GHDI logo

Cabinet Discussion on Budget Priorities (February 8, 1933)

page 2 of 2    print version    return to list previous document      next document


The Reich Commissioner for Air felt he had to emphasize on the other hand that the improvement of the German highway system was even more important.

The Reichswehr Minister expressed the point of view that in the first place the immediate needs of the Army had to be considered. The German Army was disarmed to such an extent that the foremost necessary was to provide the material foundation for armaments. Only after the emergency armament had been completed would it be possible to tackle larger tasks.

The Reich Chancellor again stressed that for the next 4-5 years the main principle must be: everything for the armed forces. Germany's position in the world was decisively dependent upon the position of the German armed forces. The position of the German economy in the world was also dependent on that.

The Reich Cabinet decided to have the total budget for 1933 submitted first, then to examine what could be done especially for the armed forces, and finally to see what funds were left for the development of the waterways, especially for the building of a reservoir in Upper Silesia, now under discussion.



Source of English translation: Extract from the Minutes of the Conference of Ministers, Held at the Reich Chancellery, on February 8, 1933. In United States Department of State, Documents on German Foreign Policy: From the Archives of the German Foreign Ministry. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1957-1964. Series C (1933-1937), The Third Reich: First Phase, Volume 1: January 30 – October 14, 1933. Document Number 16, pp. 35-37. (The English translation was attributed to the U.S. Department of State Division of Language Services; it was edited by the GHI staff.)

Source of original German text: Niederschrift über die Ministerbesprechung am 8. Februar 1933 in der Reichskanzlei. In German Foreign Ministry, Akten zur deutschen Auswärtigen Politik, 1918-1945. Aus dem Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1971. Series C: 1933-1937. Das Dritte Reich: Die Ersten Jahre. Volume I, 1: 30. Januar bis 15. Mai 1933. Document number 16, pp. 34-36.

first page < previous   |   next > last page