Trial of the Major War Criminals before International Military Tribunal ...

Col. Neave Rep.
~ocument F-571, RF-307, pag.e27, Document UK-76,
R F - 3 2 9 , C h a p t e r 2). Witness firmly denied the charge made
in the latter document, "we can actually say that no one arrested
by the GESTAPO has escaped ill treatment". Witness asserted that
the GESTAPO were professional policemen antd that such excesses
were quite outside their conception of police work.
Evidence as to the functions of the GESTAPO in Paris was given
by KNOCHEN (see report on the SD). In Paris the composition of
the office of the Security Police and SD was substantially the same
as that in Brussels, various departments of the RSHA having
opposite numbers in occupied territory.
KNOCHEN was asked about GESTAPO prisons and claimed that
the GESTAPO had no prisons of their own in France. He also
claimed that decrees like the "Bullet" decree and the Commando
order were not carried out by the GESTAPO but by the Armed
Forces. It was admitted that the GESTAPO were concerned in the
preparation of lists olf hostages in Paris.
DR. BEST was from 1942 Reich Plenipotentiary in Denmark. His
evidence, however, is for the most part, confined to a description
of the structure and development of the GESTAPO as set forth in
his book, "The German Police". (1940).
Formation of the Office of the Chief
Of Security Police
The witness HOFFMANN was made Chief of the State Police
in Denmark in 1943 and took oveT the GESTAPO office (Amt 4).
He said that the GESTAPO played no part in any of the prelimi-
nary operations involving the occupation of Denmark. The German
Plenipotentiary, DR. BEST, added about 10 or 15 men from the
criminal and state police to his staff who had neither executive
powers nor carried out intelligence work. These officials co-operated
with the Danish police and the Danish Army continued to exist.
As a result of the increase in acts of sabotage GESTAPO
personnel were increased to 40. In 1943 martial Law was declared
and the Danish Army was disbanded. Three hundred Danish
nationals were arrested and the deportation of Jews was started.