Q. At these staff conferences, did Sauckel ever make any statements saying he brought the laborers voluntarily to the Reich?
A. I remember that Sauckel repeatedly said approximately the following:
“They say that I am forcing laborers to come to Germany. Once somebody said I went to foreign countries with a lasso and caught people and brought them over to Germany. They said I forced them to come to Germany.”
Furthermore, he said:
“I declare all those things are not true. The laborers are brought to Germany by me on the basis of contracts with other governments, as far as there are governments in those occupied territories, or on the orders of the local military commanders or other local German agencies.”
He asked us to tell our superiors his opinion on that question.
Q. Is it known to you that there was an agreement with the French Government according to which one prisoner of war would be released to France for two laborers.
A. Yes.
Q. Is it known to you that the French workers during their activity in Germany got leave once in a while?