Now I come to several documents dealing with the treatment of passenger ships. They have an important bearing on the Athenia case, since the Athenia was a passenger ship.
Document Dönitz-68 presents some evidence on the treatment of passenger ships. First comes an order issued on 4 September 1939, which I should like to read:
“On the Führer’s orders, no hostile action is to be taken against passenger ships for the time being, even when in convoy.”
The next excerpt from the same page contains reports on the use of passenger ships as troop transports.
I will now read an excerpt from the Directives for the Conduct of the War against Merchant Shipping, from October to the middle of November 1939, Page 3. As the fullest possible use was made of enemy passenger boats for the transport of troops, it was no longer possible to justify their being spared, at least when they were sailing in convoy. The following order was issued on 29 October: I will read the order, which is dated 29 October. It is at the bottom of the page:
“Passenger liners in enemy convoys may be subjected to immediate unrestricted armed attack by U-boats.”
The next document, Dönitz-69, on Page 170, is to show that in November and December the German press issued a warning against the use of armed passenger ships by publishing lists of these ships.
The next document is Dönitz-70, on Page 171. It is an order issued on 7 November 1939 by the SKL to Commander of U-boats. I read the order:
“U-boats are permitted to attack immediately with all weapons at their command all passenger ships which can be identified with certainty as enemy ships and whose armament is detected or is already known.”
That was about 6 weeks after permission to attack other armed ships had been given.