VOLUME XIV

16 May 46
He said he wanted to make clear to me the principles on which
his policy was based and that this policy was to serve as the basis
of long-term naval policy. I still remember these words quite
clearly, as well as those which followed.
He did not under any circumstances wish to have complications
with England, Japan, or Italy-above all not wlth England. And
he wanted to prove this by fixing an agreement with England as to
the strength to be allotted to the German Fleet in comparison
with that of the English Navy. By so doing, he wanted to show
that he was prepared to acknowledge, once and for all, England's
right to maintain a navy commensurate with the vastness of her
interests all over the world. The German Navy required expansion
only to the extent demanded by a continental European policy.
I took this as the second main principle on which to base my
leadership of the Navy. The actual ratio of strength between the
two navies was not discussed at the time; it was discussed later on.
This decision of Hitler's afforded extreme satisfaction both to
myself and to the whole of the Navy, for it meant that we no
longer had to compete senselessly with the first sea power; and
I saw the possibility of gradually bullding up our Navy on a solid
foundation. I believe that this decislon was hailed by the whole
Navy with joy and that they understood its significance. The
Russian Pact was later greeted with the same appreciation, since
the combination of the Russian Pact and the naval agreement
would have been a guarantee of wonderful development. There
were people-but not in the Navy-who believed that this amounted
to yielding ground, but this limitation was accepted by the majority
of Germans with considerable understanding.
DR. SIEMERS: Grossadmiral, what were your personal relations
with Hitler? How did you judge him In the course of the years,
and what was Hitler's attitude toward you?
RAEDER: I welcomed this vigorous personality who was
obviously most intelligent, had tremendous will power, was a
master in handling people, and-as I myself observed in the early
years-a great and very skillful politician whose national and
social aims were already well known and accepted in their entirety
by the Armed Forces and the German people. . .
THE PRESIDENT: The Tribunal think this might be taken
more shortly. We have heard it from so many of the others.
DR. SIEMERS: Yes. Is the defendant not to describe his rela-
tions with Hitler? Do the Tribunal consider them irrelevant?
THE PRESIDENT: He might do it shortly.
DR. SIEMERS: Yes. Good. Grossadmiral, please do it shortly.