ich index your Himmlerindex Hitler “expert” Prof. Jäckel From the papers of Jean Vaughan, American authoress [Translated by Maria K Shnell. No German text available] Affidavit made by Paul Leffler on April 24, 1946 [ Website note: Leffler joined the SD on Jun 15, 1932, and from Mar 15, 1933 until his resignation

on Mar 31, 1936 he was dienstältester Abteilungsleiter. After in April 1934 the SD moved to Berlin for good, he was the dienstältester Amtschef of the SD-Hauptamt. See too his second affidavit ] I. Person . [ That paragraph deals minutely with the place and positions which Leffler held. If you are interested in it, I shall translate it later on M K Sh. !] II. Subject [ zur Sache ].

In the first half of the year 1932 — as far a I remember in April — Heydrich who had worked in the Navy in the news section [… Nachrichtendienst ] was ordered by Himmler to establish and organize a Nachrichtendienst of the Party, the SD ( Sicherheitsdienst , Security Service). Until September 1932 Heydrich’s main activity consisted of winning and engaging personal co-operators (?) throughout the whole Reich. The general SS was held to guide and help him.

But Heydrich alone decided as to the engagement. It was out of question to order any member of the general SS against their will.

On Sept 11 1932, the first meeting of these Außenstellenleiter (the heads of these offices throughout the Reich) of the whole Reich and of those who were to work in the central office which was to be in München, took place in München, and Himmler and Heydrich took part in it.

In their inauguration speeches they outlined and assured us, that the SD was to become the intelligence center, which was to gather and judge and give the opinion on the aims, methods and plans of the inner political opponents, based on true, slander proof material, and to report to the Führer and Party headquarters and later on the NS Government, everything worthwhile, knowing, that it was to become an institution like the [British] Intelligence Service or the [French] Deuxième Bureau.

Again and again the[y] put the stress on their intention to employ only men with faultless character. There was not as much as a hint in their speeches which implied the idea that the SD aimed at criminal or illegal aims or purposes, or that it was to be misused to actions that could be called criminal or that were directed against humanity. To the contrary, they appealed (?) again and again to the best and noblest instincts in man.

Everybody could not but have the impression hat they were absolute in earnest about what they said. The first fellow-workers who mostly advanced quickly to higher posts were engaged by Heydrich personally, after a thorough examination [vetting process] and investigation which included also the wife and the whole family.

Later on, at least until 1936, each personal file of the newly engaged had to be presented (?submitted, handed in?) to him, and he approved of it only after a thorough investigation(of the photos too). Until 1933 the branch “Political Opponents” of the SD dealt primarily with the Marxist parties, especially the KPD. It also dealt with other question, for instance, the development of and the currents in the Arbeitsdienst , which at that time was a rather loosely organised institution.

A larger report suggesting to put the Arbeitsdienst under the direction of the SA was handed in to Röhm , then head of the common SS and consequently the head of the SD. This plan however was never carried out. The police and the Justice(?) of the State of that time would have done everything but cover any — even in the slightest degree — criminal or illegal action of the SD, the Party being at that time the strong opponent of the Government.

The police kept a close watch on the SD, you may be sure, but no illegal action could be stated, a fact which is a proof in itself. This also applies to the time after 1933, the SD being excluded from any executive function, any surpassing of the limits or any illegal action would have called for immediate interference of the police.

Before 1933 the SD had to be carried on on hardly believably small means, which were available only now and again. [ The SD was always hard up ] and their allowances did not [ line missing ] … the source of this stopped working professionally for the SD from 1.3.33 — 15.3.33 only because the financial situation of the SD became worse and worse until the National Socialists took over the government [ Machtübernahme ] which took place in Prussia

on January 30, and in Bavaria on March 5, [1933]. The fees [wages] that were paid to the workers of the SD were extraordinarily low. The writer of this who had to keep a family of wife and two children and who had to live in another town than his family was paid 150-RM a month in 1932. In the years 1933/34 he was paid 350-RM monthly and had a separation allowance of 150 RM the month.

When on March 31, 1936 he left the SD for good in the rank of Amtschef his income had been raised to 700-RM the month. So the payment would certainly not have tempted anyone to work professionally for the SD. Soon after the Machtübernahme the economic and business life prospered in such a way in the Reich that it offered much better possibilities for highly qualified workers, especially for instance for engineers like myself, I being Dipl. Ing..

This fact might prove too that the members of the SD were won over by ideal reasons and not be appeal to criminal instincts. While until the Machtübernahme the SD was little known, though it was no secret organisation, it became more generally known after it. The professional members were ordered to wear their SS uniforms with the well known SD sign on the left forearm, while in office.

In accordance with Himmler’s and Heydrich’s declarations made in the beginning, the SD received no executive functions after the Machtübernahme The executive function stayed with the political police of the different countries (Länder). While Himmler bow.

Heydrich took over the Bavarian Police in 1933 (Himmler had become President of the Bavarian Police, which comprised several sections [rest of line missing] and Heydrich had become head of the Bavarian political police) Himmler was made chief of the Geheime Staatspolizei by Hitler only in October or November 1934, the Ge Sta Po being the organisation into which the political police of all the Länder had been gathered (?).

Heydrich became chief of the Gestapo office in Berlin, and after Himmler had been made chief of the German police Heydrich became [overall] chief of the Gestapo. The SD and the Gestapo worked entirely independently from each other, they were only united in so far as Heydrich was the chief of both institutions. When Himmler gave SS uniforms to a part of the Gestapo officials they had to wear a small silver cord round the sign of the SD.

This difference was abolished later on thought the difference of work and function of these two institutions was strictly kept. But this led many people, who were not acquainted with real facts, to mix up SD and Gestapo. After the Machtübernahme the central SD office moved from München to Berlin, but already in April it moved