Some of the docks from the list are well known, some are much less. All of them are taken from open and published sources, so no disruptions ™ and archeographic discoveries are expected, but, nevertheless, they clearly enough reflect the evolution of the views of the country's top leadership on the issue of application "measures of physical influence" in the period from the "Stolypin reaction" to the death of Stalin.
№1
.
Circular of the Minister of Internal Affairs P.A. Stolypin to governors and mayors on the prevention of violence against prisoners.
May 17, 1908(highlighted in document)
Governors and Mayors
The Ministry of the Interior received information about several cases of violence against prisoners by officials of the prison administration and the police, and this illegal measure was sometimes used during interrogations in order to force frank testimony from the arrested.
Such facts undoubtedly testify to the lack of proper supervision over the actions of the aforementioned administrative officials on the part of the governors, the consequence of which are the above abuses of power.
Recognizing as quite appropriate the use of the most drastic measures, including the use of weapons, to suppress riots and resist the authorities, however, I absolutely do not allow the possibility of violence against detainees, in view of which I propose to you ... to impress these instructions of mine on all officials subordinate to you, under whose direct jurisdiction the detainees come, and to take all measures to eradicate any violence against the detainees, so that the principle I have indicated is strictly put into practice not through the formal transmission of my present order to the authorities, but through your personal leadership of the actions of the executive ranks.Signed by: Minister of Internal Affairs State Secretary Stolypin
Bonded by: Director Trusevich
Right: For the Clerk [Signature illegible]
GARF. F. 102. Op. 260. D. 145. L. 139. Certified copy.(link 2001, no longer valid
!}
Published: Political police and political terrorism in Russia (second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries). Collection of documents. M.: AIRO-XX, 2001. S. 292 - 293. Doc. No. 119.
№2
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Appeal of G. G. Yagoda to all Chekists in connection with the excesses in the investigation*.
August 1931
Top secret
TO ALL CHEKISTSDear comrades!
Recently, through the Central Control Commission, the Prosecutor's Office, and also directly, I have received a number of applications and complaints about the actions of certain of our employees, allegedly allowing such methods in the investigation that force the accused to give false testimony and slander themselves and others.(underlined in pencil)
During the investigation, it turned out that the vast majority of the statements are vile lies of our political and class enemies who are trying to evade the deserved punishment by slandering the organs of the OGPU. BUT A FEW STATEMENTS STILL HAVE BENEFITS (Caps attack: so in the document).
I must, however, emphasize that the single excesses that I note in the investigation, UNCOLORATELY, DO NOT HAVE THE CHARACTER OF ANY SYSTEM, ARE RANDOM SINGLE EPISODES WHICH ARE EASY TO ERADIATE AND ELIMINATE.
But even these isolated cases show that in that sharp struggle against the counter-revolution, which, under the leadership of the party, its armed detachment of the OGPU is waging, some comrades resorted during interrogations to completely unacceptable methods of dealing with those under investigation, abused their position as an investigator and, as the investigation showed, guided by the biased interests of the case.
By using investigative techniques that are unacceptable in our work, our workers not only dishonor the organs of the OGPU, but actually confuse the matter, thereby giving the real enemy the opportunity to slip away.
The workers who allowed these actions deserved the most merciless and cruel punishment.
Over the 13 years of fighting the enemies of the proletarian revolution, the employees of the OGPU bodies have shown themselves to be staunch fighters for the cause of the working class, resolutely and mercilessly cracking down on our class enemies, the bodies of the Cheka-OGPU have never allowed themselves to display cruelty or mockery of the enemy - this is the enormous inner strength of the OGPU .
The glorious battle motto of the OGPU has always been and remains "RULESS FIGHT AGAINST THE COUNTER-REVOLUTION, BUT NOT CRULITY TO THE ENEMY." This motto, which is one of the sources of our strength and superiority over the enemies of the revolution, we must unswervingly continue to be guided by.
We have always defeated the enemy not by the use of some special methods during interrogations, but by the strength of the consciousness of our rightness, the consciousness of what our Leninist party, the entire working class has entrusted to us, the cause of defending the proletarian revolution.
We are cracking down on the enemies of the Soviet Union, firmly realizing that our entire Party and the working class as a whole support us in this difficult struggle. But the Party and the working class will never forgive us if we even in the slightest resort to the methods of our enemies. Bullying of prisoners, beatings and the use of other physical methods of influence are indispensable attributes of the entire White Guard.
THE OGPU ALWAYS DISCHARGED THESE TECHNIQUES AS ORGANICALLY FOREIGN TO THE BODIES OF THE PROLETARIAN DICTATORY.
The Chekist who allowed even the slightest mockery of the arrested, allowed even a hint of extortion of testimony - this is not a Chekist, but an enemy of our cause.
Each of our workers must know and remember that even the slightest mistake, made even if not out of ill will, is a stain of shame on all of us.
With this letter of mine, I warn all Chekists, whatever their merits, that the repetition of such cases will meet merciless punishment.
However, I caution against the possibility weakening our struggle against the counter-revolution in the sense of being lax and helpless in the face of a stubborn and unyielding enemy.
The Chekist should not allow the accused to lead him.
We must firmly remember that among the opponents that come across to us there are elements who are ready to give any evidence in order to achieve their release, and sometimes consciously seek to lead our organs on the wrong track. It is obligatory on the part of leading workers to critically check the materials of the investigative proceedings with facts and to effectively manage the undercover and investigative work.
But at the same time, we must carefully monitor that our authorized under the guise of criticism of the essence of the matter, they would not introduce elements of pity and indulgence towards the enemy.
Comrades Chekists! For 13 years we have been fighting the enemies of the Soviet Union.
There is not a single spot on the glorious banner of the OGPU.
There are still many years of struggle and glorious victories ahead. Let's rally our Chekist ranks even closer!Deputy before the OGPU [signature] Berry
AP RF. F. 45. Op. 1. D. 171. L. 6 - 9. Original. Typescript. (link 2003 !}
Published: Lubyanka. Stalin and VChK-GPU-OGPU-NKVD. Stalin's archive. Documents of the highest bodies of party and state power. January 1922 - December 1936. Ed. acad. A.N. Yakovleva; comp. V.N.Khaustov, V.P.Naumov, N.S.Plotnikova. M.: MFD, 2003. S. 277 - 279. Doc. No. 272.
№3
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Cipher telegram I.V. Stalin to the secretaries of regional committees, regional committees and leadership
NKVD-UNKVD on the use of physical measures against "enemies of the people".
AP RF. F. 3. Op. 58. D. 6. L. 145 - 146. Original. Typescript.
Published: Lubyanka. Stalin and the NKVD-NKGB-GUKR "Smersh". 1939 - March 1946. / Compiled by V.N. Khaustov, V.P. Naumov, N.S. Plotnikova. M.: MFD: Materik, 2006. S. 14 - 15. Doc. No. 8.
№4
.
From a letter from the Minister of State Security of the USSR V.S. Abakumov to I.V. Stalin about the practice of conducting an investigation in the bodies of the MGB.
RGANI. F. 89. Op. 18. D. 12. L. 1 - 10. Typewritten copy made before May 1992.<...>
7. With regard to those arrested who stubbornly resist the requirements of the investigation, behave provocatively and by all means try to delay the investigation, or lead it astray, strict measures of the detention regime are applied.
These measures include:
a) transfer to a prison with a stricter regime, where hours of sleep are reduced and the maintenance of the detainee in terms of food and other household needs is worsened;
b) placement in solitary confinement;
c) deprivation of walks, food parcels and the right to read books;
d) placement in a punishment cell for up to 20 days.
Note: In the punishment cell, apart from a stool screwed to the floor and a bed without bedding, there is no other equipment; a bed for sleeping is provided for 6 hours a day; prisoners held in a punishment cell are given only 300 grams per day. bread and boiling water and hot food once every 3 days; Smoking is prohibited in the cellar.
8. With regard to spies, saboteurs, terrorists and other active enemies of the Soviet people exposed by the investigation, who brazenly refuse to extradite their accomplices and do not testify about their criminal activities, the MGB bodies, in accordance with the instructions of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of January 10, 1939, apply measures of physical influence.(emphasis mine - midgard_msk }
In the center- with the sanction of the leadership of the Ministry of State Security of the USSR.
In places- with the sanction of the ministers of state security of the republics and the heads of the regional and regional departments of the MGB.
9. In order to verify the sincerity of the behavior of those arrested during the investigation, the plausibility of their testimony and to more fully expose them, it is practiced to plant MGB agents in the cell with the arrested, and a secret eavesdropping technique is organized in the cell.
As intra-chamber agents, those arrested are used, who frankly told about their crimes, as well as those convicted for short terms.
Arrested and convicted, brought in as in-cell agents, are preliminarily checked through other agents and with the help of secret eavesdropping techniques.
In some cases, for the intra-chamber development of the arrested, it is practiced to plant them in the cell under the guise of arrested persons - employees of the MGB or agents from the outside.
<...>
It should be noted that carried out in accordance with the decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, a widespread check of the investigative work in the bodies of the MGB, which was reported to you on June 2 this year. No. 2820/, it was revealed that some Chekists forgot and in some cases distorted many provisions from the above practice of conducting an investigation. In addition, comrades who have recently come to work in the MGB in recent years do not know a number of these provisions.
Therefore, the above practice will to some extent be reflected in the order currently being prepared by the USSR Ministry of State Security on improving investigative work in the bodies of the Ministry of State Security.
I will send you an order later.Abakumov
Published: Lubyanka. Bodies of the Cheka-OGPU-NKVD-NKGB-MGB-MVD-KGB. 1917 - 1991. Handbook. Ed. acad. A.N. Yakovleva; Composers: A.I. Kokurin, N.V. Petrov. M.: MFD, 2003 . pp. 643 - 647. Doc. No. 158.
№5
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Note by S.D. Ignatiev to I.V. Stalin on the implementation of instructions.
AP RF. F. 3. Op. 58. D. 10. L. 160 - 161. Original. Manuscript.
Published: Lubyanka. Stalin and the MGB of the USSR. March 1946 - March 1953. Documents of the highest bodies of party and state power / Comp. V.N.Khaustov, V.P.Naumov, N.S.Plotnikova. M.: MFD: Materik, 2007. S. 522 - 523. Doc. No. 224.
№6
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Order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR L.P. Beria No. 0068 "On the prohibition of the use of any measures of coercion and physical coercion against those arrested."
GA RF. F. R-9401. Op. 1. D. 1299. L. 246 - 247. Original. Typescript, signature-autograph L.P. Beria
Published: Lavrenty Beria. 1953. Transcript of the July plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU and other documents. Ed. acad. A.N. Yakovleva; comp. V.Naumov, Yu.Sigachev. M.: MFD, 1999. S. 28 - 29. Section I. Doc. No. 8.
№7
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Testimony of the former head of the internal prison of the MGB of the USSR A.N. Mironov about the torture of those arrested during the investigation in the "doctors' case".
23.12.1955RGASPI. F. 589. Op. 3. D. 6913. L. 28-28. Copy. Typescript.
WITNESS EXAMINATION PROTOCOLOn December 10, 1955, the military prosecutor of the department of the Main Military Prosecutor's Office, Lieutenant Colonel of Justice N. Aleksandrov, interrogated the below named as a witness in compliance with Articles 162-168 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the RSFSR.
MIRONOV ALEXANDER NIKOLAEVICH, born in 1896. Born in the village of Bogomolka, Kubino-Ozersky District, Vologda Region, works as a business manager in the laboratory of measuring instruments of the USSR Academy of Sciences, married, Russian, 6th grade education, from laborers, no previous convictions, member of the CPSU since 1932, lives at Bolshoy Komsomolsky per., 5, apt. 5.
In accordance with Art. 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the RSFSR, I am warned of criminal liability under articles 92 and 95 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR for refusing to testify and for giving false testimony.
In the present case, I can show the following. I have been in the service of the VChK - OGPU - NKVD - MVD - MGB since 1921. I served in various positions in the Inner Prison from 1924. At first I was a senior warden, assistant on duty to the head of the prison and head of the prison from 1937 to May 1953 d. He went into the reserve as a colonel of state security.
QUESTION. Tell me, with the permission of whom in the Inner Prison of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, physical coercion was used during the preliminary investigation against those arrested?
ANSWER. In the Internal Prison of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, they began to beat the arrested in December 1952, and before that, workers from us were sent to the Lefortovo prison from November 6, 1952, at the direction of Deputy Minister of State Security Ryumin and his deputies. Since that time, handcuffs have also been used during the preliminary investigation against those arrested. For each person there was an indication of one or another deputy minister. We did not keep records of the use of physical force against those arrested in prison. But in relation to each arrested person, for each specific case, there was permission from the corresponding deputy minister, i.e. who oversaw certain controls. The prison workers used direct physical impact: two people were involved - BELOV AND KUNISHNIKOV - lieutenants. They were fired from the authorities along with me. The detainees were beaten with rubber sticks. As for the use of handcuffs on those arrested, I kept a list indicating who ordered the handcuffs and for how many days. The handcuffs were appointed only by the Deputy Minister, who oversaw the relevant administration. The list of handcuffs was kept on the duty officer's desk. When I was fired, and even in March 1953 the use of handcuffs was stopped, the list was transferred to the prison office.< …>
The handcuffs were removed at the direction of the relevant investigator. After reading the protocol, I clarify that the terms for applying handcuffs to the arrested were not indicated by the Deputy Minister. When handcuffs had just begun to be used, the former Deputy Minister GOGLIDZE instructed that handcuffs should be worn in the daytime in the position of the hands behind, and at night - in front. The heads of the investigative departments of the departments usually called me about the use of handcuffs and beatings against certain detainees. In each specific case, I checked these instructions, called the relevant deputy ministers. After making sure that the order came from the Deputy Minister, I gave orders to put on handcuffs or carry out a beating. When applying physical force to the arrested, I was present all the time, and the handcuffs were put on at first in my presence, and then directly by the executors - the prison guards.
GOGLIDZE gave the most instructions about the use of handcuffs and beating of the arrested, he was then the first deputy minister, and in connection with the illness of IGNATIEV, the minister, he replaced him. Also [instructions] were given by other deputies, including Ryasnaya, both for the use of beatings and the use of handcuffs.
I don't know anything else to show.
From my words it is written down correctly and read to me.
MIRONOV
Military Prosecutor of the Department of the Main Military Prosecutor's Office, Lieutenant Colonel of Justice N. ALEKSANDROV
The copy is correct: the original is stored in the materials of the audit in the case of EIDUS YA.A.
/No. M-5244/: NP 3524-53.
Published: State anti-Semitism in the USSR from beginning to climax. 1938-1953. Ed. acad. A.N. Yakovleva; comp. G.V. Kostyrchenko. M.: MFD: Mainland, 2005. Section IV. Doc. No. 177.* This attitude towards the arrested continued in the future. “[...] People get ridiculous: “Can I yell at the arrested person if he deserves it? What if the sharp tone of my conversation with him breaks, - is this allowed under the new constitution?" Such reasoning is wrong. This is real nonsense, only non-chekists can reason like that.
It is completely incomprehensible to me how, under the previous prison regime, such behavior could be allowed by arrested persons, such as, for example, IN Smirnova. During interrogation, he scolded the investigator, but instead of putting Smirnov in a punishment cell and keeping him in it for 10 days so that he would feel his untruth, so that 10 sweats came off him after leaving the punishment cell, he was left alone. The investigator had to behave differently and put the arrested person in his place. And with us it turns out that this Smirnnov herself declares a hunger strike, and they begin to feed him with sugar and eggs. Anyone can endure such a "hunger strike". [...]" (From the report of the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR N.I. Yezhov at a meeting of the leadership of the NKVD on December 3, 1936 // N. Petrov, M. Jansen. "Stalin's pet" - Nikolai Yezhov. M .: ROSSPEN, 2009. S. 274 - 275).
ABOUT TORTURE
Attention! Persons with an unstable psyche and children are not recommended to read.
"The Geneva Convention (1949) prohibits torture, as well as cruel and degrading treatment of any person taken prisoner." (With)
"A number of terrorism experts believe that the use of torture against arrested terrorists is likely to bring tactical, but not strategic success."
Washington Profile
Good afternoon, dear colleagues!
Put away your notebooks and pens, please. You don't need to outline anything.
I want to warn you right away - you will be required to know and put into practice everything that I will tell you about today. Your knowledge on this topic will be periodically tested in practice.
So, the topic of our today's lesson is "The general method of conducting interrogation with the help of torture."
There is a generally accepted opinion that torturing a person is very bad and immoral. Fully agreeing with this, I want to ask a question: what about, for example, a terrorist who planted a bomb? Let's say that we know for sure that it will explode soon. But we don't know where. The lives of hundreds of people depend on the information we receive...
Torture this terrorist or kindly ask him to tell me where the place with the explosives is located? Funny question, don't you agree?
I am sure any humanist will exclaim: - “Torture him, torture him! We need to save innocent victims!”
Therefore, leaving aside considerations of an ethical plan, we proceed to consider the above topic.
There are three levels of interrogation. I ask you to clarify for yourself what "torture" is and what "interrogation" is. Torture is the infliction of pain on a person. Interrogation - obtaining the necessary information through torture. Torture during interrogation is nothing more than a necessity dictated by the circumstances.
Despite the fact that our course is purely practical, you should remember a few theoretical postulates that will be useful in future activities:
1. Torture, inflicting physical suffering, must be maintained and continued in such a way that there are no other ways to get rid of suffering, except for giving truthful testimony.
2. Torture should be easy to use, but causing great and prolonged suffering, preferably without leaving marks.
3. In case of emergency, one should methodically continue the torture and inspire the thought to the interrogated "Now you will die!". You should not pay attention to whether there will be traces. In other words, there is an unspoken rule: if you see fit, do whatever you want.
4. No one should know about the use of torture, except for those who are related to this.
5. The investigator must be an experienced psychologist: persons with a weak will can easily be forced to give truthful testimony, but there is a danger that the interrogated person will distort the truth in order to avoid suffering. On the contrary, in persons with a strong will, torture can cause resistance and, after interrogation, leave bitterness. However, practice has shown that an experienced investigator can successfully obtain the necessary information from any person. It's all about his skill.
6. During interrogation, one must carefully monitor the behavior and expression of the face and eyes of the interrogated person, skin color, posture, change in tone of voice, movement of the lips and other subtle manifestations of his condition, be attentive not only to his words, but also to other expressions of his intentions. Based on his emotions, you need to be able to unravel an attempt at deception. A complaint of thirst and a request for water is in most cases indicative of a condition followed by a confession.
So, FIRST DEGREE interrogation.
The main difference between interrogation of the first degree and subsequent ones is that the interrogated person should not have any traces of investigative actions. This degree of interrogation implies that after obtaining the necessary information, a person can be released. The difficulty of conducting any interrogation lies in the fact that it is necessary to morally break the personality of the interrogated person, so that later he could not or did not want to talk about it. To do this, the investigator must have in his arsenal several effective and efficient interrogation techniques.
We will immediately make a reservation that most of the exotic medieval tortures known to you are ineffective. Forget about torture by thirst, prolonged standing in one position, drops of water, beating on the heels with bamboo sticks and other nonsense. The main modern requirement for interrogation is the rapid speed of obtaining information.
A few practical tips:
If possible, then it is necessary to carry out psychological pressure by demonstrating the torture of relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Of great importance is the external surroundings, the screams of the tortured, the appearance of the investigator, the furnishings of the room, etc.; ...
(The audio recording is interrupted, some slurred sounds are heard - hereinafter the author's notes)
... - to suppress the will of the interrogated, it is necessary first of all to completely undress him;
The most spectacular places for the application of exposure are the genitals and anus. It is recommended to put the interrogated person on a chair without a seat in such a way that it falls inward. Here we get direct and convenient access to the genitals of our ward. Please pay attention to the fact that in women, unlike men, the genitals are much less sensitive to pain, so for them this method is only good for suppressing the will. For men, sometimes a light pat on the testicles with a folded newspaper is enough ...
(Here the audio recording is interrupted, slurred sounds and some fuss are heard)
... - practice has shown good efficiency of deprivation of air by suffocation. The human psyche is arranged in such a way that the lack of fresh air completely demoralizes it. It is best to put on an ordinary gas mask on the interrogated person and block the hose. An ordinary plastic bag worn over the head may be suitable. It is necessary to carefully monitor the client's condition - there is a real opportunity to kill the interrogated. Be sure to have on hand the necessary medicines for resuscitation.
To quickly obtain a result, it is necessary to apply a complex effect on the interrogated. Good results are shown by simultaneous strangulation with a gas mask, electric shock and beating with a rubber stick on the soft parts of the body and genitals. Experience has shown that practically no one can withstand such torture and is broken within a few minutes.
Then comes the next phase of any interrogation - verification of the reliability of the information received. Special studies show that in most cases the first information obtained during the use of torture is unreliable. An experienced investigator is obliged not to trust her and continue the interrogation until he is convinced of the complete reliability of the information received. This requirement is valid for all degrees of interrogation ...
(recording interrupted)
Interrogation SECOND DEGREE.
This degree allows the infliction of harm to health and injuries that do not threaten the life of the interrogated.
The most common methods are amputation of the auricles, fingers and toes, beatings. Good results are obtained by squeezing the limbs (and even better the genitals in men) in various vices and devices. In extreme cases, the gap between the door jamb and the door leaf itself may be suitable for this purpose. Amputation is most effective - the sight of one's own flesh, separated from the body, demoralizes many people. It is very important to be able to stop bleeding during amputations, for which you need to have enough dressings, tourniquets, and hemostatic agents. In the field, it is permissible to resort to the old tried and tested method of stopping blood - cauterizing the wound with hot metal or boiling oil. It is quite possible to use this as an independent method of torture. Attempts to castrate or remove the genitals should be warned against. In these cases, it is often very difficult to stop the bleeding and the interrogated person may die either from pain shock or from blood loss ...
(Recording is interrupted.)
... You can put the interrogated sideways and trample his ankle with your feet.
Let me remind you once again that for this degree of interrogation, all the rules and requirements that we spoke about above are also valid. We should not forget about the effectiveness of the complex use of torture. During interrogation of the second degree, it is very important to control the state of a person - loss of consciousness from a painful shock can suspend interrogation for a long time.
THIRD DEGREE interrogation.
This is the most difficult level of interrogation. After him, the person is subject to mandatory destruction. The third degree is used in cases where you need to quickly obtain information, but it is impossible to double-check it. It must be borne in mind that, having received serious bodily injuries and seeing the inevitability of his death, a person may withdraw and not give the necessary information. This is the most typical and common mistake. The investigator must also take care of the disposal of the corpse in advance, unless, of course, it is later planned to use it to eliminate the enemy.
What practical advice can be given in this case?
You can shoot the interrogated in both knees and demand information in exchange for medical attention.
Amputation of limbs and genitals is acceptable. (In female mammary glands.)
An effective imitation of execution by hanging, followed by bringing a person to life. (It is necessary to hang at a low height in order not to damage the cervical vertebrae)
You can stick and then turn the knife in places where the concentration of nerve nodes is located - the spine, armpits, solar plexus, groin, etc.
It is quite effective to shoot or pierce the bladder - urine that gets on the wound surface and corrodes it will cause additional suffering ...
In conclusion, a few words about what to do if you suddenly find yourself in the role of an interrogated person. We will study the topic of behavior during interrogation in more detail a little later. So far, just a few tips to help you better understand today's topic:
No need to show your heroism. Torturers, as a rule, are very annoyed and they go into a rage. Try to look scared and depressed.
It may not be superfluous to simulate a loss of consciousness. At least to get a breather.
Depending on the circumstances, you can be warned that you have a bad heart (a birth defect that you hid when you entered the service). You can say that you have diabetes. If interrogation of the first and second degree is applied to you, then few people will dare to inflict injuries (“beat off the kidneys”, for example).
During torture, you should try to abstract from your body and get out of its shell. Sometimes good results come from trying to develop a sense of masochism.
For example…
(Recording is interrupted. Sounds similar to smacking and whipping are heard)
...- if you see that the third degree of interrogation has been applied to you, then there is only one way out - in order not to give out information, you must strive to die as quickly as possible. Try to piss off your enemies, unbalance them, don't let them give you medical attention...
(recording quality is very bad, you can't make out the words)
... Next time we will analyze the topic: "Interrogation with the help of narcotic and psychotropic drugs."
Thank you for your attention, dear colleagues, the lesson is over. Everybody's Free.
(End of audio recording)
Protocol of interrogation of the former SS Brigadeführer Walter Schellenberg - I (autumn of forty-fifth)
Question.- Tell us about your foreign business trips, starting with the year one thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven. Who accompanied you? Names, surnames, ranks of employees? What tasks did you give them?
Answer.- Tasks were imputed to them by Heydrich. At that time I was not yet the chief of the sixth directorate, I myself was forced to carry out those orders of Heydrich that did not contradict my understanding of the honor and dignity of a German.
Question. Have you ever refused to obey Heydrich?
Answer. For obvious reasons, I couldn't do it. I did, however, take steps to nullify his assignments... I remember in 1939...
Question. You deviate from the question asked of you.
Answer.- On March 11, 1938, on the day of the Anschluss, I received Himmler's order to fly with him to Ostmark...
Question.- Where?
Answer.- Ostmark. So after the Anschluss was called Austria. We flew in a large transport plane. Himmler sat leaning against the door, talking about the future of this country, then moved on to his favorite subject of Scandinavian runes; I noticed some extraneous annoying noise and noticed that the lock that locked the door had opened. At any moment, Himmler could fall out... I grabbed him by the lapels, pulled him towards me, he angrily shouted something, and I saw fright on his face... I explained to him what was the matter... Since then, he he was always very kind to me ... This is what explains the fact that he trusted me, although I allowed myself to object to him. He did not tolerate this from anyone, only from me ...
Question. Have you ever objected to him in writing?
Answer. It was impossible under those conditions. The objection to the leader was excluded in the Reich system.
Question.– What did you do in Austria?
Answer.“I took over the archives of the Austrian secret service. Since her boss, Colonel Ronge, expressed a desire to work for us, the operation went quickly and in an orderly manner. I did not find any interesting documents from him, except perhaps for materials related to the decryption of the codes of a number of foreign embassies. Then Himmler instructed me to organize security measures in connection with the arrival of Hitler in Vienna. I must say in all honesty that I have never seen such an enthusiastic crowd cheering the Fuhrer.
Question.- How many people did you put in prison before that?
Answer.“Kaltenbrunner and Müller did that. I have always been involved in foreign policy issues.
Question.- But at the time of Hitler's passage through the city, you were responsible for his safety, and not Kaltenbrunner or Müller. On your orders, three people were arrested - on the bridge over the Danube, to which Hitler's cortege was approaching.
Answer.- You have incorrect information. I never gave orders for anyone's arrest. I was in the central bureau of the police, where the map was marked - meter by meter - following the motorcade ... We received information every minute from the tracking posts located along the streets chosen for the passage of Hitler. Twenty minutes before the Fuhrer was due to be on the bridge, I received a message that the Austrian SS had arrested three suspicious individuals who were supposed to blow up the bridge, which was mined that night ... So their arrest was not carried out by my order ... I knew that the Fuhrer did not like it when the routes of his passages changed, this would put me in an extremely disadvantageous position, so I went to the bridge, managed to see if there was a fickford cord anywhere, made sure that the supports were not mined, but just in case, I drove ten meters in front of Hitler's car. After that, I returned to the central police bureau...
Question.– What is the fate of the three arrested Austrians?
Answer. Muller flew in the same night. He was doing this sort of thing. He, not me.
Question. Were those people tortured?
Answer.- I repeat, I never delved into the essence of Muller's work.
Question.– But you admit the possibility of torture?
Answer.– Müller is a sadist... He could use torture, although they were prohibited by the charter of the Ministry of the Interior.
Question.“What about the Gestapo charter?”
Answer.- Too.
Question.– How long did you work in Vienna?
Answer.- In May, I was sent to Italy, because Hitler flew there to pay a visit to Mussolini and, thus, put an end to the fabrications of the Western press about the disagreements that arose between the Duce and the Fuhrer in connection with the Anschluss of Austria.
Question.“Were you sent to Rome alone?”
Answer.- No ... With Muller.
Question. What did Mueller do?
Answer.- He was engaged in all the current work, checking routes, identifying unreliable persons who lived on the streets where Hitler was supposed to pass. I established political contacts with Mussolini's secret service.
Question. Who was with you during this trip?
Answer.- Sturmbannführer Storch and Major Hausner.
Question.- During this visit, the Italian police carried out more than six thousand preventive arrests ... The wives and children of people of leftist convictions were thrown into prisons. Who was the initiator of this inhuman action?
Answer.- Muller. I brought with me eighty of the most talented political intelligence officers who were in contact with the Italian border and passport authorities. I also sent five hundred of the best Romance linguists to Rome as tourists. They were organized in threes, each was charged with a very specific task: establishing acquaintances with officers of the Duce secret police, making contacts with women of the world who, by their position, have access to information, as well as constantly monitoring everything that is suspicious in houses and on the streets. , which may make it difficult to conduct a friendly visit from the Fuhrer. Mussolini's main goal at that time was to demonstrate to Hitler the unity of a nation devoted to the ideals of fascism. He succeeded in this to the full, because Hitler first of all paid attention to how the crowds behaved on the streets, he was a man of feeling, considered himself possessing the gift of providence. The only incident was not our fault, and it cost the resignation of my trusted informant, the protocol officer of the Führer von Bülow-Schwandte's headquarters; the fact is that Hitler changed into an evening suit, for immediately after receiving the honorary parade in Naples, he, along with the king, was supposed to go to the opera. However, the king was in military uniform. Hitler dismissed von Bülow-Schwandte immediately after this parade, sending him as an ambassador to Belgium, which was a great loss for me.
Question. What does "trusted informant" mean? Did you have the right to recruit agents in Hitler's inner circle?
Answer.- This is not about the agency, which is meant in the usual sense of the word. Of course, it would be madness to recruit a man from the Fuhrer's entourage, it would cost me my head. But von Bülow-Schwandte was a man from a good family, with an excellent education, which means he had something to fear ...
Question.- I did not understand you ... Explain what you mean?
Answer.- The fact is that he was a well-educated person, his father adhered to the old traditions, a true aristocrat ... Therefore, in the family circle, no, no, yes, there were talks about the terrible thing that Hitler carried with him. The next morning after such conversations, fear began to corrode people downright. Rumors about the Gestapo as an omniscient organization, spread primarily by Heydrich, did their job. Many of this kind of aristocrats did everything to enlist friendship with people of my profession ... By doing this, they, as it were, received an indulgence to atone for secret sins. This is the only way I can explain that von Bülow-Schwandte shared with me much of what happened behind the closed doors of the Imperial Chancellery. There was a tacit agreement between us: he provides me with information that will help me navigate what is happening in Hitler's office, and I provide protection for the von Bülow family in my department. However, it was not even necessary to agree on this, the terms of the deal were understood by themselves. In the conditions of that time, it was not Hitler or Himmler who decided a lot, but their entourage ... It was it that could take a person out of the blow, or could bring him under a crushing blow ... The Fuhrer was a rather quick-witted person ... After a few weeks after an outburst of anger, Himmler - if I had time to prepare him for a conversation - easily sought from the Fuhrer what was beneficial to me and my cause ... This, by the way, happened later with von Bülow ... Himmler asked Hitler for permission to use the experience of von Bülow on protocol issues in our representation in London ... Hitler only laughed: "He will force our ambassador to appear at the reception of the king in a tracksuit" ...
Question.“Does this mean that von Bülow was on espionage missions in London?”
Answer.- I wouldn't put the question that way. What does "spy" mission mean? Of course, he gave me the most interesting information related to the balance of power in your office, especially on the eve of the arrival of Sir Winston. Von Bülow had an extensive circle of acquaintances in London, his information was such that corresponded to reality, did not wishful thinking, did not follow the program of the Fuhrer, expressed by him the day before. The horror of totalitarianism lay in the fact that diplomats and our service had to sometimes go against the obvious only because it was pleasing to the doctrine formulated by Hitler. However, it was my unit that won the right to tell Himmler the truth, regardless of the Fuhrer's point of view.
Question.- With which of the English did von Bülow communicate the most - in terms of obtaining confidential information?
Answer.– It is difficult for me to answer this question. I must get acquainted with the documents that I sent to Himmler. Naturally, von Bülow did not write anything to me, I did not dare to humiliate a person of his level by the work of an ordinary informant. However, if you give me the opportunity to look at my reports of that time, I will be able to recall those names that sometimes had to be hidden by a pseudonym. For example, Freddie Crouse, whom we brought to Sir Winston's family through Jacqueline de Brogli, worked under the pseudonym "Nephew", and we called Jacqueline herself "Pretty Woman" ...
Question. We will talk about this node another time. For now, continue to testify about your work abroad, about contacts, liaisons, residents.
Answer.- The operation in Venlo was the most difficult...
Question. Tell me more about this operation.
Answer.- Heydrich summoned me to his office and said that our people in Holland - already after there was formally a war between Germany and England - contact with the British secret service. He handed me a folder with top secret documents and offered to study it to such an extent that the next morning I would make proposals for the development of the operation for the near future. The bottom line was that our agent F-479...
Question.- His last name?
Answer. I only knew him by his number.
Question.– How serious was the level of this agent?
Answer.– The highest level... He was a political exile, lived in Holland from the moment Hitler came to power, and then began to cooperate with us... It was he who established contact with the British secret service...
Question.- On whose orders?
Answer. I think it was his initiative. Unlike Himmler and Heydrich, I always encouraged the initiative of secret agents, believing that it would be more expedient for my employees to join the operation after all the preparatory work had been done ... He made it clear to the British secret service that in Germany there was a general opposition in the Wehrmacht . This intrigued London, your people began to wonder if there were people among the opposition who could organize a putsch against Hitler ... Just after the agent was asked such a question, Heydrich offered me to lead the operation.
Question.- You do not admit the idea that the idea of the generals' opposition came up with Heydrich himself?
Answer. I don't have such facts.
Question.- What is the fate of agent F-479?
Answer.- I do not know.
Question.- Who recruited him?
Answer.- I do not know.
Question.- Continue.
Answer.“I told Heydrich that I intended to meet with the British Secret Service myself in Holland. He approved my plan. I received documents in the name of the captain of the transport department of the general staff of Shemel. To do this, the real Captain Shemel was sent on an inspection trip to Poland, and I began to study all the materials collected on him. I spent the day learning how to wear the monocle that the captain used all the time. This turned out not to be a very difficult task, as I had poor vision, especially in my right eye. In Dusseldorf, in our safe house, I got used to the image of Shemel, and also composed the legend of the opposition generals' group. On October 20, 1939, I received a cipher telegram from our agent that the meeting was to take place tomorrow, at the frontier Zutphen, in Holland. At night, Heydrich called: "I give you complete freedom of hands during negotiations with the British." I was accompanied by one of my employees, who kept F-479 in touch, a fully qualified specialist, but very absent-minded, which almost cost us our lives. We left twenty per...
Question.- What is the name of your employee?
Answer. Looks like Krause.
Question.- Don't remember exactly?
Answer. - I had thousands of employees ... I think Krause ... So, we arrived in Zutphen, there was a big black Buick waiting for me, in which sat a man who introduced himself as Captain Best from British intelligence. He invited me into his car, my employee followed; Best turned out to be an excellent, inviting interlocutor, especially since he was a violinist, I have been playing music since childhood, so we very soon established quite friendly contact. He didn't talk about the case until we met with Major Stevens and Lieutenant Coppens. I informed them that I did indeed represent an opposition group led by a prominent general whose name, for obvious reasons, I cannot reveal. Our goal is to remove Hitler. My task is to find out the position of Britain: will London maintain contact with the new government, controlled by the Wehrmacht General Staff? If so, then I am ready to immediately sit down at the negotiating table, which is necessary to work out the terms of a peace treaty between Germany and Britain after the Fuhrer is eliminated. Best and Stevens replied that His Majesty's Government welcomed the desire of the military group to eliminate Hitler and that we could count on assistance from London in our work. However, it would be advisable to discuss the details of the agreement between Berlin and London, which will follow after the overthrow of Hitler, in the presence of one of the leaders of the opposition. "Can you arrange a border crossing for one of your leaders?" I replied that I would do my best to do so. Then the British proposed to hold the next meeting at their headquarters, in The Hague, on the thirtieth of October, promising to acquaint us with detailed proposals not only from the English Foreign Office and Downing Street ... I returned to Berlin, and Heydrich repeated that he was giving me complete freedom of action both in the legend of the operation, and in the selection of candidates for "participation" in the "conspiracy of the generals." I settled in the mansion of my friend Professor de Criny, director of the psychiatric department of the Charite hospital; those were beautiful days of silence and rest; one day, during a walk with the professor, I thought that he could well play the role of one of the “opposition generals”, because he was a colonel in the medical service, was born in Austria, in Graz, which gave credibility to his hostility to Hitler, who occupied his country . De Criny agreed to my proposal, I filled him in on the details of the plan, and we went to Dusseldorf, to my safe house, to prepare for a meeting with British intelligence and rehearse possible aspects of the upcoming negotiations. We stayed in Dusseldorf for two days and left for Holland. Arriving at the meeting place with Stevens and Best, we were detained by the Dutch police, brought to the station, subjected to the most thorough search, we almost failed, but miraculously avoided this thanks to chance ...
Question. Why did you have to fail?
Answer.“Because when preparing the operation, I paid maximum attention to Professor de Criny, considering my employee to be a fully qualified intelligence officer, but when the search began and we were forced to open our briefcases, to my horror I saw my man’s package of aspirin with the stamp “SS General Sanitary Directorate.” Luckily, my bag had already been searched, I seized the moment while de Criny was being searched, and ate this package.
Question.- Did you sweat a lot?
Answer(Laughter of the interrogated).
Answer.“After an hour, Stevens and Best came and said they had confused the road. They took us directly from the police to Best's house, where his charming wife, a wonderful artist, the daughter of General Rees, arranged a dinner. The conversation was friendly, the table was lovely (I have never tasted such amazing oysters anywhere), the atmosphere was conducive to frankness. True, our agent F-479, also invited to dinner, was very nervous, and it seemed to me that this was noticeable to everyone sitting at the table. De Criny behaved perfectly, he attracted everyone's attention, his Austrian gloss and charm affected, the hostess was delighted with the "old gentleman". Nevertheless, I felt Best's constant scrutiny on me; when I went to the toilet, he silently followed me and asked: “Do you always wear a monocle or sometimes?” The next day we were invited to the safe house of the British secret service, which worked in Holland under the cover of the company "Handels Diinst Feer Continent" at Niuwe Whitleg, fifteen. There we discussed all the main positions.
Question.– Which ones exactly?
Answer.- After the generals "overthrow" Hitler, we declare peace with the Western powers, give independence to Poland, Austria and Czechoslovakia, return to the gold standard system in the economy, but for our part we ask you to consider in a positive way the issue of transferring its colonies to Germany, torn away as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. "This is necessary because," we stressed, "the Germans are keenly discussing the issue of living space, and instead of annexing Hitler, it would be advisable to support our regime by returning the lost overseas lands to the Germans." Best and Stevens agreed with our point of view, proposing to consider the possibility of declaring "mandatory territories". Major Stevens contacted London by phone and informed us that this issue would be finally resolved during our negotiations with Lord Halifax, from the Imperial Foreign Office ... We received the code for the British Secret Service radio station and the special number "O-N-4 » in The Hague. It was agreed that I, together with the leader of the opposition, would come to Holland next week and fly to London to meet with Lord Halifax and other members of the Cabinet. Back in the Reich, I was constantly in contact with the British, their radio worked flawlessly, however, despite my constant requests to continue the work, Heydrich was silent, never connecting with me by phone. On the 6th of November I went again, at my own peril, to Holland to meet with the British, telling them that discussions were going on among the leadership of the opposition about the conditions for peace negotiations with London. The British, in order to “push” our “oppositionists”, noticed that if the war continues and there is a real threat of a German invasion, there should be no illusions in Berlin: “Even if the Island is occupied, we will move to Canada and begin to continue the war against Nazis to the end.
Question.- Who exactly told you this phrase?
Answer. I can't remember right now who said those words.
Question. Are you deliberately avoiding giving precise answers?
Answer.– I just try to be extremely accurate in my testimony.
Question.- Under what circumstances did this game with London, conceived, in your words, by Heydrich, changed?
Answer.“That's exactly what I'm going for. I was very nervous, because Heydrich broke off contact with me, and kept calling his bureau, fearing to lose contact with the British secret service. In reconnaissance, any delay is suspicious, the combination must be worked quickly ...
Question.- Is this your point of view? Or was that the way SD worked?
Answer. This is my point of view and my method. Unfortunately, my method was not properly understood in SD. Even Heydrich was afraid to make independent decisions, he always tried to enlist the support of Himmler, and he, in turn, did nothing without discussing the matter with the Fuhrer, who was very fond of intelligence work. Therefore, we were wasting precious time and losing the initiative. The Fuhrer did not receive Himmler as often as it seems, he then devoted a lot of time to studying Speer's architectural projects, followed what was happening in the cinema, carefully observed literature and painting, carefully prepared notes of his speeches to the nation .. Therefore, the solution of the issue the game against Stevens and Best was delayed, the Fuhrer's final approval was still not there, but I - at my own peril and risk - found a major manufacturer who agreed to go with me to Holland as the head of the "opposition", and began rehearsals with him .. .
Question.- What is the name of this person?
Answer.- This is a completely respected gentleman who was not a member of the party and was not a member of the SD ...
Question. Was he your agent?
Answer.- We did not attract such a level of people to agents. He was my volunteer assistant.
Question. So he supported Hitler's regime?
Answer.“Then everyone supported Hitler’s regime.
Question. What is the name of this industrialist?
Answer.- Doctor Westrick.
Question.– Is this the doctor Westrick who visited the USA as a European representative of ITT?
Answer.- Not. His relative.
Question. Was Vestrik from ITT your agent?
Answer.- In the sense that you put the question, it wasn't. He carried out personal assignments for Himmler and Ribbentrop.
Question.- Whose orders did he carry out more often?
Answer.“Most often he worked for Ribbentrop.
Question.- Continue.
Answer.- On the ninth of November, I took a sleeping pill - due to nervous tension caused by Heydrich's strange silence, insomnia broke out - and fell asleep very early, at ten o'clock. At midnight I was awakened by a phone call. I did not understand who was calling at such a time, and angrily asked why the hell they were waking me up and who dared to do this. A polite voice dryly replied that “Reichsführer Himmler dared to do this ... I’m calling you from Hitler’s train, we just learned about the assassination attempt on the Fuhrer in the Burgerbräu beer cellar, many veterans of the movement were killed and wounded. Clearly this is the work of the British Secret Service. You must stop your game with Best and Stevens, and instead must steal them both. It's clear?" - "Clearly, but..." - "No "buts"! Himmler snapped. “This is an order from the Fuehrer that is non-negotiable.” Two days later, Best and Stevens were abducted in Venlo, near the border, where I agreed to wait for them in a cafe; our cars knocked down the border barrier, and Muller's men dragged Stevens and Best out of the Buick; Lieutenant Coppens, who turned out to be an employee of the Dutch General Staff, was killed during a shootout ...
Question. Who planned the kidnapping?
Answer.“I was following Himmler's orders.
Question.- Do you think that the assassination attempt on Hitler in the "Bürgerbroe" was deliberately set up by Heydrich or someone else from the SD?
Answer.– This question occupied me for many months... However, I still cannot give a definite answer...
Question.- Did you participate in the investigation of the assassination attempt?
Answer.- Yes.
Question.- State it.
Answer.- Three days after the capture of Best and Stevens, I arrived in Berlin and reported to Himmler the circumstances related to the negotiations that I had with the British secret service in Holland ...
Question.- Himmler asked you if Best and Stevens proposed to kill Hitler?
Answer.- I don't remember exactly... In any case, in my report addressed to him, I did not touch on this issue.
Question.“But do you admit the possibility of Himmler’s interest of this kind?”
Answer.- I admit it. However, I must state with all certainty: even then I insisted that Best and Stevens were not connected with the attempt on the Fuhrer's life.
Question.- Did you admit the possibility that other employees of the Intelligence Service were preparing the assassination attempt?
Answer.“Personally, I have never expressed such an opinion.
Question.“Not in conversations, not in written reports?”
Answer.- In conversations, I may have said something similar, but only to save Best and Stevens, since Hitler directly told Himmler that it was the British who were preparing the assassination attempt, and Best and Stevens were the direct organizers of it.
Question.“Hitler said this after you kidnapped Best and Stevens?”
Answer.“They were kidnapped by the SS shock brigade. I cannot be called the author of the operation, I did not take a direct part in it, the order came from Himmler.
Question.“It's not about your degree of guilt, Schellenberg. You're right to be so careful. I will ease your situation: we are interested in the main thing - was Hitler the initiator of this whole adventure, did he conceive it in advance, did Heydrich, on his instructions, let the F-479 agent to our people in Holland in order to organize a performance with an “assassination attempt” after that on his life?
Answer. - I do not rule out such a possibility, because when Himmler brought me to the Reich Chancellery and Hitler handed the Iron Crosses of the first class to the participants in the operation, he directly said that it was necessary to make an open trial, inviting the press from all over the world, at which Best and Stevens would talk about how they were preparing an attempt on his life, following the instructions of Sir Winston Churchill. It seems to me that this would allow Hitler to organize propaganda on the Island in such a way that the British would understand: as soon as Churchill was removed from the government, as soon as an "honest politician who rejects terror and dictate" comes to his place, he, Hitler, is ready to sit down with London for peace table. At the same time, Hitler constantly said that Otto Strasser was the brother of his former friend, one of the founders of the NSDAP, Gregor, who was shot on charges of treason and espionage in favor of the enemies of the nation (which, of course, was nonsense, a completely understandable struggle for power, jealousy for Strasser, who enjoyed influence among the "old fighters"), was precisely the man who, having managed to escape from the Reich, worked hand in hand with the British secret service ... When, after a few days, a certain Esler was detained, trying to cross the border in the Basel region, Hitler called Himmler and said that it was this man who, on the instructions of the British, was preparing an explosion in the Burgerbroe, the chain is obvious: from London - through The Hague - to Munich; headquarters of terror in the house of Best and Stevens, gunner - Otto Strasser, performer - Esler. Hitler ordered Esler to be subjected to the highest degree of intimidation and to achieve "truthful testimony." Hitler constantly hurried Himmler and Heydrich, and they shifted the responsibility for the investigation to me, and Heydrich recommended that I go to the Gestapo chief Müller and try to work out a common line with him. I came to the Gruppenfuehrer's office, he looked very tired, it was clear that he had not slept all night. “The interrogations go on without interruption,” he said, “Best and Stevens deny their participation in the assassination attempt, Esler is talking some kind of nonsense, he is from a breed of fanatics, says that for a year he has dreamed of tearing the Fuhrer to shreds.” I remarked that I thought it was a mistake to try to organize a spectacle in which a version of the "English conspiracy" against Hitler, led by Best and Stevens, would be played. “These people,” I said, “as far as I could understand them during our meetings, will not become extras in the tragicomedy of the court, they will not say what our“ playwrights ”will write to them. Müller replied in the sense that they would say everything that was written for them, “I can do it, interrogations with intimidation, drugs, psychiatrists, hypnosis, all this is in my hands, but Esler is one of the fanatics, he is a lunatic, he can get carried away during the process, out of the four best hypnotists only one was able to calm him down, and even then only for half an hour. If the process were closed, it would be possible to announce breaks more often, we would work with him at this time, but the Fuhrer wants an open performance. It's risky." I said that I intended to talk about it with Hitler. Müller just chuckled: Himmler and Heydrich did not succeed, try it, I'll just say thank you, now is the case when our interests converge."
On the same day I was received by Hitler and reported my thoughts to him. He was angry, but restrained himself, and when he invited everyone to dinner, he said to Himmler: “Your Schellenberg does not believe in what exactly his Best and Stevens led Esler." Himmler replied that he knew about this, that it had not yet been possible to obtain evidence of a direct connection between Best and Stevens with Esler, apparently, the British kept in touch with him through Otto Strasser's Black Front, since Esler nevertheless admitted that he had contacted with two strangers who gave him explosives ... "We can," Himmler concluded, "prove only that the bomb was made for Esler and abroad." Hitler was silent for a long time, and then turned to Heydrich: “I demand that they all speak. Use whatever you want, but they have to say what I want to hear, which is the truth. However, after three months, he switched to another idea, and I breathed a sigh of relief ...
Question.– What was the idea?
Answer. More precisely, there were two of them. The first is the kidnapping of the Duke of Windsor, and the second is the murder or kidnapping of Otto Strasser.
Question. We will return to these questions during the next interrogation. So far, I have a number of clarifying remarks. Are you familiar with the speech that the Fuhrer delivered in a beer hall in Munich half an hour before the assassination attempt?
Answer.- If my memory serves me, he said in this short speech that the Reich was on the verge of a long bloody war, a war of life and death, and the new four-year plan, which he instructed Goering to develop, would make Germany a military camp.
Question. Were you surprised by the tone of this speech?
Answer.- Surprised.
Question.– Explain why?
Answer.- Because the two months that have passed since the end of the war against Poland were marked by a propaganda campaign conducted in the press and on the radio by Reich Minister Goebbels ... The point was that the Fuhrer had prepared peace proposals to the West, an agreement with London was about to be signed , which will draw a line under the war and the era of German prosperity will come. The Fuhrer's speech in Munich sounded like an unexpected dissonance to everything that was printed in our newspapers.
Question.- Do you think this speech was a surprise for Himmler and Goebbels?
Answer.- I can’t say anything about Goebbels, but Himmler - all the while the investigation into the circumstances of the assassination was underway - was in a depressed state ... Sometimes it even seemed to me that he was frightened by something.
Question.- What exactly?
Answer.- I find it difficult to answer.
Question.- Well, then I will formulate the same question differently. Who approved the candidates invited to the traditional meeting of veterans with the Fuhrer in the Munich "Bürgerbroe"?
Answer.- I am not familiar with this issue, but it seems to me that the invitations were approved by Hitler's office, and only then the lists were transferred to the head of the Fuhrer's security department.
Question.- What is his surname?
Answer.- Jumped out of memory ... I'll tell you later ...
Question. Did he obey Himmler?
Answer.– Formally, yes.
Question.– And in fact?
Answer. Actually, Hitler. And to a certain extent, Hess and Bormann.
Question.- Who distributed the places in the "Burgerbroe"?
Answer.- Head of the Fuhrer's security.
Question.- How do you explain the fact that people who were very close - in the past - to Rem and Strasser were seated in the front rows? How to explain the fact that it was precisely those veterans who died from the explosion who were under the supervision of Mueller's special service, who listened in on their telephone conversations and read through the correspondence? How can you explain, finally, the fact that this time the Fuhrer made such a short speech and did not stay, as usual, in the basement, but immediately got on the train and left Munich. We did a study: it was an unprecedentedly short speech, neither before nor since he had ever made such a short speech ...
Answer.- Do you believe that the assassination attempt was organized by Hitler himself?
Question. We are interested in your opinion on this matter.
Answer.“Himmler told me that when the Fuhrer learned of the bombing that raised the podium on which he was standing to the ceiling, killed nine and mutilated forty veterans of the movement, he almost cried, saying: “As always, Providence saves me, for the nation needs me!” Why did the Fuhrer need to organize this kind of performance? To gain popularity? But he was already extremely popular at that time among the people. Why else?
Question.- To put an end to the dreams of peace. Do you allow this? You remember that the press of that time promised peace to the Germans... Maybe Hitler wanted to prove that the British, who are preparing an assassination attempt on him, must be destroyed and for this it is necessary to make any sacrifices? Perhaps you and your work on Best and Stevens, which began shortly before the assassination attempt, were links in his plan?
This small, clean house in Kristiansad next to the road to Stavanger and the port during the war years was the most terrible place in all of southern Norway. "Skrekkens hus" - "House of Horror" - that's what they called it in the city. Since January 1942, the Gestapo headquarters in southern Norway have been located in the city archive building. Arrested people were brought here, torture chambers were equipped here, from here people were sent to concentration camps and to be shot. Now, in the basement of the building where the punishment cells were located and where the prisoners were tortured, there is a museum that tells about what happened during the war years in the building of the state archive.
The layout of the basement corridors has been left unchanged. There were only new lights and doors. The main exposition with archival materials, photographs, posters is arranged in the main corridor.
So the suspended arrested person was beaten with a chain.
So tortured with electric stoves. With the special zeal of the executioners, the hair on the head could catch fire in a person.
In this device, fingers were clamped, nails were pulled out. The machine is authentic - after the liberation of the city from the Germans, all the equipment of the torture chambers remained in its place and was saved.
Nearby - other devices for conducting interrogation with "addiction".
Reconstructions were arranged in several basements - as it looked then, in this very place. This is a cell where especially dangerous arrested persons were kept - members of the Norwegian Resistance who fell into the clutches of the Gestapo.
The torture chamber was located in the next room. Here, a real scene of the torture of a married couple of underground workers taken by the Gestapo in 1943 during a communication session with an intelligence center in London is reproduced. Two Gestapo men torture a wife in front of her husband, who is chained to the wall. In the corner, on an iron beam, another member of the failed underground group is suspended. They say that before interrogations, the Gestapo were pumped up with alcohol and drugs.
Everything was left in the cell, as it was then, in 1943. If you turn over that pink stool at the woman's feet, you can see the mark of Kristiansand's Gestapo.
This is a reconstruction of the interrogation - the Gestapo provocateur (on the left) shows the arrested radio operator of the underground group (he is sitting on the right, in handcuffs) his radio station in a suitcase. In the center sits the chief of the Kristiansand Gestapo, SS-Hauptsturmführer Rudolf Kerner - I will talk about him later.
In this showcase are things and documents of those Norwegian patriots who were sent to the Grini concentration camp near Oslo - the main transit point in Norway, from where prisoners were sent to other concentration camps in Europe.
The system for designating different groups of prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp (Auschwitz-Birkenau). Jewish, political, gypsy, Spanish republican, dangerous criminal, felon, war criminal, Jehovah's Witness, homosexual. The letter N was written on the badge of a Norwegian political prisoner.
School tours are given to the museum. I stumbled across one of these - several local teenagers were walking down the corridors with Ture Robstad, a local war survivor volunteer. It is said that about 10,000 schoolchildren visit the museum in the Archive every year.
Toure tells the children about Auschwitz. Two boys from the group were there recently on an excursion.
Soviet prisoner of war in a concentration camp. In his hand is a homemade wooden bird.
In a separate display case, things made by Russian prisoners of war in Norwegian concentration camps. These handicrafts were exchanged by Russians for food from local residents. Our neighbor in Kristiansand had a whole collection of such wooden birds - on the way to school she often met groups of our prisoners going to work under escort, and gave them her breakfast in exchange for these carved wooden toys.
Reconstruction of a partisan radio station. Partisans in southern Norway transmitted to London information about the movements of German troops, the deployment of military equipment and ships. In the north, the Norwegians supplied intelligence to the Soviet Northern Fleet.
"Germany is a nation of creators."
Norwegian patriots had to work under the strongest pressure on the local population of Goebbels propaganda. The Germans set themselves the task of the speedy nazification of the country. Quisling's government made efforts for this in the field of education, culture, and sports. Quisling's (Nasjonal Samling) Nazi Party, even before the start of the war, inspired the Norwegians that the main threat to their security was the military power of the Soviet Union. It should be noted that the Finnish campaign of 1940 contributed to the intimidation of the Norwegians about Soviet aggression in the North. With the coming to power, Quisling only stepped up his propaganda with the help of the Goebbels department. The Nazis in Norway convinced the population that only a strong Germany could protect the Norwegians from the Bolsheviks.
Several posters distributed by the Nazis in Norway. "Norges nye nabo" - "The New Norwegian Neighbor", 1940. Pay attention to the now fashionable technique of "reversing" Latin letters to imitate the Cyrillic alphabet.
"Do you want it to be like this?"
The propaganda of the "new Norway" in every way emphasized the kinship of the "Nordic" peoples, their unity in the struggle against British imperialism and the "wild Bolshevik hordes". Norwegian patriots responded by using the symbol of King Haakon and his image in their struggle. The king's motto "Alt for Norge" was ridiculed in every possible way by the Nazis, who inspired the Norwegians that military difficulties were temporary and that Vidkun Quisling was the new leader of the nation.
Two walls in the gloomy corridors of the museum are given over to the materials of the criminal case, according to which the seven main Gestapo men were tried in Kristiansand. There have never been such cases in Norwegian judicial practice - the Norwegians tried Germans, citizens of another state, accused of crimes in Norway. Three hundred witnesses, about a dozen lawyers, the Norwegian and foreign press took part in the process. The Gestapo were tried for torture and humiliation of those arrested, there was a separate episode about the summary execution of 30 Russian and 1 Polish prisoners of war. On June 16, 1947, all were sentenced to death, which for the first time and temporarily was included in the Criminal Code of Norway immediately after the end of the war.
Rudolf Kerner is the chief of the Kristiansand Gestapo. Former shoemaker. A notorious sadist, in Germany he had a criminal past. He sent several hundred members of the Norwegian Resistance to concentration camps, is guilty of the death of an organization of Soviet prisoners of war uncovered by the Gestapo in one of the concentration camps in southern Norway. He was, like the rest of his accomplices, sentenced to death, which was later commuted to life imprisonment. He was released in 1953 under an amnesty declared by the Norwegian government. He went to Germany, where his traces were lost.
Near the building of the Archive there is a modest monument to the Norwegian patriots who died at the hands of the Gestapo. In the local cemetery, not far from this place, the ashes of Soviet prisoners of war and English pilots, shot down by the Germans in the sky over Kristiansand, rest. Every year on May 8, flagpoles next to the graves raise the flags of the USSR, Great Britain and Norway.
In 1997, it was decided to sell the building of the Archive, from which the State Archive moved to another place, into private hands. Local veterans, public organizations strongly opposed, organized themselves into a special committee and ensured that in 1998 the owner of the building, the state concern Statsbygg, transferred the historic building to the veterans' committee. Now here, along with the museum that I told you about, there are offices of Norwegian and international humanitarian organizations - the Red Cross, Amnesty International, the UN
CC (German "Die SS", from "Das Schutzstaffel" - "security squad", or, according to another version, "cover squadron" - according to this version, it is believed that the author of the name was Hermann Goering, who took this term from the military aviation of the times World War I, this was the name of the fighter unit that covered the main unit; in Russian, the abbreviation requires the use of the plural) is an affiliated paramilitary organization of the NSDAP (until 1934 subordinate to another affiliated party organization - SA), which considered itself an "organization of political soldiers parties." Its function was originally to protect the leaders of the party (it was organized on the basis of the "Staff Guard" Adolf Hitler "", intended to protect the Fuhrer); Subsequently, this organization was transferred to a wide variety of functions (from ensuring the functioning of the system of institutions for extrajudicial detention and re-education - concentration camps to teaching young people in special party schools, the so-called national political academies). Since the appointment of Heinrich Himmler as its leader, she saw her mission in recreating the "new Aryan humanity", even before the Nazis came to power, she acquired in the eyes of both her own members and outsiders the image of the "elitist" part of the Nazi party. Some of the members (at the end of the war, the most significant) served in structures modeled on army formations, units and subunits (up to army headquarters), from 1939 operationally subordinate to the German armed forces and de facto included in their composition as the fourth component Wehrmacht (in 1940 they received the name "Waffen SS", SS troops).
Gestapo (German "Gestapo" from "Die Geheime Staatspolizei", - "Secret State Police"), a government agency established in March 1933, originally as a political department within the Prussian police by order of the Minister-President of this German land, Hermann Göring; was subsequently merged with the political police departments of other German states into a single political police service. After that, she entered the Main Directorate of the Security Police (together with the all-imperial department of the criminal police) as part of the SS. Then, when the Main Directorate of Imperial Security was created in 1940 (also part of the SS), it was included in it as one of the directorates.
In order to see the difference between these two organizations, one must understand that these organizations were different in nature: if the SS was a party organization, then the Gestapo was a state one. In view of the peculiarities of the functioning of the police in the Third Reich (in the Weimar Republic there was no unified German police, the police departments were under the jurisdiction of the lands; starting from 1933, G. Himmler, head of the SS, set about uniting all police services under his leadership; after he he achieved this, he became Deputy Minister of the Interior of the Reich with the title "Chief of the German Police"), a situation developed when government departments were headed by the Fuhrers of the SS; formally retaining the status of state police structures independent of the party and party organizations (in addition to the security police, there was an order police that united all other police forces of the Reich) were merged into the management structures of the party organization (SS); police officials most often (but not always) received in addition to their official ranks (criminal inspectors, commissars, advisers; government or ministerial advisers, etc.) received SS ranks. In 1940, the party security agencies (SD) and the state police services (Gestapo and Kripo - criminal police) were merged into a single department (RSHA). The purpose of such an association was Himmler's dream to unite all police departments of the Reich as part of the SS under his leadership (i.e. to make all police departments part of his SS, without dual subordination to the Ministry of the Interior), but this idea was opposed by the rivals of the Reichsführer SS in the Reich's power elite (they tried to prevent an excessive increase in his influence), therefore, such an association remained purely mechanical - despite the fact that both the state and criminal police were headed by the Fuhrers of the SS, they remained state institutions not included in the party apparatus.
