“The Fuehrer appoints the following Political Directors: “Reichsleiter and all Political Directors, to include the Directors of the Womens Leagues within the Reich Directorate or Reichsleitung.” (1893-PS)
The significant fact is that through the Reichsleitung perfect coordination of Party and State machinery was guaranteed. The Party Manual describes it this way:
“In the Reichsleitung the arteries of the organization of the German people and of the German State merge.” (1893-PS)
To demonstrate that the Reichsleiter of the Leadership Corps included the most powerful coalition of political overlords in Nazi Germany, it is necessary only to mention their names. The list of Reichsleiter includes the following defendants on trial: Rosenberg, Von Schirach, Frick, Bormann, and Ley.
The evidence to be presented will show that Rosenberg was the leader of an organization named for him, the Einsatzstab Rosenberg, which carried out a vast program of looting and plunder of art treasures throughout occupied Europe. The evidence will further show that, as Representative of the Fuehrer for the Supervision of Nazi Ideology and Schooling, Rosenberg participated in an aggressive campaign to undermine the Christian churches and to supersede Christianity by a German National Church founded upon a combination of irrationality, pseudo-scientific theories, mysticism, and the cult of the racial state.
It will be shown that the late Defendant Ley, acting as the agent of Hitler and the Leadership Corps, directed the Nazi assault upon the independent labor unions of Germany and before destroying himself first destroyed the free and independent labor movement; and that he replaced it by a Nazi organization, the German Labor front or DAF, which he employed as a means of exploiting the German labor force in the interests of the conspiracy and to instill Nazi ideology among the ranks of the German workers.
It will be shown that Frick participated in the enactment of many laws which were designed to promote the conspiracy in its several phases. Frick shares responsibility for the grave injury done by the officials of the Leadership Corps to the concept of the rule of law by virtue of his efforts to give the color of law and formal legality to a large volume of Nazi legislation violative of the rights of humanity, such as the legislation designed to stigmatize and eliminate the Jewish people of Germany and German-occupied Europe. As chief of the Party Chancellery, immediately under Hitler, Bormann was an extremely important force in directing the activities of the Leadership Corps. As will be shown, a decree of 16 January 1942 provided that the participation of the Party in all important legislation, governmental appointments, and promotions had to be undertaken exclusively by Bormann. He took part in the preparation of all laws and decrees issued by the Reich authorities and gave his assent to those of the subordinate governments.
The list of Reichsleiter of the NSDAP set forth in the National Socialist Yearbook (1943 Edition) shows that the following 15 Reichsleiter were in office in 1943 (2473-PS):
| “THE REICHSLEITERS OF THE NSDAP | |
| “Max Amann | Reichsleiter for the Press. |
| “Martin Bormann | Chief of the Party Chancery. |
| “Phillipp Bouhler | Chief of the Chancery of the Fuehrer of the NSDAP. Chairman of the official Party Investigation Commission for the Protection of National Socialist Writings. |
| “Walter Darré | On leave. |
| “Otto Dietrich | Reich Press Chief of the NSDAP. |
| “Franz von Epp | Chief of the Kolonialpolitischen Amtes. |
| “Karl Fiehler | Chief of the main office for Municipal Politics. |
| “Wilhelm Frick | Leader of the National Socialist “faction” in the Reichstag. |
| “Joseph Goebbels | Reich Propaganda Leader of the NSDAP. |
| “Konstantin Hierl | Leader of the Reich Labor. |
| “Heinrich Himmler | Reich Leader of the SS. The Deputy of the NSDAP, for all questions of Germandom. |
| “Robert Ley | Reich Organization Leader of the NSDAP. Leader of the German Labor Front. |
| “Victor Lutze | Chief of Staff of the SA. |
| “Alfred Rosenberg | Representative of the Fuehrer for the supervision of all mental and ideological training and education of the NSDAP. |
| “Baldur von Schirach | Reich Leader for the Education of Youth of the NSDAP. |
| “Franz Xaver Schwarz | Reich Treasurer of the NSDAP.” |
| (2473-PS) | |
The principal functions of the Reichsleiter included carrying out the tasks and missions assigned to them by the Fuehrer or by the Chief of the Party Chancellery, Martin Bormann. The Reichsleiter were further charged with insuring that Party policies were being executed in all the subordinate areas of the Reich. The Reichsleiter were also responsible for insuring a continual flow of new leadership into the Party. With respect to the function and responsibilities of the Reichsleiter, the Organization Book of the NSDAP states as follows: