NOTE BY ROMBERG ON SHOWING OF FILM IN OFFICE OF STATE SECRETARY MILCH, AND PROPOSED REPORT TO MILCH, 11 SEPTEMBER 1942

On 11 September 1942, at 9:45 o’clock, Stabsarzt Dr. Rascher and Dr. Romberg met, according to telephonic and oral agreements with Colonel Pendele, in the antechamber of the State Secretary. We were informed that the State Secretary had ordered this conference at the present stage, in the course of which a report on experiments concerning “rescue from great heights” was to be made, and the motion picture concerning these experiments was to be shown. The gentlemen waiting in the antechamber of the State Secretary and in the corridor (most of them from the experimental staff) were informed that previous to the conference a motion picture was to be shown, so that all went to the projection room on the fifth floor. Here quite a large number of people were already present, so that 30-40 persons were there in all. Among them were officers, medical and engineer officers—we know some of them personally—some whose presence surprised us in view of the top secret nature of the motion picture and of the experiments. No checking of the persons present was done, nor was there an attendance list. As, after a short time of waiting, the State Secretary had not come, the motion picture was shown, without giving us an opportunity for preliminary or explanatory remarks. During the intermission between the two parts of the motion picture, Dr. Rascher referred once more to the strict obligation of secrecy ordered by the Reich Leader SS. After completion of the showing of the motion picture—the State Secretary had not come, as he had been summoned to see the Reich Marshal [Goering]—the persons present still talked a little while about the motion picture, on which occasion less interest was shown in the subject itself than in the place of the experiments and the individuals who had been the subjects. After this period of time, during which we were neither called upon to make any statements whatsoever nor were we, considering the great forum and the absence of the State Secretary, inclined to give any reports the greater part of those present went back to the development conference, while Oberstarzt Wuerfler, Oberstarzt Professor Kalk, Stabsarzt Bruehl and Regierungsrat Benzinger asked us to make a report to a small medical circle. As, however, the State Secretary had prohibited that any report be made before the distribution had been decided on, we refused to disclose the results of the experiments. Oberstarzt Kalk stated that he was willing to report to the State Secretary our wishes concerning the distribution of the report and the continuation of the experiments. The film was handed to Colonel Vorwald.

According to the conference with Obersturmbannfuehrer Sievers, I tried to get the film back on the same day, but Colonel Vorwald was still at the development conference. When I telephoned the next day and requested that the film be handed back, Colonel Vorwald declared that he would like to keep the film until after Sunday, 13 September, since on this day the Reich Marshal was coming and might perhaps desire to see the film. Accordingly, I let Colonel Vorwald keep the film for that day. On 14 September, I went to fetch the film from Colonel Vorwald, and was informed that it had not been shown. On the same day I spoke with Stabsarzt Bruehl, who informed me that Oberstarzt Kalk had transmitted, still on 11 September, our wishes concerning distribution and confirmation of the experiments to the State Secretary. The State Secretary had approved the distribution schedule, and said that a continuation of the experiments was not urgent. A few days later the distribution schedule accepted by the State Secretary was sent to the German Aviation Research Institute by Colonel Pendele, and the report was subsequently transmitted by the Institute to the offices concerned. Since that time I have not received any news either concerning the film or concerning the report.

[Signed] Dr. Romberg

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 1612-PS

PROSECUTION EXHIBIT 79

LETTER FROM RUDOLF BRANDT TO RASCHER, 13 DECEMBER 1942, AND HIMMLER’S ORDER ASSIGNING RASCHER TO HIGH-ALTITUDE EXPERIMENTS

The Reich Leader SS

Field Command Post
[Rubber stamp]:Personal Staff of Reich Leader SS
Documentation Section
File No.: Confidential
Field Command Post, 13 December 1942
The Reich Leader SS
Personal Staff
Journal No. 19/10/43 g, Bra/Secret
1.Hauptsturmfuehrer Dr. med. Rascher [illegible] * * * SS
2.Reich Leader SS Berlin
3.Medical Office in SS Fuehrungshauptamt (SS Operational Main Office) Berlin
4.SS Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl, Berlin
5.Ahnenerbe Berlin-Dahlem