GEN. RUDENKO: All right, with regard to the Baltic provinces, there was talk about those, too?
GÖRING: Yes.
GEN. RUDENKO: All right. With regard to the Caucasus, there was talk about annexing the Caucasus also?
GÖRING: It was never a question of its becoming German. We merely spoke about very strong German economic influence in that sphere.
GEN. RUDENKO: So the Caucasus was to become a concession of the Reich?
GÖRING: Just to what degree obviously could not be discussed until after a victorious war. You can see from the record what a mad thing it is to discuss a few days after a war has broken out the things recorded here by Bormann, when nobody knows what the outcome of that war will be and what the possibilities are.
GEN. RUDENKO: Therefore by exaggeration you mean that the Volga territory for instance was not discussed.
GÖRING: The exaggeration lies in the fact that at that time things were discussed which could not be usefully discussed at all. At the most one might have talked about territory which one occupied, and its administration.
GEN. RUDENKO: We are now trying to establish the facts, namely, that those questions had been discussed, and these questions came up at the conference. You do not deny that, do you?
GÖRING: There had been some discussion, yes, but not as recorded in these minutes.