7019 - Albert Speer Typed Letter Signed to Hermann Göring, Proposing the Organization of the Reich Research Council (1942)

Albert Speer Typed Letter Signed to Hermann Göring, Proposing the Organization of the Reich Research Council (1942) German architect and Nazi armaments minister (1905-1981) who belonged to Hitler’s inner circle and designed the New Reich Chancellery and structures at the Nuremberg rally grounds. As armaments minister during World War II, Speer oversaw production that exploited forced labor. Convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity at Nuremberg, he served 20 years in prison before his release in 1966. World War II-dated TLS in German, two pages, 8.25 x 11.75, Reich Minister for Armament and Ammunition letterhead, September 11, 1942. Letter sent from Berlin to Hermann Göring, addressed as the Reich Marshal of the Greater German Reich, proposing appointments and the organization of the Reich Research Council. In full (translated): “Your remarks of July 24 outline the future organization of the Reich Research Council. As to the composition of the steering committee I would like to ask you to consider the question whether a representative of the Navy would have to be a member of this group since the Air Force is represented by one member and the Army by two. The appointment of a representative for the Navy was delayed at the time since the name of the successor of the chief of Navy headquarters was not yet known. I now suggest that the new chief, general admiral Schmundt, be made a member of the steering committee. As to the Reich Research Council, I suggest the appointment of the researchers and heads of research organizations listed on the attached document. In my mind, the Reich Research Council should be a comprehensive group of outstanding experts from all technological and scientific disciplines. For each field we shall nominate a scientist who is informed about the expertise and work of the researchers in all institutions of that field. Detailed subdivision of the major fields listed by me would have to be correlated with the names of all the representatives of these sciences. The Reich Research Council could then - given a systematic subdivision covering all the sciences - fulfill the task of advising the steering committee [Präsidialrat] and the executive advisory board in matters of specific research issues. This function of the Reich Research Council is in my opinion a necessary addition which the executive advisory board needs in order to do its work. The members of the steering committee - according to the planned subdivision - do not oversee certain fields of research but rather groups of organizations which are carrying out research projects. It cannot be expected that each member of the executive advisory board knows the full range of scientific work. The executives will therefore have to cooperate closely as far as issues from specific fields of research are concerned, with the exponents of the Reich Research Council. My suggestions as to the appointment of executive members of the advisory board for the groups of armament, for research teams, and for independent research are also listed in the attachment. Heil Hitler!” In fine condition.