THE PRESIDENT: I have already pointed out to you that there has been practically no cross-examination, and I have asked you to confine this witness, as far as possible, to the question of experiments.
M. DUBOST: The witness will then confine himself to experiments at Buchenwald as this is the Tribunal’s wish. The Tribunal will consider the uniformity of treatment in all German internment camps as proved.
[Turning to the witness] Will you now testify to the criminal practices of the SS Medical Corps in the camps, criminal practices in the form of scientific experiments?
BALACHOWSKY: I was recalled to Buchenwald the 1st of May 1944, and assigned to Block 50, which was actually a factory for the manufacture of vaccines against exanthematous typhus. I was recalled from Dora to Buchenwald, because, in the meantime, the management of the camp had learned that I was a specialist in this sort of research, and consequently they wished to utilize my services in Block 50 for the manufacture of vaccines. However, I was unaware of it until the very last moment.
I came to Block 50 on the 1st of May 1944, and I stayed there until the liberation of the camp on the 11th of April 1945.
Block 50, which was the block where vaccines were manufactured, was under Sturmbannführer Schuler, who was a doctor with the rank of a Sturmbannführer, equal to SS major. He was in charge of the block and was responsible for the manufacture of the vaccines. This same Sturmbannführer Schuler was also in charge of another block in the Buchenwald Camp. This other block was Block 46, the infamous block for experiments, where the internees were utilized as guinea pigs.
Blocks 46 and 50 were both run by one office; it was the “Geschäftszimmer.” All archives, index cards pertaining to the experiments—as well as Block 50, were sent to the Geschäftszimmer, that is, to the office of Block 50.
The secretary of Block 50 was an Austrian political prisoner, my friend, Eugene Kogon. He and a few other comrades had, consequently, opportunities of looking through all the archives of which they had charge. Therefore they were able to know, day by day, exactly what went on either in Block 50, our block, or in Block 46. I myself was able to get hold of most of the archives of Block 46, and even the book in which the experiments were recorded has been saved. It is in our possession, and has been forwarded to the Psychological Service of the American Forces.
In this book all experiments are entered which were made in Block 46. Block 46 was established in October 1941 by a high commission subordinate to the medical service of the Waffen SS; and we see as members of its administrative council, a certain number of names, for this Block 46 came under the Research Section Number 5 (Versuchsabteilung Number 5 of Leipzig) of the Supreme Command of the Waffen SS. Inspector Mrugowski, Obergruppenführer of the Waffen SS, was in charge of this section. The administrative council which set up Block 46 was composed of the following members:
Dr. Genzken, Obergruppenführer (the highest rank in the Waffen SS); Dr. Poppendiek, Gruppenführer of the Waffen SS; and finally we see among these names also that of Dr. Handloser of the Wehrmacht and of the Military Academy of Berlin, who was also associated with the initiation of experiments on human beings.