Milch: In my opinion agriculture has to be provided with its labor. If, theoretically, agriculture could have been given 100,000 more men, there would be 100,000 fairly well-fed men, while those we get now, particularly the prisoners of war, are not exactly fit for work. If agriculture will get them in time, they will again be able to feed these people up again. However, it will not be very happy about it. * * *
PARTIAL TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT R-124
DEFENSE EXHIBIT 7
EXTRACT FROM THE STENOGRAPHIC MINUTES OF THE
THIRTY-SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE CENTRAL
PLANNING BOARD, 12 FEBRUARY 1943
STENOGRAPHIC MINUTES OF THE 32D CONFERENCE
OF THE CENTRAL PLANNING BOARD—THE FOUR
YEAR PLAN ON 12 FEBRUARY 1943
Milch: Everybody sticks to his old methods until he is literally beaten away from them. However, one must not only beat, one must give advice, too. They must be good experts who will tell people: You will do that this way or that; it is not necessary that you use just this sum. Who does such a thing will never give in and say, I can do with less. Mining has been partly beaten[[105]] into iron by saying we cannot give you anything but iron on account of the shortage of lumber.