MR. DODD: What did you talk to him about?
HAYLER: A great controversy had arisen between the Ministry of Economics and the SS because after I had taken over the State Secretariat in the Ministry of Economics, Himmler had instructed me to turn over to the SS a factory which belonged to the Gau Berlin. I fought against this and did not obey Himmler’s instructions. The files about this must surely still be in existence. I then was instructed to discuss this matter with Pohl. In these conferences and in a personal conversation which Himmler requested and ordered, I still fought against Himmler’s instructions, because I was fundamentally against the SS having industrial enterprises of its own.
MR. DODD: Did you talk to the Defendant Funk about this difficulty with Himmler and Pohl?
HAYLER: Yes, because these difficulties resulted in Himmler’s writing me a letter in December in which he told me that he ceased to have confidence in me and that he had no desire to work with me any more. I reported this to the Defendant Funk in December.
MR. DODD: Did Funk tell you that his bank was helping Himmler out in the building of factories near the concentration camps?
HAYLER: I know nothing about that.
MR. DODD: You never heard of that before now?
HAYLER: Up until now I have never heard anything about Funk’s or the Ministry of Economics’ co-operation in the financing of such buildings or about anything of the sort.
MR. DODD: It is perfectly clear, I think, but I want to make certain, that from 1943 to 1945, while you were the deputy to Funk in the Ministry of Economics, the questions of purchasing on the black market, and so on, in the occupied countries ceased to be of any real importance, didn’t they? You said that; I understood you to say that a few minutes ago yourself.
HAYLER: In 1944—and my time in office virtually did not start until 1944, since in December I had a Ministry which was totally bombed out and we did not get started working again until January 1944—these questions were no longer of decisive importance, since a process of retrogression had already set in.