Fritzsche was informed of the plan to attack the Soviet Union and was made au courant of the military intentions at a conference with Rosenberg (PS-1039, USA-146, “Rosenberg’s Written Report to Hitler on the Subject of Preliminary Work in Eastern European Questions”).
Fritzsche headed the German press campaign falsifying reports of Germany’s aggressive war against France, England, Norway, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the other States.
The assertion that Fritzsche was not informed of the War Crimes and the Crimes against Humanity then being perpetrated by the Hitlerites in the occupied regions does not agree with the facts. From Fritzsche’s testimony in Court it is obvious that already in May 1942, while in the Propaganda Section of the 6th Army, he was aware of Hitler’s decree ordering execution for all Soviet political workers and Soviet intellectuals, the so-called “Commissar Decree” (Transcript, Afternoon Session, 27 June 1946). It is also established that already at the beginning of hostilities Fritzsche was fully aware of the fact that the Nazis were carrying out their decision to do away with all Jews in Europe. For instance, when commenting on Hitler s statement that “among results of the war there will be the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe” (Transcript, Afternoon Session, 22 November 1945), Fritzsche stated that: “As the Führer predicted it would occur in the event of war in Europe, the fate of the European Jewry turned out to be quite sad” (Transcript, Morning Session, 23 January 1946). It is further established that the defendant systematically preached the anti-social theory of race hatred and characterized peoples inhabiting countries victimized by aggression as “sub-humans” (Transcript, Afternoon Session, 27 June 1946; Transcript, Morning Session, 28 June 1946).
When the fate of Nazi Germany became clear, Fritzsche came out with energetic support of the Defendant Martin Bormann and of other fanatical Hitler adherents who organized the undercover fascist association, the so-called “Werewolf”.
On 7 April 1945, for example, in his last radio address, Fritzsche agitated for all the civilian population of Germany to take active part in the activities of this terroristic Nazi underground organization.
He said:
“Let no one be surprised to find the civilian population, wearing civilian clothes, still continuing the fight in the regions already occupied and even after occupation has taken place. We shall call this phenomenon “Werewolf” since it will have arisen without any preliminary planning and without a definite organization, out of the very instinct of life.” (USSR-496)
In his radio addresses Fritzsche welcomed the German use of the new terror weapons in conducting the war, specifically the use of the “V” rockets. On receiving a plan for the introduction of bacterial warfare he immediately forwarded it to the OKW for acceptance. (USSR-484; Evidence submitted during the Afternoon Session, 28 June 1946)
I consider Fritzsche’s responsibility fully proven. His activity had a most basic relation to the preparation and the conduct of aggressive warfare as well as to the other crimes of the Hitler regime.