Ku/Ni
Kattowitz, May 22, 1940
SECRET
Report on Details of the confiscation in the Bielitz country
Some days ago the commandant of the concentration camp being built at Auschwitz spoke at Staff Leader Mueller's and we requested support for the carrying out of his assignments. He said that it was absolutely necessary to confiscate the agriculture enterprises within a certain area around the concentration camp, since not only the fields but also the farm houses of these border directly on the concentration camp. A local inspection held on the 21st of this month revealed the following: There is no room for doubt that the agriculture enterprises bordering on the concentration camp must be confiscated at once. Further than this, the camp commandant requests that further plots of farm land be placed at his disposal, so that he can keep the prisoners busy. This too can be done without further delay since enough land can be made available for the purpose. The owners of the plots are all Poles.
The following agreements have been reached by me with the Camp Commandant and the proper measures prepared. The Director of the Branch agency in Bielitz will immediately determine the names of the Polish farmers and will also divide the land to be confiscated into zones.
Zone 1. Enterprises whose plots border directly on the camp.
Zone 2. Agricultural plots with enterprises which are placed at the disposal of the camp for the employment of the prisoners, namely for about 2000 prisoners for the time being.
Zone 3. As in zone 2, with the only difference, that the number of prisoners has increased considerably. Zones 4 and 5 follow them. In the last case it must be determined to what extent it is possible to put that kind of terrain at the disposal of the camp. The result for Zone I must be known within a few days, in order to enable the Land office in Kattowitz to start the confiscation procedures. It will be necessary to state the size of the families whose enterprises have been confiscated, even giving age and sex.
I had the following discussion with the head of the labor-office in Bielitz.
The lack of agricultural laborers still exists in the old Reich. The transfer of the previous owners of the confiscated enterprises, together with their entire families, to the Reich is possible without any further consideration. It is only necessary for the labor office to receive the lists of the persons in time, in order to enable it to take the necessary steps (collection of transportation, distribution over the various regions in need of such labor). Furniture cannot be taken along under any circumstances in the course of the confiscation, the only things left to the Poles, were, anyway, only the most vital items, like bedding, ample food, clothes and other such things.
If the confiscation takes place the Poles will be billeted by the labor office in barracks, put at its disposal by the camp commandant, until their deportation. The deportation of the Poles of further zones will follow along the same lines.