (EWZ) which classified the Germans, living abroad who returned to Germany and directed them to the individual farms, already freed. The latter was done in agreement with the chief office of the Reichsfuehrer SS.” (L-49)
Other SS agencies also were included. The report, dated 22 May 1940, relating to confiscation of Polish agricultural enterprises and deportation of the Polish owners to Germany, shows that the following SS agencies were involved in this action:
“Means of transportation to the railroad can be provided (1)—by the enterprise of the East German Corporation of Agricultural Development, (2)—by the SS NCO School in Lublinitz and the concentration camp of Auschwitz.
“These two latter places will also detail the necessary SS men for the day of the confiscation, etc.” (1352-PS)
The extent to which departments of the Supreme Command of the SS were concerned with the evacuation program is shown by the minutes of a meeting on 4 August 1942 dealing with the treatment of deported Alsatians (R-114). The minutes list those present at the meeting as follows:
| “Present: | ||
| “SS.- | ‘Hauptsturmfuehrer’ Dr. Stier | } |
| SS.- | ‘Hauptsturmfuehrer’ Petri | } |
| ‘RR’ | Hoffmann | } Staff Headquarters |
| Dr. | Scherler | } |
| SS.- | ‘Untersturmfuehrer’ Foerster | } |
| SS.- | ‘Obersturmfuehrer’ Dr. Hinrichs, Chief of Estate Office and Settlement Staff, Strasbourg [Leiter des Bodenamtes und Ansiedlungsstabes Strasburg] | |
| SS.- | ‘Sturmbannfuehrer’ Bruckner, Intermediate Office for Racial Germans (Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle) | |
| SS.- | ‘Hauptsturmfuehrer’ Hummisch, Main Office Reich Security [Reichssicherheitshauptamt] | |
| SS.- | ‘Untersturmfuehrer’ Dr. Sieder, Main office for race and settling [Rus-Hauptamt] | |
| Dr. Labes, D. U. T.” (R-114) | ||
The minutes read in part as follows:
“1. State of deportation in Alsace.
“The starting point of the conference was a report on the deportation effected so far and further plans for resettlement in Alsace.”