The Holocaust Historiography Project

Translation of document 3564-PS

                          AFFIDAVIT

                       Oberursel, 27 December 1945

I, Otto L. Meissner, herewith declare under oath, as
follows:

As former State Secretary, and later Minister of State and
Chief of the Chancery of the President, I am familiar with
the importance of the Reich Ministry of the Interior of
which Wilhelm Frick was Chief for about ten years, from 1933
on.

Frick put through a measure requiring the approval of the
NSDAP in every case of the appointment of an official; the
same was true for the composition of local governments. It
was his “accomplishment” that the governments of the Reich
and of individual states were coordinated--a basic idea in
Hitler’s program. Frick, as a convinced National Socialist,
had the confidence of the Party and of the Fuehrer, since he
was an “old fighter” who had already supported Hitler during
the November 1923 Putsch. The legislation against the Jews
was drafted under Frick. Frick also, in collaboration with
Klagges, Minister of Brunswick, succeeded in naturalizing
Hitler as a German citizen in 1932 by having him appointed a
Brunswick Government official (Counsellor of Government).
This was done in order to make it possible for Hitler to run
as a candidate for the office of President of the Reich.

Read to, signed, and sworn to.
                                           /s/ Otto Meissner
Given, signed and sworn before me.
                                        /s/ R. M. W. Kempner
                               Office of U.S. Chief of Counsel