WAGNER: At every stage of the war all military questions are of importance.
COL. PHILLIMORE: What I am putting to you is that at that stage of the war the importance of all questions chiefly depended on how they affected the military situation.
WAGNER: Yes, that, I imagine, one has to admit.
COL. PHILLIMORE: And during that period Germany was virtually governed by the decisions taken at the Führer’s headquarters, was it not?
WAGNER: Yes.
COL. PHILLIMORE: Now I want you to look at a record of one of Admiral Dönitz’ visits—My Lord, this is D-863; it is a new document and becomes Exhibit GB-456.
Now that is a record of a visit to the Führer’s headquarters on 28 and 29 of August 1943. You were not there yourself, but your immediate superior Vice Admiral Meisel accompanied Admiral Dönitz, and the names of the Naval Delegation are set out at the top of the page: Admiral Dönitz, Vice Admiral Meisel, Kapitän zur See Rehm, et cetera. And your program as set out was: After your arrival, at 1130, conversation with Commander-in-Chief Navy, Commander-in-Chief Luftwaffe; 1300, situation conference with the Führer, closing with a further conversation between the Commander-in-Chief Navy and the Commander-in-Chief Luftwaffe; then at 1600 the Commander-in-Chief Navy left. After that Admiral Meisel had a conversation with Ambassador Ritter of the Foreign Office. Then a conversation with General Jodl, an evening conference with the Führer, and then at midnight a conference with Reichsführer-SS Himmler. On the next day the usual conference with the Führer; then a conference with the Chief of the General Staff of the Air Force. And then he left.
Now, is that a fair sample of what went on whenever Admiral Dönitz visited; that he had conversations, various conferences with other officials?
WAGNER: That is a typical example of a visit of the Grossadmiral at the headquarters, insofar as he participated only in situation conferences with the Führer, and in addition he had military discussions with the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force.
COL. PHILLIMORE: And that shows, does it not, the whole business of government being carried on at the Führer’s headquarters?