1946-12-11, #3: Doctors' Trial (early afternoon)

Prosecution: high altitude & freezing experiments

THE MARSHALL: The Honorable Judges of the Military Tribunal.

The Military Tribunal is now in session.

MR. HARDY: May it please the Tribunal, Mr. McHaney has introduced Document NO-221 referring to the correspondence of Sievers to Brandt in regard to Rascher's position and his reports to Field Marshal Milch. We will now look to the sequence of events in this regard. We will introduce Document NO-222 carrying Exhibit No. 69. This is a matter from Rudolf Brandt to the Defendant Sievers.

SS Untersturmfuehrer Dr. Rascher's supposition is not correct. The letter of the Reichsfuehrer SS by which he transmitted the report to General Field Marshal Milch was only signed and sent off a few days ago. I assume that the General Field Marshal Milch will of himself give the necessary orders and then confine himself to sending a brief answer to the Reichsfuehrer SS.

I enclose a copy of the Reichsfuehrer SS's letter dated 25 August 1942 for your information.

Now in answer to this letter we have filch writing to Heinrich Himmler acknowledging receipt of the report. This is Document 343-b-PS and Prosecution Exhibit No. 70. This letter is dated 31 August 1942 on the stationery of Field Marshal Milch.

Dear Mr. Himmler! I thank you very much for your letter of the 25 August. I have read with great interest the reports of Dr. Rascher and Dr. Romberg. I am informed about the current experiments. I shall ask the two gentlemen to give a lecture combined with the showing of motion pictures to my men in the near future.

Hoping that it will be possible for me to see you at the occasion of my next visit to Headquarters I remain with best regards and Heil Hitler! Yours, E. Milch.

This letter indicated the full cooperation of the Luftwaffe Field Marshal Milch in his hideous experiments.

We now turn to Document NO-223 which will be Prosecution Exhibit 71, Page 105 of the Document. This is a letter from Rudolf Brandt to the Reichs fuehrer SS's office addressed to Dr. Rascher.

Dear Comrade Dr. Rascher, Field Marshal Milch has answered, in the meantime, the letter of the Reichsfuehrer SS of 25th of August, 1942.

He writes that he intends to summon you and Dr. Romberg for a report in the near future.

A copy of this letter was likewise sent to the SS Obersturmbannfuehrer Sievers.

Document No. NO-289, Prosecution Exhibit No. 72, a letter from Professor Dr. Hippke, Professor Dr. Hippke was a Medical Inspector, Chief of the Medical Inspectorate, of the Luftwaffe. This letter is addressed to Heinrich Himmler, Reichsfuehrer SS, the subject of the letter -- referring to the letter of the 25th of August, 1942, to Secretary of State Milch concerning experiments for the rescue from great heights.

Very Honored Herr Reichsfuehrer SS, In the name of the German research on aviation-medical problems, I beg to thank you very obediently for the great help and all the interest shown in the Dachau experiments; these experiments form a supplement which is for us of great value and importance.

The fact that an atmosphere with so little oxygen can be endured at all for some time is most encouraging for further research.

It is true that no conclusions as to the practice of parachuting can be drawn for the time being, as a very important factor, viz. cold, has so far not yet been taken into consideration; it places an extraordinary excess burden on the entire body and its vital movements, so that the results in actual practice will very likely prove to be far more unfavorable than in the present experiments.

In the meantime, the supplementary tasks required now have been begun; in part they will have to be finished only after completion of the new Research Institute for Aviation Medicine of the Reich Air Ministry, whose low pressure chamber will include all cold generating apparatus and also an installation for producing conditions up to a height of 30 km.

Sub-freezing experiments in another direction are, in part, still being made at Dachau.

When the work will need once more your sympathetic assistance, may I be allowed to get in touch with you again through Stabsarzt Dr. Rascher.

This letter purely indicates the Medical Inspectorate of the Luftwaffe is receiving reports and took a very active part in this work of Rascher's at Dachau.

We now turn to Document 1610-PS, Prosecution Exhibit No. 73. This is another interim report by Rascher to Reichsfuehrer SS, dated 9 October 1942.

Lost Honorable Reichsfuehrer,

I ask for leave to submit to you the second interim report concerning the freezing experiments.

At the same time I report that I have been ordered to the Luftwaffe conference on freezing, which is going to take place on October 26th to 28th.

As in the interest of his scientific renown, Professor Holzloehner decline to carry out the scientific utilization of the experiments (experiments made on human beings: for shame) I shall take over the exploitation of them through the University Institute of SS Obersturmfuehrer Professor Dr. Pfannenstiel at Marburg.

"The report to General Field Marshal Milch was not delivered. Milch ordered me to him on the 11th of September at 10 a.m. On my arrival I was asked to start the projection of the film: the State's Secretary, so I was told, would appear then. No precautions had been taken in order that only certain persons could gain admittance to that film. About 20 gentlemen were present. The only way in which the whole affair was organized was by rumors which went around in the different departments of the Ministry of Air (RIM) that "something interesting is going to take place at 11 a.m." To my regret I only heard about that later on.

As at the end of the film the State's Secretary had not yet appeared, State's Secretary Field Marshal Milch, and as none of the Generals present had taken the presidency and nobody explained under what conditions this fill was made. I felt induced, after a short conversation with Oberst Gallap, chief of the film room of the RLM, to get up and in accordance with the order of the Reichsfuehrer SS point out that the film was a military secret. Soon after the projection Romberg and I were told that the State's Secretary would not come and we were asked to start the verbal report.

I pointed out that I was charged by you, most Honorable Reichsfuehrer, to report only to Generalfeldmarschall Milch, and declined to give a report as no representative of the State's Secretary had been designated to receive it.

My report to you, most Honorable Reichsfuehrer, comes so late for this reason: SS-Obersturmfuehrer Sievers wanted to report directly to you and asked Romberg, as a neutral (neither Luftwaffe nor SS) to give him on the 11th of September an oral report at the station, and invited him to write this report down and to send it to him at once. Dr. Romberg has not yet started this report, apparently because he fears that it might hurt his connections with the RLM.

On the account of the ill-fated report-meeting at State's Secretary Milch's, they took it for granted at the RLM that my research involving the low-pressure chamber was no longer necessary. There are, however, so many unsolved problems that I must ask you to give me the possibility to continue my work with the low-pressure chamber. It has been understood with SS-Obersturmbannfuehrer Dr. Pfannenstiel that after these questions will be cleared, I shall work on this subject as professor with Professor Pfannenstiel.

At the same time may I request of you that institutes which are not working at full capacity place such apparatus at my disposal as are necessary for the chemical determination of the various factors, as it is regrettable that nowadays the ambitiousness of certain persons can succeed in preventing an outsider like myself from also working in this problem. For instance, the Institute Weltz docs not want to place apparatus at my disposal, simply because they are afraid that my experiments on human beings might lead to quicker and better results than were possible during many years of experiments on animals.

Weltz, instead of now admitting, that we reached our goal more quickly in the freezing problem through experiments on human beings, makes the excuse that he needs the apparatus, since at the present time he is conducting freezing experiments on shaved cats. Through the OKW Weltz is trying to get captures Russians as subjects for his experiments. Human experiments conducted outside a camp do not seem expedient to me.

The final report concerning tho freezing experiments, with all the charts, will be ready in about 6 days and will be sent at once to Berlin.

The experiments of rewarming by body heat, which were ordered, will be carried out as soon as the women necessary for this experiment arrive, in about 2 days. I shall report the results of this experiment separately.

Since, in an oral report, I can on the one hand always expect completely now and excellent suggestions from you, and can on the other hand present ** much more graphic picture of the results obtained, I must respectfully beg you, if you can spare a moment, to grant me an appointment for an oral report. With best wishes and Heil Hitler, I remain your most obedient Sigmund Rascher.

Now, in this report, it bears out the secret manner in which these experiments were conducted, that the air ministry only rumored about the experiments which were to take place. It also bears out the grievances that eventually existed between Weltz and Rascher in their clash for glory. Weltz realizing that Rascher had, so to speak, edged him out at this time was criticizing Rascher's work in making an attempt to get Russian prisoners for his experiments.

We turn now to the answer of Rascher's report by Rudolf Brandt. This is a letter dated October 13, 1942, from the field headquarters of Heinrich Himmler.

It is document number NO - 293, which is Prosecution Exhibit number 74.

Dear Comrade Rascher, I have received your letter of 3 October 1942. I gather from it, that you intend to report in person to the Reichsfuehrer SS concerning the Dachau experiments. This is not possible, as the Reichsfuehrer SS is now in Italy and starts immediately after his visit on a somewhat long duty-journey. I propose accordingly to you that you submit the report in writing as soon as possible, so that I can send it to the Reichsfuehrer SS by courier.

The Reichsfuehrer SS has read the letter of thanks of the former prisoner Neff.

At the moment it is not possible to render a decision on the present state of the high altitude experiments, on which you were, unfortunately, not able to report to Field Marshal Milch. As soon as the Reichsfuehrer SS comes back from his journey, I will ask him what he orders in this respect. Heil Hitler! Yours....

-- signed with the initials "R Br", meaning Rudolf Brandt.

The defendant Sievers on those same lines in connection with the reporting to Field Marshal Milch wrote a letter dated 21 October 1942, Document NO-226, and it is offered as Prosecution Exhibit number 75. The letterhead says, "Ahnenerbe, from the Reich Manager", addressed to Rudolf Brandt.

Dear Comrade Brandt, In connection with the report made in field headquarters concerning the high altitude flight experiments, a report was to be made to Field Marshal Milch, too. The date of 11 September was chosen. As you will see from the attached file note of Dr. Romberg, this report has not been made, and indeed the whole thing has gone wrong, so to say. At any rate, the attitude of the gentlemen of the Medical Inspectorate of the Luftwaffe has altered considerably since that date.

What would you think if I were to write a letter to the Medical Inspector Generaloberstabsarzt Dr. Hippke, that Rascher was only authorized to report in person to Field Marshal Milch, and that, accordingly, he - as well as Dr. Romberg - had but obeyed an order of the Reichsfuehrer, when they did not make a report on September 11th. Perhaps this would persuade the highly insulted gentlemen to cooperate again.

The deep freezing experiments are terminated now, so that the continuation of the high altitude flying experiments, as desired by the Reichsfuehrer SS, can now begin. In this connection, we need once more the low pressure chamber, but this with differential pumps, as otherwise large-scale altitude test cannot be carried out. The new experiments will also ser** to conclude the habilitation thesis of Raxher. The putting at our disposal of the low pressure chamber, however, will be possible then only, if the Reichsfuehrer SS writes in person to Field Marshal Milch concerning this. I Include the draft of such a letter,

Signed by the defendant Sievers.

This draft of the letter is also a part of Exhibit number 75, Document NO-326. It is a draft to Field Marshal Milch, Secretary of State Milch, Berlin.

Subject: Low pressure chamber for high altitude freezing experiments.

In connection with the report

-- pardon me, the subject is "Low pressure chamber for high altitude flying experiments" --

In connection with the report I had submitted to me here by Stabsarzt Dr. Rascher and Dr. Romberg concerning the carrying out of high altitude flying experiments, I had desired that a similar report be submitted to you, too. Although it has not been possible for you to participate in the conference of 11th September 1942 and to convince yourself of the results, up to now, of the experiments, I beg you once more to-day, to put at our disposal the low pressure chamber, through the Aviation Experimental Institute.

As the experiments are to be extended to greater altitudes, this time differential pump would also have to be supplied.

As I take a great interest in the continuation of the altitude flight experiments suspended in June last, and as I believe that we can still achieve very considerable results, I would be grateful to you if you would have the low pressure chamber and the differential pumps brought to Dachau very soon, and if, at the same time, Dr. Romberg were made available again for the continuation of the experiments.

MR. HARDY: We now turn to Document No. NO-224, Prosecution's Exhibit No. 76, which you will find on page 166 of your Document Book, your Honor.

THE PRESIDENT: What number did you give for No. 226?

MR. HARDY: No. 226 is Prosecution's Exhibit No. 75. We will now turn to Document No. 224. This is a Short report concerning the report to be submitted to Secretary of State Milch on September 11.

On September 11th 1942, at 9:45 o'clock Stabsarzt Dr. Rascher and Dr. Romberg met, according to telephonic and oral agreements with Colonel Pandele in the antechamber of the Secretary of State. We were informed that the Secretary of State had ordered this conference at the present stage, in the course of which a report on experiments concerning "rescue from great heights" was to be made, and the motion picture concerning these experiments was to be shown. The gentlemen waiting in the antechamber of the Secretary of State and in the corridor (most of them from the experimental staff) were informed that previous to the conference a motion picture was to be shown, so that all went to the motion picture room on the 5th floor. Here quite a large number of people were already present, so that thirty to forty persons were there in all. Among them were - we know some of them personally - some officers, medical and engineer officers, whose presence surprised us in view of the top secret nature of the motion picture and of the experiments. No checking of the persons present was done, nor was there an attendance list. As, after a short time of waiting, the Secretary of State had not come the motion picture was shown, without giving us an opportunity for preliminary or explanatory remarks. During the intermission between the two parts of the motion picture, Dr. Rascher referred once more to the strict obligation of secrecy ordered by the Reichsfuehrer SS. After completion of the showing of the motion picture - the Secretary of State had not come, as he had been summoned to the Reich Marshall- the persons present still talked a little while about the motion picture, on which occasion less interest was shown in the subject itself than in the place cf the experiments and the individual who had been experimented on. After this period of time, during which we were neither called upon to make any statements whatsoever, nor were we, considering the great forum and the absence of the Secretary of State, inclined to give any reports, the greatest part of these present went back to the development conference while Oberstarzt Wuerfler, Oberstarzt Professor Kolk, Stabsarzt Bruehl and Government Councilor Benzinger asked us for a report in a snail medical circle.

As, however, the Secretary of State had prohibited any report previous to the fixing of distribution, we refused to disclose the results of the experiments. Oberstarzt Kolk stated that he was walling to report to the Secretary of State our wishes concerning the fixing of distribution and the continuation of the experiments. The notion picture film was handed to Colonel Vorwald.

According to the conference with Obersturmbannfuehrer Sievers, I tried to get the film back on the same day, but Colonel Vorwald was still at the development conference. When I telephoned the next day, and requested that the film be handed back, Colonel Vorwald declared, that he would like to keep the film until after Sunday, the 13th of September, since on this day the Reich Marshal was coming and might perhaps desire to see the motion picture. Accordingly, I let Colonel Vorwald keep the motion picture for that day. On the 14th of September, I went to fetch the motion picture from Colonel Vorwald, and was informed that it had not been shown. On the same day I spoke with Stabsarzt Bruehl, who informed me that Oberstarzt Kolk had transmitted, still on September 11th, our wishes concerning distribution and continuation of the experiments to be Secretary of State. The Secretary of State had approved distribution schedule, and said that a continuation of the experiments was not urgend. A few days later, the distribution schedule accepted by the Secretary of State, was sent to the DVL by Colonel Pendele, and the report was accordingly transmitted by the DVL to the offices concerned Since that time I nave not received any news, neither concerning the motion picture nor concerning the report. /s/ Dr. ROMBERG.

This document is fully understandable on its face, but due to the difficulty of being unable to contact Milch and receive any word from him as to the ultimate results of their experiments in November 1942, - this is Document 1617-PS, Prosecution's Exhibit 77 - Heinrich Himmler, the Reichsfuehrer SS, directed a letter to Field Marshal Milch which reads as follows:

Dear Comrade Milch:

You will recall that through General Wolff I particularly recommended to you for your consideration the work of a certain SS Fuehrer, Dr. Rascher, who is a physician of the air force on leave.

These researches which deal with the behavior of the human organism at great heights, as well as with manifestations caused by prolonged cooling of the human body in cold water, and similar problems which are of vital importance to the air force in particular, can be performed by us with particular efficiency because I personally assumed the responsibility for supplying social individuals and criminals who deserve only to die from concentration camps for these experiments.

Unfortunately you had no time recently when Dr. Rascher wanted to report on the experiments at the ministry for Aviation. I had put great hopes that report, because I believed that in this way the difficulties, based mainly on religious objects, which opose Dr. Rascher's experiments - for which I assumed responsibility - could be eliminated.

The difficulties are still the same now as before. In these "Christian medical circles" the standpoint is being taken that it goes without saying that a young German aviator should be allowed to risk his life but that the life of a criminal - who is not drafted into military Service is too sacred for this purpose and one should not stain oneself with this guilt; at the same time it is interesting to note that credit is taken for the results of the experiments while excluding the scientist who performed then.

I personally have inspected the experiments, and have - I can say this without exaggeration - participate in every phase of this scientific work in a helpful and inspiring manner.

We two should not get angry about these difficulties. It will take at least another ten years until we can get such narrow-mindedness out of our people. But this should not affect the research work which is necessary for our young and splendid soldiers and aviators.

I beg you to release Dr. Rascher, Stabsarzt in reserve, from the air force and to transfer him to me to the Waffen-SS. I would then assume the sole responsibility for having these experiments made in this field, and would put the results, of which we in the SS need only a part for the frost injuries in the East, entirely at the disposal of the air force.

However, in this connection I suggest that with liaison between you and Wolff a "non-Christian" physician should changed, who should be at the same time honorable as a scientist and not prone to intellectual theft and who could be informed of the results. This physician should also have good contacts with the administrative authorities, so that the results would really obtain a hearing.

I believe that this solution - to transfer Dr. Rascher to the SS, so that he could carry out the experiments under my responsibility and under my orders - is the best way. The experiments should not be stopped; we owe that to our men. If Dr. Rascher remained with the air force, there would certainly be much annoyance; because then I would have to bring a series of unpleasant details to you, because of the arrogance and assumption which Professor Dr. Holzloehner has displayed in the post of Dachau - who is under my command about me in utterances delivered to SS Colonel Sievers. In order to save both of us this trouble, I suggest again that Dr. Rascher should be transferred to the Waffen SS as quickly as possible.

I would be grateful to you if you will give the order to put the low pressure chamber at our disposal again, together with step-up pumps, because tho experiments should be extended to include even greater altitudes. Cordial greetings and Heil Hitler!

This fabulous document indeed conveys to the Honorable Tribunal the mental attitude of Heinrich Himmler and the most of his followers. It also conveys to us in their stating that in these "Christian medical circles the standpoint is being taken that it goes without saying that a young German aviator should be allowed to risk his life but that the life of a criminal" indicates to us the position in which all of these followers of Himmler stood.

We now will turn to Document NO-269 to offer as Prosecution's Exhibit Number 78. This is dated 28 November 1942. It is from Obersturmbannfuehrer Wolff, personnel Director of Amt - one of the Amts under Heinrich Himmler.

Highly esteemed Generalfeldmarshall, Dear Party Member Milch. You will remember that I, by order of the Reichsfuehrer SS, recommended to you the work of an SS Officer, Dr. Rascher, who is a medical officer of the Luft waffe on leave.

This work on the influence of high altitudes on the human organism, and on the cooling of the human body during prolonged stay in cold water and similar questions, deals with problems which are of the utmost interest for the Luftwaffe. We are able to perform this work with special effect, because the Reichsfuehrer SS assumed personal responsibility for these experiments on a socials and criminals deserving death from Concentration Camps.

It is a pity that you had not time, when Dr. Rascher recently wanted to lecture at the Air Ministry. The Reichsfuehrer SS expected very much of it, because being personally informed, you certainly will have taken action to remove the many difficulties of Dr. Rascher's work.

These difficulties are always the same. Luftwaffe medical officers are of the opinion that a young German air-man may risk his life, but that the life of a criminal who is not called up is too sacred for that, and that they do not want to be blamed for such experiments. Still, the results of the experiments are used while one scientist who carried then out is eliminated.

The Reichsfuehrer SS himself has seen the experiments and - I can state that without exaggerating - helped and stimulated in every phase of these experiments.

Now, he does not want that you and he get angry about the development. In his opinion, it will at least take another ten years until our people get rid of such narrow mindness. But the research necessary for our young and faultless soldiers and air-men must not be hampered by this.

The Reichsfuehrer SS therefore requests you to release the Stabsarzt of the reserve Dr. Rascher from the Luftwaffe and to transfer him to the Waffen SS. The Reichsfuehrer SS will then have all these experiments carried out on his sole responsibility and the experiments which we only partly used in the S'S regarding frost bites in the East, will be left entirely to the Luftwaffe. Here he suggests that a competent physician will be nominated as a liaison between you and myself, who has the opportunity to report to you continuously about the research work.

The Reichsfuehrer believes that this solution is the best way, that is to say to transfer Dr. Rascher to the SS so that he can perform his experiments under his responsibility and under his orders. The experiments must under no circumstances be discontinued, we owe that to our men. If Dr. Rascher would remain with the Luftwaffe, a lot of trouble certainly would arise, because in that case the Reichsfuehrer SS would have to bring to your knowledge quite some unfortunate details which will certainly occur in the future too, considering the execution of the experiments up to now. It is especially Professor Holzloehner who plays his part.

In order to save you and himself a lot of trouble, the Reichsfuehrer SS begs to transfer Dr. Rascher as quick as possible to the Waffen SS.

The Reichsfuehrer SS would appreciate it very much if you would give the order that the low pressure chamber is to be put at our disposal again, together with gradual aggregate pumps, because experiments are to be extended to still higher altitudes.

Best regards and "Heil Hitler!

/s/ Wolff

Copies of this letter went to the SS Main Personal Office; Reichsrarzt Dr. Grawitz; SS Obf. Dr. Wuest; SS Staf. Sievers. Copies forwarded requesting attention by order and signed by Brandt, SS Obersturmbannfuehrer. As a matter of fact, the results of this correspondence was that Rascher, in due course, was transferred to the SS for the continuation of his work at Dachau.

We now turn to Document No. 1612-PS, Prosecution's Exhibit No.79, page 122 Your Honor, in the Document Book. This is a letter of Rudolf Brandt addressed to Doctor Rascher, Medical Officer in the SS Fuehrungshauptamt, Berlin, and to SS Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl of the WVHA, and to the Ahnenerbe Society:

Enclosed I am sending you a letter of the Reichsfuehrer SS with an order for SS Hauptsturmfuehrer Dr. Rascher.

You are requested to duly note and accord needed assistance to Hauptsturmfuehrer Dr. Rascher in the carrying through of his experiments.

SS Hauptsturmfuehrer Dr. Rascher is being assigned by me to carry through the following experiments:

1) Low pressure chamber experiments - to be carried out under conditions corresponding to these actually prevailing under normal operating conditions for rescue from high and extremely high altitudes. Determination of changes in chemical equilibrium, as well as gas equilibrium of human body. Experiments are to be repeated until a scientifically incontestable basis for findings is established. Testing of pressure-proof protection garments for the highest altitudes to bo carried out with the assistance of manufacturers of such protective suite.

2) Tests for reimparting warmth enter total chilling of the human body recording all changes of chemical and gas characteristics - are to be further continued until complete clarification of doubtful questions.

I attach particular value to conditions for experiments coming as close to actual conditions as possible, quite particularly as regards reimpartation of warmth. Sauna equipment available in Dachau should be used in connection with experiments on reimpartation of warmth.

3) Experiments on removal of effects due to freezing of parts of human system especially the extremities, to be carried through in suitable form (c.g. applications with Gastein water).

4) Experiments concerned with adaptation to freezing cold in snow huts (igloos) to be carried out under varying diets in order to establish whether adaptation to cold and resistance increase against freezing is possible. These experiments are to be carried out on the site of SS-Berghaus Sudelfold.

5) The procurement of the apparatus needs for all tho experiments should be discussed in detail with tho offices of the Reichsarzt-SS, Main Office for Economics and Administration and with the Ahnenerbe. The necessary chemical products, medical supplies and glass ware will be made available by the SS Medical Office, Berlin.

6) Publication of results obtained in such tests subject to my approval only.

/s/ H. Himmler

We are now at the end of the presentation of documentary evidence on the High Altitude Experiments. We will, of course, have a witness on the High Altitude Experiments, and who will be called tomorrow morning.

Now, Mr. McHaney will proceed with the presentation of the Freezing Experiments.

MR. McHANEY: Your Honors should have before you English Document Book No. 3, which contains substantially all the Exhibits which we will present on tho Freezing Experiments carried out at the Dachau Concentration Camp in the Fall and Winter of 1942, and during part of 1943.

The first Document will be No. 242, and which will be Prosecution's Exhibit No. 80. This is an affidavit signed by the defendant Rudolf Brandt, setting forth his knowledge concerning tho Freezing Experiments. It reads as follows:

I, Rudolf Emil Hermann Brandt, being duly sworn, depose and state:

1. I am the same Rudolf Brand who has heretofore sworn to an affidavit on the 30th day of August, 1946, concerning certain low pressure experiments performed on human beings at the Dachau Concentration Camp.

2. For the same reason sot forth in paragraph 1,2 and 3, of my affidavit of 30 August 1946, I an able to make this statement concerning freezing experiments performed on human beings.

"FREEZING EXPERIMENTS"

3. In the late spring of 1942, Field Marshall Milch of the Luftwaffe in a letter to SS Obergruppenfuehrer Karl Wolff (Chief of the Personal Staff of the Reichsfuehrer SS), authorized the freezing experiments on human beings.

Oberstabsarzt A. G. Weltz was ordered, to make these experiments and Rascher was to assist him. Milch expressed his thanks to the SS for their cooperation with the Supreme Command of the Luftwaffe in conducting the low pressure experiments. To the best of my recollection, Rascher wrote Himmler a few weeks later to the effect that General Oberstabsarzt Prof. Dr. Hippke had requested freezing experiments to be carried out on concentration camp inmates at Dachau, Rascher requested that Himmler approve the pardon of several inmates at Dachau who had assisted him in performing autopsies on guinea pigs who were killed during the course of the low pressure experiments.

4. The Luftwaffe was interested in having the cooling experiments conducted because of the fact that a number of German aviators were forced to parachute into the North Sea and consequently were sometimes subjected to extreme cold for extended periods of time. The purpose of the freezing experiments was to learn the most effective way of rewarming such aviators, thereby saving their lives.

5. The freezing experiments were begun in August 1942 and Rascher submitted a preliminary report in September 1942. The test-persons were partially submerged in ice water to lower their body temperature. This report stated that some of the experimental subjects were killed as a result of the experiment Rascher attempted to revive the frozen subjects by rapid rewarming with hot water. He stated that rewarming by animal heat had not yet been utilized but that the thought it would be too slow.

6. Himmler acknowledged receipt of this report late in September and ordered Rascher to explore the effectiveness of rewarming by animal heat. A copy of this letter was sent to Sievers with a request for acknowledgment.

7. As a result of Himmler's request that animal warmth be used as one of the methods of rewarming in the course of the experiments, Rascher made a request that a number of women be supplied for this purpose. I know that women were supplied to Rascher and that they were used to rewarm the experimental subjects who had been frozen.

8. In October 1942 Rascher submitted the final report on the freezing experiments performed at Dachau. This report did not contain the results of a series of experiments with drugs and with animal body heat which were then still being conducted. It was also noted that the report did not contain the microscopic pathological examinations of the brain tissues of the deceased. This report was signed by Pref. Dr. E. Holzloehner, Dr. Sigmund Rascher and Dr. E. Finke. Data was submitted concerning a number of subjects who were frozen to death.

9. Himmler acknowledged receipt of this report; a copy of the latter being sent to Karl Wolff. He stated that a copy of the report had been sent to Field Marshall Milch of the Luftwaffe and went on to state that he expected reports regarding the use of animal heat in reviving the frozen subjects. He further asked Rascher to submit the names of people who were opposed to experiments on human beings and stated that such peoples were to be considered at traitors. Later on Himmler had a conference with Rascher concerning the experiments and during November he visited Dachau in order to observe personally the experiments.

10. It should be noted that some jealousy arose among Rascher and his collaborators as a result of the low pressure and freezing experiments. Sievers was of the opinion that Holzloehner was attempting to receive credit for the cold experiments and that the same had been done by Dr. Ruff with regard to the low pressure experiments. For this reason, Sievers suggested to Himmler that it would be wisest if Rascher were taken over entirely into the SS and away from the Luftwaffe so that his work can be carried out under the sole suspices of the Personal Staff of the Reichsfuehrer SS cud the Ahnenerbe Institute. As a result of this, Himmler wrote a letter to Field Marshall Wilch in November 1942, requesting that Rascher be discharged from the Luftwaffe and transferred to the Waffen SS.

Himmler stated that he would assume whole responsibility for experimentation on human beings.

11. In the late fall of 1912, Rascher asked for permission to carry out Troops at St. Johann and at the SS Mountain House in Bayrischzell where concentration camp inmates would be available for experiments. The purpose of these experiments was to have people live in igloos and to test various typos of diet and clothing.

12. Himmler wrote to SS Obergruppenfuehrer Oswald Pohl, Chief of the WVHA, regarding his visit to Dachau in November 1942 at which time he had observed the freezing experiments. He informed Pohl that he had ordered that suitable woman bd set aside for the purpose of warming up the experimental subjects.

13. Rascher had still not been released from the Luftwaffe as late as January 1943 and no answer had been received from Milch in reply to the formal request made by Himmler in November 1942. Sievers was concerned about this delay because Rascher was planning to make certain experiments on the effect of dry cold on human beings and since it was thought that these could not be started prior to Rascher's transfer, Sievers was becoming concerned least the transfer be delayed beyond the cold season. I know that Sievers was in touch with Wolff on several occasions and urged him to expedite the transfer.

Wolff was serving as the liaison between Himmler and Milch in this matter.

14. Himmler had asked Rascher to submit a short memorandum of advice to soldiers as to the best method of rewarming after a severe chilling. This memorandum was submitted to Reichsarzt SS Gruppenfuehrer Grawitz; and he listed certain objections on the ground that Rascher's researches were based only on exposure to wet cold and not to dry cold. Therefore, Grawitz recommended further experimentation upon the effects of rewarming by hot water persons subjected to dry cold. Sievers became very excited at the intervention of Dr. Grawitz and immediately raised objections against his gaining control of the experiments. Sievers was also incensed by a report of a conference between Grawitz, Rascher, and Obersturmbannfuehrer Poppendick, in which Rascher quoted Grawitz as having said that it was an untenable state of affairs that a non-physician such as Sievers should have jurisdiction over medical matters.

15. Sievers continued his efforts to have Rascher transferred from the Luftwaffe and suggested that Himmler have Rascher attached to Obersturmbannfuehrer Dr. Pfannenstiel's Department in Marburg.

16. In February 1943, Rascher submitted his report on experiments with animal heat. In the same letter, he stated that he had carried out intense chilling experiments on 30 human beings by leaving them outdoors naked from 9 to 14 hours, Rascher suggested that further experiments with dry cold be transferred to Auschwitz because it was colder there and the greater extent of open country within the camp would make the experiments less conspicuous as the experimental subjects screamed with pain when severely frozen. The report on the rewarming of intensely chilled human being by animal warmth stated that the experimental subjects were cooled until they all lost consciousness. The test persons were then placed between two naked women in a spacious bed. It was noted that several of the subjects revived sufficiently to perform sexual intercourse.

17. I wrote Rascher acknowledging receipt of the aforementioned report and stated that further experiments with dry cold should be made at Auschwitz or lublin. A copy of this letter was sent to Pohl, who was to order the carrying out of the experiments at Lublin or Auschwitz.

18. The efforts to release Rascher from the Luftwaffe were intensified. Hippke had apparently heard the criticism of the SS that Rascher had not been given full cooperation by the Luftwaffe; and he defended himself against the accusation that he had not enthusiastically supported the experiments performed on human beings. He indicated that he would be willing to approve of Rascher's release from the Luftwaffe if Rascher himself made the request. Hippke pointed out that the difficulties about which there was some complaint were caused not because of any disapproval of experiments on human beings, but because of the personal vanities of the various doctors involved, in that each one apparently wanted to take personal credit. Rascher himself was criticized in that respect.

19. Rascher defended himself in a letter to me against this slur of Hippke's and added that he had made further tests on the resuscitation of human beings who were frozen by dry cold during a period of heavy frost. The experimental subjects were kept naked outdoors for lit hours at freezing temperatures. A complete report on this subject was sent to Himmler in April 1943. I acknowledged receipt of this report in a letter to Rascher and according to orders advised him to get in touch with Prof. Gebhardt at Hohenlychen, to whom Himmler had sent the aforesaid report. Rascher was also directed to send a copy of the report to Grawitz.

/s/ R. Brandt.

This rather long and detailed affidavit, your Honors, tends to give you a rather full picture in one place of the experiments conducted on freezing at Dachau. You will see in the exhibits which will come in later a great many of the documents which are referred to in the affidavit of Rudolf Brandt.

The next document will be Document NO-448, and is Prosecution Exhibit 81. This is an affidavit signed by the defendant Becker-Freyseng: and your Honors will recall that Becker-Freyseng was from the latter part of 1941 until the end of the war attached to the Department for Aviatico Medicine in the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe.

The affidavit reads as follows:

I, Hermann Becker-Freyseng, being duly sworn, depose and state:

1. I was born on 18 July 1910 in Ludwigshafen. I studied medicine at the Universities of Heidelberg, Innsbruck, and Berlin. In the summer of 1940 I joined the Luftwaffe. At first I was an Unterarzt with a Flyer Selection Group.

2. In August 1941 I was transferred to Berlin and became an assistant to Anthony who was Chief of the Referat, Aviation Medicine. This department deal with all questions concerning aviation medicine and reported to the Chief of the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe. We consulted with scientists about aviation medical problems and saw to it that the results of their work were applied to a practical use. We received reports from such scientists, flight surgeons, institutes, and consulting surgeons and doctors of the Luftwaffe. I saw reports from Dr. Eugen Haagen, Oberstabsarzt of the Luftwaffe, although he was working primarily for the Hygiene Referat under Dr. Siegfried Atmer. Generalarzt Gerhardt Rose was perhaps the most important figure in the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe as far as hygienic problems were concerned.

3. The Aviation Medicine Referat had the letter designation "2 II B" when I was attached to that office in August 1941. This designation stood for "Abteilung 2, Gruppe II, Referat B." In the winter of 1942-43, the letter designation of the Aviation Medicine Referat was changed to "2F", as I recall. It remained "2 F" until about January 1944 when it became known as "2 II A". The work of the office was the same during all of this time; and the change in letter designation merely reflected reorganization of the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe.

Now, your Honors may wonder what the significance of these letter designations of the Officer for Aviation Medicine in the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe is; but you will see on some of the documents to be introduced at a later stage in the trial that these letters, these letter designations, will appear on some of the documents and they will have considerable significance with regard to the case against Becker-Freyseng and also Mr. Schroeder because they will indicate that this office, the Office for Aviation Medicine, was concerned with particular matters stated in that letter.

I just would like to sum up: When we see the letter designation "2 II B" of "2 F" or "2 II A," we know that it is referring to the Department of Aviation Medicine in the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe and that it is in effect the same department that Becker-Freyseng was attached to through the whole period in which we are interested, succeeding in May, he says, of 1944 as chief of the department and prior to that time as chief assistant to Anthony.

4. When I first joined the Luftwaffe, Hippke was Chief of the Inspectorat of the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe (Inspekteur des Luftwaffe Sanitaetswesens). Schroeder, at that time, was Chief Medical Officer of Air Fleet 2 and held the rank of Generalstibsarzt. Schroeder held the highest rank in the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe other than Hippke. Schroeder became Chief of the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe in January 1944.

5. At the Nurnberg Conference held in October 1942, Dr. Holzloehner gave a report on the freezing experiments conducted at Dachau in cooperation with Dr. Rascher. Anthony was Chairman of the meeting. As a result of Holzloehner's report and others given at the conference, we issued instructions to Flight Surgeons that the warm bath method was to be used in reviving aviators who had been severely chilled. I knew that prior to the Nurnberg Conference Holzoehner was experimenting with Rascher in Dachau on freezing problems. I also knew that Ruff and Romberg had conducted certain low pressure experiments at Dachau in cooperation with Rascher. It was fairly well known that these men were experimenting on concentration camp inmates. Dr. Kalk told me that he had seen Rascher in Milch's office at the RLM, and we were both very surprised at this.

Dr. Kalk, your Honors, as you will probably not recall, appeared on the chart which we submitted in evidence showing the organization of the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe. He was a consulting physician or hygienist, as I recall.

6. After Dr. Rostock took his position under Dr. Karl Brandt, he was possibly the highest authority on science and research in Germany. All branches of the armed forces reported experiments and research to him and he summarized the reports and gave them to Brandt for approval. Handloser, as Chief of the Medical Services of the Armed Forces, also had to be entirely familiar with the research work which was being conducted by the Army, Navy, and Luftwaffe.

We were ordered to report to these men all research assignments of scientists working for us so that duplication of work could be eliminated.

/s/ Hermann Becker-Freyseng.

I may say that the defendant Becker-Freyseng was certainly in a position to know whereof he speaks since it was the Department for Aviation Medicine which assigned a great number of the research tasks in the Luftwaffe.

Now, your Honors, the next documents appearing on Pages 10 and 11 of the document book are simply inserted as a matter of convenient reference for the Tribunal. The document on Page 11, you will remember, was submitted this morning; and it is the letter from Milch to Dr. Wolff, stating that "Major Weltz will be charged with the execution and Captain Rascher will be made available until further orders" to carry out the freezing experiments at Dachau.

JUDGE SEBRING: Mr. McHaney, can you tell me quickly what exhibit that is?

MR. MCHANEY: That is Exhibit 62, your Honor.

JUDGE SEBRING: Think you. Which one, Mr. McHaney, is 62?

MR. MCHANEY: That is the second letter, dated May 20, 1942. If your Honor please, both of these documents were originally registered as 343-PS. We change the registration to 343A-PS and 343B-PS in order that we could split them up and submit them at different points in the trial because we thought the presentation was benefitted by that process.

MR. McHANEY: The next exhibit will be Document NO. 283 and this is Prosecution Exhibit 82. The Tribunal 1 may wish to see this document. It is the first page of a letter:-this is Prosecution Exhibit 82. The Tribunal nay wish to lock at the exhibit. Its tho first page of a letter apparently written by Dr. Rascher to Heinrich Himmler. The exhibit itself contains only the first page. We do not have tho following pages or tie page containing tho signature of Rascher. However, as you can see on the translation tho first page does contain the letterhead "Dr. Medicine Sigmund Rascher. The letter is dated 15 June 1942.

Esteemed Reichsfuehrer!

A few days ago I was ordered to a conference with the Inspector of tho Luftwaffe Medical Service Generaloberstabsarzt Professor Dr, Hippke. When I told him that you had not yet received the report concerning the experiments as a whole, and that you still had to give permission for the reporting of the results, he did not ask for any report. The Inspector was extraordinarily kind and asked me, as liaisen man with the SS, to express to you, esteemed Reichsfuehrer, his private thanks for the experiments.

At the same time, he asked for permission to carry out the cold and water experiments in Dachau, and asked that the following be engaged in these experiments:

Professor Dr. Jarisch, of the University Innsbruck, Professor Dr. Holzloehner, of Kiel, as well as the Luftwaffe-pathologist Professor Dr. Singer, of Schwabing Hospital.

(I know Professor Singer personally very well). The inspector designated the experiments as extraordinarily important, as we must count on another winter in the East.

Later during tho discussion I was asked to inquire of you, esteemed Reichsfuehrer, whether the Gestapo can investigate whether the above-mentioned gentlemen are politically unexceptionable.

It was also decided that the Inspector would issue orders to me at all times during tho experiments. The Inspector said that he would prefer to approve long-term assignments rather than to free me from the Luftwaffe, as he needed me.

The water experiments can be started immediately,....

MR. McHANEY: And there the translation discontinues because we don't have the following page of the letter. An interesting thing to note in connection with this letter, is firstly, the date 15 June 1942 at which time the low-pressure experiments at Dachau were still in process. You will recall that the final report on the low-pressure experiments was dated 28 July 1942 and it is also interesting to note of Rascker's personal conference with Hippke, Chief of the Medical Service of the Luftwaffe. Now, thero is no doubt in my mind that a considerable number, if not all of the Luftwaffe defendants in this case, will tell the Tribunal that this was simply an SS matter. The experiments perhaps occurred but they were under the jurisdiction of the Reichsfuehrer SS Heinrich Himmler and that he was a man of such great power that they could raise no voice against him. I think it has been amply demonstrated already that this is not the case; such as they will describe it: that these experiments were the result of cooperation between the SS and the Luftwaffe and that they would have not been possible without such cooperation, but here we see that Rascher has a personal conference with Hippke and mentions the names of some of his collaborators Drs. Jarisch, Helzloehner and Singer who actually did collaborate in the experiments which began on the 15 August 1942. We come now to Document NO 234 which will be Prosecution Exhibit 85.

The letter again from Rascher to Heinrich Himmler dated 10 September 1942 and it indicates that the experiments had already started and attached to it is a report, an Intermediate Report on the Intense Chilling Experiments in Dachau, started on 15 August 1942. No, your Honors, I am in error there. The Report will go in under a separate exhibit number. Letter dated 10 September 1942:

My dear Reichsfuehrer:

May I submit in the enclosure the first intermediary report about the freezing experiments.

In the beginning of October a meeting on the subject of freezing experiments is to take place. Professor Dr. Helzloehner, participating in our Dachau experiments on behalf of the Luftwaffe, wants to give on this occasion an account of the results of our experiments. SS Obersturmbannfuehrer SIEVERS, who surveyed the experiments in Dachau last week, believed that if any report was to be made at a meeting, I should be called upon to submit the report. A discussion with other experts on freezing experiments would surely be very valuable. I therefore request your decision.

1.) Can a report be made elsewhere before the oral report has been submitted to you, my Reichsleader, 2.) Is my participation in the conference on the subject of the freezing experiments of the Luftwaffe, ordered by you, my Reichsleader?

I will take care that the report is submitted in the appropriate manner due to a top Secret matter.

/s/ Rascher

MR. McHANEY: The next document 1618 PS is the intermediate report mentioned in the Prosecution's Exhibit 83. 1618 PS will be Prosecution Exhibit 84:

Intermediate report on Intense Chilling Experiments in the Dachau Concentration Camp, started on 15 August 1942.

Experimental procedure.

The experimental subjects were placed in the water, dressed in complete flying uniform, winter or summer combination, and with an aviator's helmet. A life jacket make of rubber or kapok was to prevent submerging. The experiments were carried out at water temperatures varying from 2.5 degrees to 12 degrees centigrade. In one experimental series, OCCIPUT and brain stem produced above the water, while in another series of experiments the OCCIPUT, (brain stem) and back of the head were submerged in water.

Electrical measurements gave low temperature readings of 26.4 degrees in the stemack and 26.5 degrees in the rectum. Fatalities occurred only when the brain stem and the back of the head were also chilled. Autepsies of such fatal cases always revealed large amounts of free blood, up to l/2 Liter, in the cranial cavity. The heart invariable showed extreme dilation of the right chamber. As soon as the temperature in these experiments reached 28 degreed, the experimental subjects died invariable, despite all attempts at resuscitation. The above discussed autopsy finding conclusively proved the importance of a warming protective device for head and OCCIPUT when designing the planned protective clothing of the foam type.

Other important findings, common in all experiments, to be mentioned. marked increase of the viscosity of the blood, marked increase of hemoglobin, an approximate five-fold increase of the leukocytes, invariable rise of blood sugar to twice its normal value. Articular fibrillation made its appearance regularly at 30 degrees.

During attempts to save severely chilled persons, it was shown that rapid re-warming was in all cases preferable to slow re-warming, because after removal from the cold water, the body temperature continued to sind rapidly. I think that for this reason we can dispense with the attempt to save intensely chilled subjects by means of animal heat.

Re-warning by animal warmth-animal bodies or women's bodies-would be too slow. As auxiliary measures for the prevention of intense chilling, improvements in the clothing of aviators come alone into consideration. The foam suit with suitable neck protector which is being prepared by the German Institution for Textile Research, Munich-Gladbach, Reserves first priority in this connection. The experiments have shown that pharmaceutical measures are probably unnecessary if the flier is still alive at the time of rescue.

MR. McHANEY: Here again, your Honors, in this set of experiments we find that they are continued until certain of the subjects died. The document itself clearly reveals that a number of persons were killed in the early stages of the experiments.

THE PRESIDENT: The tribunal will be recessed.

(A recess was taken)