English Translation

6494/1076/45912.04 21 St.M. IV M - 2/45g. Prague, January 4, 1945. Seheim KR-FS: Urgent! Present immediately! Wn R Reichsminister Professor Speer, Berlin W 8, Pariserplatz 3. Dear party comrade Speer ! The supply of coal to the Bohemian-Moravian economy is a very serious concern to me, since, if the present situation continues, a substantial impairment of the most important defence programmes must occur in a very short time. As a result of the difficult coal situation in the Great German Reich, the main supply areas for the Protectorate (for coal: Moravian-Ostrava and Upper Silesia including Karwin and for lignite: Sudetengau) have received considerable requirements for deliveries to the rest of the Reich, which mean a corresponding lower supply of the Bohemian-Maurican economy. In addition, these deliveries considerably aggravate the very strained transport situation here, and the reductions in deliveries to sudeten German lignite coal are so large that already this month certain measures were necessary to supply industry with this coal.