English Translation

A b soh Copy of Rk. l07l4 B First decree of the Minister concerning the administration of the civil administration in dén newly occupied eastern areas. From 17 July 1941 I Dic civilian administration in the district of Bialystok takes over the head of the province of East Prussia. The civil administration takes over in the area of Galicia, which was formerly part of Poland. The Gobiet of the former free states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as of the area inhabited by Belarusians, are transferred to the civil administration of the Reichsminister for the occupied eastern regions. This whole area constitutes a Reichskommissariat within the meaning of my decree on the administration of newly occupied eastern areas of July 194l and receives the name "Ostland". The administration of smaller parts of the former Free State of Lithuania lying on the eastern Prussian border under the supreme presidents of the province of East Prussia is reserved. II I will determine the external borders of the Reichskommissariat Ostland and the other areas referred to under I, according to the state of the fighting, and in due course I will finalize the date for the introduction of the civil administration in the areas mentioned under I or in parts of them. III To the Reichskommissar für das Ostland I order the Gauleiter and Chief President Hinrich L o h s e. He has his seat in Riga.Führer-Hauptquartier, 17.July 1941 Der Füh rer gez.Adolf Hitler Der Chef des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht (L.S.) gez. Keitel Der Reichsminister und Chef der Reichskanzlei gez, Dr. Lammers