It would perhaps be advisable to summarize the facts under 1, 3, and 4 by saying that any attack of an airman on civilian population committed with machine guns is to be treated as a criminal act. The individual acts listed under 1, 3, and 4 would then merely form particularly remarkable instances. Nor does the Foreign Office see any reason why such attacks should not be punished, when committed upon civilian population in ordinary dwellings, in motor cars, in river vessels, etc.
The Foreign Office proceeds from the fact that German airmen are, as a general rule, forbidden, when attacking England, to make use of machine guns against the civilian population. As far as the Foreign Office is informed, such a prohibition was issued some time ago by the Commander in Chief of the Air Force. A general publication could point out the fact that such a prohibition is in force.
III. The above considerations warrant the general conclusion that the cases of lynching ought to be stressed in the course of this action. If the action is carried out to such an extent that its purpose, viz, the deterring of enemy airmen, is actually achieved which the Foreign Office approves of, then the machine gun attacks of enemy airmen upon the civilian population ought to be given publicity in quite another manner than has been the practice up to now, if not in home propaganda, then at any rate in foreign propaganda. The competent local German authorities, probably the police stations, should be instructed to send at once, in every case of such an attack, a short and true report mentioning details concerning place, time, number of killed and wounded, to a central office in Berlin. This central office ought then to transmit these reports at once to the Foreign Office for use.
As such machine gun attacks on the civilian population also have taken place in other countries, e.g., in France, Belgium, Croatia, Rumania, the competent German offices or the governments of those countries ought to be asked to collect in the same way news about attacks on the civilian population and to make propagandistic use of these in foreign countries in cooperation with the German authorities.
IV. In the letter of 15 June the intention has been mentioned that any publication should, until further notice, be proceeded by an agreement, i.e., with the Foreign Office. The Foreign Office attaches special importance to this and insists also that such an agreement take place not only until further notice, but during the entire duration of the action.
By order
[typed and crossed out] Signed: Ritter
5. Notes of General Warlimont, 30 June 1944
Operations Staff of Armed Forces
No. 006988/44 secret command matter