The Holocaust Historiography Project

Partial translation of document 3324-PS

                    GERMANY IN THE FIGHT
                        Published by

      MINISTERIALDIRGENT A. J. BERNDT, Reichministry of
                         Propaganda
                     Lt. Col. Von Wedel
             Supreme Command of the Armed Forces
     Publishing House Otto Stollberg, Berlin W 9, First
                           October
                  Issue No. 3, Pages 62-63.

         FUNK on the organization of the war economy
                        14 Oct. 1939

Reichminister for Economy Funk, who stayed in
Vienna for the opening of the first war fair
[Kriegsmeese] of Greater Germany, spoke during a
rally of the Eastern [Ostmaerkischen] Economy on
the organization and tasks of the German war
economy, and explained in his speech among other
things:
                    *******

Now I wish to explain to you a few facts about the
organization and the tasks of the German war
economy in order, that you will be able to
understand the necessity and the goal of our war
economic measures. Generalfeldmarschall Goering
emphasized with special vigor in his great, policy-
making speech of  9 September how much depends on
the fact, that the complete employment of the
living and fighting power of the nation be secured
economically as well as otherwise for the duration
of the war. Just as in military armament, we have
also in economic armament a great advantage over
our opponents. Not only the political and the
military, but also the economic calculations of
our enemies were wrong and these calculations were
thrown into complete confusion
by the treaties made with Russia. It is known that
the German war potential has been strengthened
very considerably by the conquest of Poland. We
owe it mainly to the Four Year Plan, that we could
enter the war economically so strong and well
prepared.

                     *******

One can evaluate correctly what the Four Year Plan
means for the economic preparation of war, only
when one considers, that the Four Year Plan does
not include only the food and raw material
economy, only the entire industrial economic life,
but that it also includes foreign commerce, money
and foreign-exchange economy and finance, so that
the entire economic life and production in Germany
is authoritatively determined and executed by this
plan. Although all the economic and financial
departments were harnessed in the tasks and work
of the Four Year Plan under the leadership of
Generalfeldmarschall Goering, the war economic
preparation of Germany has also been advanced in
secret in another sector for well over a year,
namely by means of the formation of a national
guiding apparatus for the special war economic
tasks, which had to be mastered at that moment,
when the condition of war became a fact. For this
work as well all economic departments were
combined into one administrative authority, namely
under the general plenipotentiary for economy, to
which position the Fuehrer appointed me
approximately one and a half years ago.