“(b) On 15th April 1944, at Sagan, a member of the German camp staff (Hauptmann Pieber) produced to the new senior British officer (Group Captain Wilson) a list of 47 names of the officers who had been shot.
“(c) On 18th May 1944, at Sagan, the senior British officer was given three additional names, making a total of 50.
“(d) On or about 12th June 1944, the Swiss Minister in Berlin received from the German Foreign Office, in reply to his enquiry into the affair, a note to the effect that 37 prisoners of British nationality and 13 prisoners of non-British nationality were shot when offering resistance when found or attempting to re-escape after capture. This note also referred to the return of urns containing the ashes of the dead to Sagan for burial.”
The official German version—the official version of the German authorities—indicated that these officers were shot allegedly while attempting to escape. As a matter of fact, as definitely proved by the documentation of the investigation carried out by the British authorities, the officers were murdered—and murdered by members of the Gestapo on direct orders from Keitel and with the full knowledge of Göring.
I shall, with your permission, read into the record in confirmation of this fact two paragraphs—or rather two points—from the official British report, that is, Point 7 and Point 8:
“7. General Major Westhoff at the time of the escape was in charge of the general department relating to prisoners of war, and on 15th June 1945 he made a statement in the course of which he said that he and General Von Graevenitz, the inspector of the German POW organization, were summoned to Berlin a few days after the escape and there interviewed by Keitel. The latter told them that he had been blamed by Göring in the presence of Himmler for having let the prisoners of war escape.
“Keitel said, ‘Gentlemen, these escapes must stop. We must set an example. We shall take very severe measures. I can only tell you that the officers who have escaped will be shot; probably the majority of them are dead already.’ When Von Graevenitz objected, Keitel said, ‘I do not care a damn; we discussed it in the Führer’s presence and it cannot be altered.’ ”
Point 8: I begin the quotation of the official British report:
“Max Ernst Gustav Friedrich Wielen was then the officer in charge of the Criminal Police (Kripo) at Breslau, and he also made a statement, dated 26th August 1945, in the course of which he said that as soon as practically all the escaped R.A.F. officers had been recaptured he was summoned to Berlin where he saw Arthur Nebe, the Chief of the Kripo head office, who showed him a teleprint order signed by Kaltenbrunner, which was to the effect that on the express order of the Führer over half of the officers who had escaped from Sagan were to be shot after their recapture. It was stated that Müller had received corresponding orders and would give instructions to the Gestapo. According to Wielen the Kripo, who were responsible for collecting and holding all the recaptured prisoners, handed over to the Gestapo the prisoners who were to be shot, having previously provided the Gestapo with a list of the prisoners regarded by the camp authorities as ‘troublesome.’ ”
I would also ask the Tribunal’s permission to read into the record that part of the text of the official report of the British Government which deals with the methods of investigation in regard to individual officers. This documentation has been systematized and divided into three parts. I take the liberty of reading into the record the data of the findings referring to the three separate parts. I quote Page 3 of the Russian text, beginning from Paragraph 2: