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

(bb) Suppression of Scientific Life.
The closing down of Czech universities and colleges was merely
the first step towards the complete suppression .of the whole Czech
scientific life. Czech university professors were either pensioned or
transferred to functions which made scientific work impossible; the
buildings of scientific institutions were handed over either to
German universities and colleges or to German military and civil
authorities. The Germans removed all scientific instruments and
books and even complete laboratories to Germany, saying that the
Czechs would no longer need them. Numbers of works of art,
pictures, statues and rare manuscripts stolen from Prague University
library and from private collections cannot be calculated, nor their
value estimated. Scientific collections were also given to German
schools provided they were not stolen piecemeal. A decree issued
by the Protector on October 23rd, 1940,
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abolished the academic bodies of the closed universities and Poly-
technic schools. Directors and Deans were dismissed.
Czech scholars and scientists were not even allowed to carry out
research, and the most important Czech scientific and learned
periodicals were suppressed.
(cc) Permanent Closure.
The Czech universities and 45 scientific institutions did not, of
course, re-open at the end of the three year period. It was clear
that the Germans were resolved to stamp out Czech higher educa-
tion and organised scientific research. In October 1942 this was
openly admitted by K.H.FRANK and the .Czech public was told
that the universities never will be re-opened as long as Germany
will be the master of Bohemia and Moravia. At about the same
time Czech students were invited to apply for admission to Ger-
man universities in the Reich. Its aim was further de-nationalisation
of the Czech youth. The decree, however, barred the access to the
study of law, history and philosophy, i.e. those students could not
become judges, lawyers, historians, educators. Those who were
admitted did not enjoy their studies for long. In April 1943, they
were drafted into the German Army., or conscripted for forced labour.
(dd) The German Plan.
The Germans have systematically done all they could to reduce
the intelligence section of the people to the status of technical helots
by a strict limitation of higher learning.