Memorandum from Sam Melo for the record, September 20, 1946 - page 1

Ш0 FOR BICORD t 20 September 19ii6 War SU3JOT» Records of the German/Economy Office (Wehrwirts chafe tamt) 1. Tho War i‘-conoe^ Office (flahrwirtschafstat) was the Economic Branch of the High Cooumd* General Thomas was head and organiser of this office since it wae started around 1923 until the end of the war. He is at pre- sont considered a possible defendant in Subsequent Proceedings. 2. All the spoliation in occupied territories was organized by, or executed through, the War Economy Office or its subordinated field organi¬ zations, i.o., War Economy Staffs, special Economic Commandos, etc. The War Economy Office had also a leading participation on the slave la'x>r pro¬ gram and wholesale dpportation of native population. 3. The records covering the eastern territories are at present in Camp Holabird. They include, among other things, tiie following i a. Records of the ^-conomic Staff Bast (Wi Fu Stab Ost) central authority for war economic affairs in eastern Europe. b. Records of the four main economic inspectorships in the oast (Nord, Uitte, Don-Donea, Kaukasua). c. Records of economic staffs attached to army groups and armies. d. Records of Special Economic Coaaandos in the oast. The spoliation by the Germans in the East took mostly the form of outright confiscation. The different War Economic Staffs concerned always kept a detailed record of these confiscations. U. Research on the above-mentioned records should be started as soon as possible. Tho amount of material available (about f&0 folders) is such tliat about two men should be able to finish the task in l^>-20 days. 5. In tho Cameron tuartermaotor Depot in Alexandria there are about 200 coses containing among other miscellaneous material, the files of the War economy Office concerning tho western occupied territories. *his collection is of the utmost importance since the spoliation program in western Europe was carried out by the Germans in a very subtle manner. Wide-spread camoufla ;e was employed, native quislings were used, shadow companies organised, and leading German industrialists and bankers parti¬ cipated in the making and executing of policies to a far greater extent tiian they did in tho oast. Documentary evidence concerning these activi¬ ties, is sure to be contained in these records.