English Translation

Schv. Nr. 34 STRENG CONFIDENTIALLY ! FOR THE SERVICE CONSUMPTION ONLY ! Anyone who produces or has copies of this report, or who passes the reports on to non-receiving persons outside the service use, becomes punishable, report of our confidant. Berne, April 15, 1941 Swiss business news, Ein am 7. 4, 194l published in the Zurich newspaper "Die Tat" deals with the economic situation of Schveiz. Here it says: "Bern decreed, Bern prohibited, Bern authorized, Bern approved... No voche passes without economic emergency measures from Bern. State control of production and consumption always forms decisively the entire economic life. All preconditions for a relaxation of the state economic precaution are missing, as long as the Swiss import is only at the same level as in the previous year, as was the case in the first two months of this year, the last executions of the few, still open routes of supply and the results of the stock taking in the various stocks make rather fear that the interests of the people as a whole only by a further throttle of the individual interests, i.e. by a further expansion of rationing and production steering can be safeguarded. The recent obligation to grant authorization for the opening of new industrial, commercial and commercial establishments with regard to the scarcity of vital goods constitutes a further step towards the decline of commercial and industrial freedom. Another common measure shows that the raw material supply has deteriorated in soap and detergent manufacturing. Laundries and hairdressers have been prompted by new injunctions to save detergents and soaps. For the time being, the introduction of the restaurant cards has led to a stronger fruguenziickgang in various restaurants, which, however, is already beginning to loosen up again, but at least it is believed that the virtuous people have to take on a certain amount of daily income through this injunction, and big concerns aroused the entry of the Balkan states into the war in Switzerland. This has led to - 2 -