If the “Red Booklets” contained a single paragraph which could be used to prove the prosecution’s claims, it can be assumed with certainty that these booklets would have been submitted here. But this was not done. From this the conclusion can be drawn with certainty that the members of the Presiding Council of the Reich Research Council did not receive any information about criminal experiments. And, as quoted before in this connection, Mr. McHaney himself admitted during the cross-examination of Rostock that he did not believe that, for example, Haagen informed the Reich Research Council about his experiments in the concentration camps.
Haagen made detailed statements on the coming into being of research commissions in general and, also in particular, on that of the commissions he gave out, and on the right and the duty of control held by the agency giving the commission. (Tr. pp. 9417-9419.)
EXTRACTS FROM THE CLOSING BRIEF FOR DEFENDANT
HANDLOSER
It is the duty of the Inspector of the Army Medical Service, as Chief of the Army Medical Service, to insure within the scope of his official supervision that the intermediate superiors are able to perform their duties. He also has to see to it that the military information and report channels are well organized in order to guarantee the required survey of the whole complex and the reporting and immediate investigation of unusual individual cases. This requires the greatest possible care in the selection of the subordinate leading medical officers, as well as periodic inspections to be carried out by the officers selected.
Professor Handloser has submitted an affidavit to this Tribunal concerning the reporting systems pertaining to military medical matters of the Wermacht branches. (Handloser 65, Handloser Ex. 62.)
This document reveals the exemplary organization of the Message and Report Organization, including the sphere of the consulting expert physicians. The handling of the reports on “special occurrences” seems to me to be of special importance for the problem under discussion here. It was a standing order for the whole Wehrmacht that every office, including the offices of the medical service, had to report to the superior office immediately and by the quickest method each occurrence of each circumstance outside the bounds of normal events. (Handloser 65, Handloser Ex. 62.)
Professor Handloser as Inspector of the [Army] Medical Service and Surgeon General [Army Medical Chief (Heeresarzt)] was the Chief of the Medical Service for all fronts and the zone of the interior and was responsible to the Commander in Chief of the Army and to the Commander of the Replacement Army. The 26,500 medical officers of the army were subordinated to him. His field of office and the extent of his work were, therefore, extremely wide.