DR. THOMA: Herr Rosenberg, in the RSHA there was an office for the persecution of “political” churches. Did you have any connection with this department?
ROSENBERG: I know only that a co-worker of mine was in contact with many Party offices as a matter of policy and, of course, was also in touch with the SS. Through him I received many circular letters from the church authorities: pastoral letters, the circular letters of the Fulda Conference of Bishops, and many others. No arrests of individual church leaders came to my attention—although, of course, later on I did find out that during the war many monasteries had been confiscated, ostensibly for state political reasons—and so I never was able to find out in detail the political motives involved.
I must mention that in the year 1935 a bishop sent an official letter to the administrative head of his province, asking him to prohibit me from delivering speeches in that city. That, to be sure, was of no avail; this church dignitary was not harmed either by me or by anybody else, however.
DR. THOMA: What was your attitude toward the churches coming within the range of the Ministry for Eastern Territories?
ROSENBERG: After the entry of German troops in the eastern territories, the Wehrmacht of its own accord granted the practice of religious worship; and when I was made Minister for the East, I legally sanctioned this practice by issuing a special “church tolerance” edict at the end of December 1941.
DR. THOMA: The Prosecution have presented a number of documents—almost all of them letters by the Leader of the Party Chancellery—to support their contention of religious persecution. I would like to have you state your attitude toward these documents, which have been submitted under Numbers 107, 116, 122, 129, 101; USA-107, USA-351; 116, USA-685...
THE PRESIDENT: Dr. Thoma, you are going too fast for us to get these numbers down. 107-PS, do you mean?
DR. THOMA: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: Will you kindly say PS if you mean PS? 107-PS, 116-PS.
DR. THOMA: Yes, I will add the USA exhibit numbers. 107-PS, 351-USA...