English Translation

128 The Head of Department V Prague, 9 September 1943. - Mr. 1839/43 - Note. On the occasion of his speech yesterday to Mr. Minister of State 4-Obergruppenführer K.H. F r a n k in the presence of the undersigned on the meeting of the Arms Inspectors and Arms Officers in the Reich=Ministry of Speer, Arms inspector Maj-Gen. Hernekamp, Prag, came to speak also on the further summary and unification of the steering and organization of the war economy under Reich Minister Speer as war production minister. that Gene= rallreferent President Kehrl had already taken part in this meeting at the board table of the Reichsministerium Speer. Reichs Minister Speer announced at the meeting that his ministry had received factual authority over the Gauwirtschaftskammern - which remain under the organizational responsibility of the Imperial Ministry of Economics. Furthermore, the Reichsministerium Speer is now also entitled to instruct the Landeswirtschaftsamten including the coal industry offices - not yet also in relation to the Gau= employment offices! -. This authority should be exercised over the armaments inspections as Gau instances. Implementing regulations for the Führerererverlässung are in preparation in Berlin. On the objection that the conditions in the Protectorate were in so= far different than in the rest of the Reich, because the task of the Regional Economic Office - as well as that of the Gauarbeitsamt - was carried out by the autonomous Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labour, Maj-Gen. Hernekamp explained that one would somehow get over this question. His cooperation with Minister Dr. Bertsch on the fact that the cooperation of his office with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labour has always been such a close and good one that, in an understanding cooperation, difficulties cannot be feared even in the future on the changed basis. After the Führer's decree, there was no doubt that the reordering also extended to the Protectorate and the General Government. Thus, he asked the question of who would decide if there were disagreements between him and the Minister for Economic Affairs and Labour and if they were not to be resolved. The undersigned replied that both of them would go to Minister of State K.H.Frank as before and ask him for his decision, which Mr. State Minister described as true. Jm rest, Major General Hernekamp - albeit not expressis verbis - made it clear in his presentation that he had returned from Berlin with extended responsibilities. In the course of his presentation, he also pointed out that: