Hitler declares war on US, meets French diplomats; Himmler & Bach-Zelewski visit camp near Minsk

Identifier
irn1001625
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1998.191.1
  • RG-60.2463
Dates
1 Jan 1941 - 31 Dec 1941
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Creator(s)

Biographical History

United States Navy Lieutenant E. R. Kellogg certifies motion pictures of Nazi concentration camps in an affidavit presented in the "Nazi Concentration Camps" film by the Americans as evidence during the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. Kellogg had expertise in motion picture and photographic techniques through his employment with Twentieth Century Fox Studios in California from 1929 to 1941. He attests that he has thoroughly examined the concentration camp liberation films of the Army Signal Corps and found them to be unaltered, genuine, and true copies of the originals in the U.S. Army Signal Corps vaults.

Scope and Content

Title: "Invasion of U.S.S.R. 22 June 1941" Early morning street activities in Berlin on morning of invasion of USSR. Preparation of broadcast at radio station. At 5:30 AM Goebbels sits at desk and makes announcement. Shots of people listening. Von Ribbentrop walks into conference. Newspaper headline, then map of Eastern Front. Flare goes up in dark, silhouettes of troops in dark. Artillery fire and burning target presumably in East Prussia. Dismantling of border post. German troops move cautiously forward. Explosion in building interior. Title: "Meeting with Petain, Laval, and Franco in France October 1941" Hitler meets with Henri Petain, Pierre Laval, and Francisco Franco in France. MCU Petain gets out of car and shakes hands with von Ribbentrop. Petain crosses train tracks and shakes Hitler's hand. They are photographed. Hitler on train with Goering and military officers; Hitler laughing and in good spirits. Train passes saluting officers in Hendaye station, close to French/Spanish border. CU of town signs. Hitler and officers on train platform await arrival of Franco. Spanish train pulls in, Franco climbs out and he and Hitler warmly shake hands. Hitler salutes down line of Spanish officers and Franco salutes German honor guard. Hitler and Franco board train. [music & German narration throughout.]. Date for meetings in France between Hitler and Petain and Laval and between Hitler and Franco shown on opening slate should be October 1940, not 1941. 04:06:45 Title: "A Visit to a Camp Near Minsk" Heinrich Himmler visits Minsk and a concentration camp near Minsk. Himmler with group of German officers, including Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, Karl Wolff, Otto Bradfisch (Leader of Einsatzkommando 8, Einsatzgruppe B), possibly Hans-Adolf Pruetzmann and Hermann Fegelein. Minsk streets. Himmler greets small line of uniformed men and salutes people on balcony. His car leaves city. MS Himmler seated in car, Bach-Zelewski far right, gestures to local woman wearing kerchief. Himmler and others including Wolff and Bach-Zelewski walk through field of cut wheat, talk to young boy who answers. Himmler looks at front end of Russian farm equipment and walks past houses being built. Car leaves huge compound serving as SS/SD headquarters. Drives through Minsk, views of destruction. Outside town, walks into wire enclosed compound, met by German officers. Walks right along wire on other side of which are many Soviet prisoners, talks to one prisoner and inspects camp, accompanied by Karl Wolff and others. Last shot includes glimpse of Otto Bradfisch far right. Himmler's visit is known to have taken place in August 1941, at the same time he observed a mass execution by shooting, carried out by Einsatzkommando 8 on 15 August 41. (May be Drozdy Camp, outside Minsk, which held a variety of prisoners, including Jews.) 04:09:12 Title: "Declaration of War on the United States 11 December 1941" Hitler walks past honor guard into Reichstag. Dark footage inside, MCU of Italian and Japanese officials. Audience cheering. Good CU of Hitler seated preparing to speak. MS Hitler at podium, then LS from high angle. Hitler speaks (but no sync sound, whole piece is voice-over narration). More audience shots, members of German general staff who look grim, Nazi Party bigwigs, diplomats, and Nazi party members.

Note(s)

  • See also Stories 421, 422, 423, 424 on Film ID 233 for duplicate footage.

  • "The Nazi Plan" was shown as evidence at the International Military Tribunal (IMT) in Nuremberg on December 11, 1945. It was compiled by Budd Schulberg and other military personnel, under the supervision of Navy Commander James Donovan. The compilers took pains to use only German source material, including official newsreels and other German films (1919-45). It was put together for the US Counsel for the Prosecution of Axis Criminality and the US Office of the Chief Counsel for War Crimes. The film was received in evidence as IMT exhibit USA-167. Summary from NARA story card (archive source number 238.1): "On the activities and policies of the National Socialist Party in Germany, 1921-1944, particularly as reflected in the speeches of Adolf Hitler. Shows much of the pagentry associated with the speeches. Consists of four parts: Part I: The rise of the NSDAP, 1921-1933 (reels 1-2); Part II: Acquiring totalitarian control of Germany, 1933-1935 (reels 3-8); Part III: Preparation for wars of aggression, 1935-1939 (reels 9-16); and Part IV: Wars of aggression, 1939-1944 (reels 17-22)."

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