American prosecutors at the war crimes trial today presented further evidence of Nazi plans to exterminate the Jews, including secret records of a conference of Nazi leaders on Oct. 14, 1938, at which Goering ordered them “to tackle the Jewish problem now, using all methods.”
Among other instructions issued by Goering at this conference, held almost a year before the outbreak of the war, was the confiscation “by all means possible” of all Jewish property in Austria, which he said was worth 2,000,000,000 marks. He also urged that ghettos be established for Jews in the larger cities. Others present agreed that “leniency should not be exercised in the fight against the Jews” and suggested that special Jewish labor units be set up.
Julius Streicher told American correspondents today, during the lunch hour recess, that he has decided that there are three Jews among the judges on the international military tribunal. “I have been tried in the same court room before.” he remarked sareastically. “This is all old stuff.”
Major William Walsh, in charge of the division dealing with the section of the indictment covering “crimes against humanity,” told a correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the evidence of anti-Jewish atrocities cited so far does not even scratch the surface, and that more material will be presented at subsequent sessions.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.