Translation of document 3395-PS

           [Letter from Seyss-Inquart to Keppler]

Most honored Mr. Keppler,

Thanks very much for your kind letter.  I heard to
my great satisfaction that you were able to hold
the contemplated conferences and that you were
satisfied with their results.  I am especially
happy to know that you are coming here in the 10th
of this month.  I would like to have a thorough
discussion about the situation and ask your
therefore, when you are in Vienna to join me for a
simple supper in Dernbach, to which I am also
going to invite Dr. Jury and Dr. Rainer.  I
believe that many things could be clarified and
arranged in a subsequent discussion among us four.
You didn’t write if Dr. Veesenmayer is coming
along.  If you bring him with you, he will of
course be very welcome.  When I last spoke to
St.S.Schmidt, he expressed the desire to see you
again when you come to Vienna.  I would consider
this very appropriate because a number of things
are taking place about which one should get as
much elucidation as possible.  More about it
orally.  I believe however that those projects
which take into consideration [translator’s note:
verb missing] an organization of the Danube
territory [Donauraum] with the announced
intentions of negotiating matters with the Reich
afterwards, are being fervently discussed with our
immediate neighbors and are perhaps making some
progress.  I believe these intentions to be
exceptionally interesting.  In some way they may
lead to new arrangements.

In the matter Alpine, vice president Eisenstock is
going to Berlin tomorrow, Wednesday, to discuss
the most urgent matters with Voegler.  Some unrest
seems to prevail here.  I think it suitable not to
have any prejudice during this conversation.  I
believe I should recommend urgently not to touch
the question of the personnel section [Personal-
referat] either in higher circles or directly.
This should rather result from a new distribution
of authority at the board of directors [Vorstand],
which is frequently examined for technical reasons
and will certainly
meet with the agreement of several gentlemen here,
especially in connection with a transfer of the
chief office [Zentrale] into the center of the
factories.  An idea which, as I hear, has been
generally approved and put into execution by all
industries within the Reich.  In this connection
some other matters, which encounter the greatest
resistance if treated separately, especially the
direction of personnel department and personal
section [Personal-referat] may be arranged at the
same time.

The decision with regard to the different
managers, of which one may be objectionable
altogether, another partly, which have to be
considered from the Reich-does not belong to the
group of questions for which I recommended some
caution.  It should not be kept secret that this
circumstances represents a heavy a certain extent
for the time being it represents a preliminary
service which will permit a demand for certain
compensation.  In my opinion this later fact could
be stressed during the Berlin conferences, but
should be mentioned as a situation the initiative
for which apparently exists only in the Reich.

In the meantime, I remain very respectfully
                                             Yours
Personal
Express
To the Hon. Mr. Wilhelm Keppler
Berlin-Charlottenburg
Ahornallee 34/35