Thursday, February 9, 2012

Hoess Affidavit: NI-4434-A

Source:  Nuremberg Document NI-4434-A

Comment:  Given in Warsaw 12 March 1947

Text:

From May 1940, until 1 December 1943, I was commandant of the concentration camp at Auschwitz.  Thereafter I was Chief of Office of the Department I of Wirtschafts Verwaltungs Hauptamt.  Until 1 December 1943, one of my official functions was to inspect the use of labor (Arbeitseinsatz) of concentration camp prisoners from the Auschwitz camp and subsequently to inspect the use as labor of prisoners from all German concentration camps whenever Polh, the chief of the Main Office (Hauptamt); especially ordered me to do so.

According to my knowledge, the large scale use of concentration camp prisoners in the German private industry began in 1940/41.  The utilization increased constantly until the end of the war.