 You can't do business with Hitler. We are now at war. There are but two alternatives, total victory or total defeat. There can be no such thing as a military stalemate that would result in the survival of Hitlerism. That is the opinion of a man who knows Douglas Miller for 15 years commercial attaché to the American Embassy in Berlin. Presenting a radio series entitled, you can't do business with Hitler. Episode 6, the spoils of Europe. Douglas Miller speaking. Today in Europe the Nazi armies of occupation carry forward the greatest mass looting in history. Conquer countries are being systematically stripped of their raw materials, their gold reserves, their railroad equipment, their factory machinery and even of their food supplies. France is the most tragic example of all. The looting of France began on June 22, 1940 when, following the defeat of the French armies, French and German officers met in the historical railroad tower at Montignan to discuss armistice. We expect, gentlemen, that in accordance with international law, France will pay the cost of maintaining the German army of occupation. We cannot object to that. What is the sum expected of us? 400 million francs a day. That seems very exorbitant. We don't find it so. Pardon if I am pissed that it is. Surely you can maintain your army of occupation on one piece of that amount. I am not authorized to bargain with you, General Kaite. You speak of international law. May I point out that international law does not sanction payments ten times in excess of the actual cost of occupation. I am not authorized to bargain. General Kaite, this is all impossible. I cannot attach my signature to such a clause. I remind you, General, that hostilities cannot end until this armistice is concluded. Even while we speak, the German Air Force is bombing your city of Bordeaux. Bordeaux? Bordeaux is in open city. There are no soldiers there, only civilians. Why should you attack it? General, have you forgotten our countries are at war? Of course, but why not a truth? Why we discuss this armistice? There shall be no truth until this armistice is signed. And if they turn Bordeaux shall continue? Precisely. General Hansinger, your decision. Yes, General. Every American newspaper carries the story of how, because of the threat to Bordeaux, the French representatives have been forced to accept these harsh terms. At the time, however, few of us realized just how completely the armistice had prepared the looting of France. Let me show you what was behind all this. Following the armistice, Adolf Hitler appointed a Nazi officer named Bonstetius as commander of the Nazi army of economic occupation. Within a few days, following this appointment, German soldiers started dismantling French factories in preparation for shipping French machinery to the right. Mr. Gaudet, Mr. Gaudet, come quickly. They're stealing our machine. Don't worry. You're talking about who is stealing our machine. Soldiers, German soldiers, please, Mr. Gaudet. Come to the factory with me and stop them. That won't be necessary. How did you get in? Who are you? Permit me to introduce myself, Herr Gaudet. I am Colonel Belforken of the German army of occupation. What do you want? Your machinery, Herr Gaudet. My soldiers are busy now removing it. You steal my property? You don't understand, Herr Gaudet. Everything is proper on the according to French law. We are purchasing your property. Colonel Belforken, do you mean you will actually pay me for my machinery? Naturally. Name your price. Well, the machinery is valued at 450,000 marks. Oop. Oberleutnant, come to here. Jawohl, Herr Gaudet. Do you want me, my Colonel? Yes, you will give the gentleman the envelope containing the money. Jawohl. Do you want 450,000 marks? Now, if you will just sign this paper here, this Herr Gaudet, this is a transfer of title, stating that you have been fully paid and that the machinery now legally belongs to us. On the dotted line, Herr Gaudet? Yes, sir. Gaudet, Herr Gaudet? Stop. Don't let him go. By what law? This money. Look at it. The ink is coming off on my hand. Now, let me see. If you're right. Colonel Belforken, what does this mean? Oh, it merely means that the money was only recently printed. Recently printed? Then these are not price marks. These are our credit starting marks. Jawohl. So what value are they? The value is printed on them quite clearly. Your own bank in Berlin won't even accept them. How can you say they are of any value? You do not understand principles of banking, Herr Gaudet. Then let me quote our eminent minister of finance, Schweren Graf Gorsig. Value of money is based not on the ability of the country issuing the money to pay, but on the ability of the holder of the money to collect. As you thought. Without a standard capital, a stock, a bond, or any other collateral whatsoever, is printed more than three billion right-credit coffin marks. This worthless paper money was used to pay for various goods taken from the French. Unbelievable? Fantastic? Of course! What did you want to feed France on Berlin time? He pays fifty-eight. This book was written by the well-known authority Thomas Kernan, who was an actual eyewitness of the plundering of France. Not all French factories were fit for the machinery, of course. Some, the Nazis, left intact. These were used to turn out tanks, airplanes, and other instruments of war for the German Army. However, the greatest crew of all would get to come. Then, as the turn was mowed, a General Von Specht is appointed by Hitler as commander of the Nazi Army of Economic Occupation. In the fall of 1940, Von Specht is conferred with a high Nazi official named Dr. Charles Schaefer. As you know, General Specht, the Fuhrer has appointed me co-director of the Bank of France. What are your plans, doctor? The Fuhrer is not satisfied. Most French property is still legally owned by French men. The new order will not be completely organized until all the industries in Europe are not only controlled, but actually owned by German. What is to be done? I have a plan. Even now, my staff are examining the books of the Bank of France. I don't understand how this is too complicated to explain fully now. I'll contact you within a few days. Schaefer's plans were laid very carefully. His staff gave him a long list bearing the names of French corporations owing money to the Bank of France. Nearly every important industrial house in France was on that list. And then, Monsieur, today you will call in all of them. Justice is for I don't understand. Let me explain. On examining your book, I discover hundreds of corporations owing money to your bank. You have a perfect right to demand that this money be paid. But that is not the way the bank operates. It has always been our policy to give our debtors plenty of warming before calling in alone. Otherwise, how can they have time to collect the money to pay us? That is their concern. Not ours. You will do as you are told. Call in all of them immediately. Within a few days, the owners of the French industry were rushing to the bank to pay for time. Justice is for I don't understand. Justice is for I don't understand. I am very pleased to meet you. You have with you the money or the bank? Then you could just give us a few weeks, Dr. Schaefer. Sorry, that's impossible. The money is due now. You won't feed my company. Don't worry, Monsieur. We have no intention of feeding your company. You will discover that we Germans can be more generous. Your company, like hundreds of others, will merely sell more money. Thus, you can secure money to pay the debt you owe. Yes, but that means that these new professors might very possibly gain the controlling interest in my company. Of course. But you have no objection to sharing your properties with your countrymen, have you? Well, it's better than losing everything, please. Very well, Dr. Schaefer. I will do as you suggest. Thus, by such pressure measures, the Nazis forced French businessmen to sell controlling interest in their properties. Frenchmen were led to believe that these controlling interest would merely pass into the hands of other Frenchmen. But what actually happened? I've been waiting to hear from you, Dr. Schaefer. Your plans are complete? Yes. The bank of France has sold in all loans, General Schaefer. Frenchmen will be unable to pay. They will be forced to sell everything. But who will buy? Who has money to buy? Remember, the French have been paying a per hundred million francs a day, which we, of course, have to use to maintain our army of occupation. The surface has accumulated. So, with the money furnace such by the French, we shall buy them out. I want you to bring German businessmen from Berlin. When the sale of French properties begins, they shall suddenly appear and buy up everything. They shall be supplied with French. Understand? Perfectly. Everything shall be arranged. As it is. This whole-blooded plan was carried out with the greatest efficiency. And thus today all the key industries of France are legally owned by Germans. And the properties were purchased with money that Germans had extorted from the French people under terms of the Franco-German armistice. The French did not realize how completely they had been duped until the new stockholders began to appear at stockholders' meetings. Gentlemen. Gentlemen. The meeting will now come to order. Gentlemen of the stationary aluminum company. Recently, in order to pay a debt owed to the Bank of France, we were forced to float a large percentage of new stocks. However, as a German of this board, I see no reason why this development should affect the policies of this company. What mode? I think you are out of order here. Out of order? I don't understand. Ah, permit me to introduce myself. And my associate. His father. His brother. His brother. His father. And I, gentlemen, am her mother. Now, gentlemen. At the recent stage of stock, I and my associate purchase 55% of the stock of this company. Gentlemen. We represent Hermann Gehring Incorporated. Hermann Gehring? Then you're German. Yeah. We are German. And gentlemen, since we own a controlling interest in this company, we have elected myself, Captain, and Papa Pierre. If you just hand over your gavers and vacate that seat that you fit in the seat. Thus have the Nazis become the new owners not only of France, but of all Europe. They own the Christensen-Nicholmine of Norway, the Algarminer-Kunziter-Une-Rayon Company of Holland, the National Bank of Belgium, the Fire Auto Works of Austria, the Baracchi-Romanesque Petroleum Company of Romania, the Sturda Steel Ammunition Company of Czechoslovakia, the Chalken-Velevo Magnesium Mines of Yugoslavia, and so on, ad nauseam. These are cold facts. They can be checked in a variety of authentic sources. For example, Revelle's book, Foyles of Europe, C. Chapter 19, or Laurel and Economic Consequences of the Second World War, or Enumerous Magazine or Newspaper Articles. However, the best proof of all is the pride by the Nazis themselves. Here are the words of Right Minister Richard Walter Darr at Postman for 8.0 Hit List. With complete deliberation and without sentimentality, we shall destroy Europe. All soil and industrial property of the inhabitants of non-German origin will be confiscated without exception and distributed primarily among worthy members of the Nazi party. Thus, a new aristocracy of German masters will be created. This aristocracy will have slaves to fight with. These slaves will be their property and will consist of landless non-German nationals. You can't do business with Hitler. You have been listening to Episode 6 in a series entitled You Can't Do Business with Hitler. This series is based upon the experiences and observations of Douglas Miller, who was for 15 years commercial attaché to the American Embassy in Berlin. Listen for the seventh program in this series, which is entitled The Thousand Year Right. This transcribed program, written and directed by Frank Shelford, was brought to you by the radio section of the Office for Emergency Management in Washington. Cases from official clients. Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W. H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.