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HEADQUARTERS 12TH ARMY GROUP INTERROGATION CENTER

APO 655

PRELIMINARY INTERROGATION REPORT (PIR)

PRISONER: SANDBERGER, M a r t i n , Ober Reg R a t , DATE: , 23 J u n o 1945 SS S t a n d f

1 * PERSONAL DATA

SANDBERGER s t u d i e d law from 1929 t o 1933 i n KUENCHEN, KOELN, FREIBURG and TUEBINGEN. In Nov 1933 he became a Doc to r of Law. From 1933 t o 1936 he was G e r i c h t s R e f e r e n d a r i n TUEBINGEN, BERLIN and STUTTGART and a s s i s t a n t on t he law f a c u l t y of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of TUEBINGEN.

SANDBERGER j o i n e d t h e NSDAP, SA, and NS S t u d e n t e n b u n d i n 1931 and t h e SS i n 1 9 3 6 . I n 1935 he s t a r t e d p a r t - t i m e work f o r t h e SD t h r o u g h h i s c o n n e c t i o n w i t h Dr SCHEEL, l e a d e r of t h e NS S t u d e n t e n b u n d and L e i t e r o f SD A b s c h n i t t Sued-Weet . In 1937 he e n t e r e d t h e W u e r t t e m b e r g s t a t e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n and worked a s Reg A s s e s s o r and l a t e r Reg Rat u n t i l 1939 , c o n t i n u ­i n g p a r t - t i m e work f o r t h e SD. In Sep 1939 he was t a k e n ove r by t h e SD on a f u l l - t i m e b a s i s . The f o l l o w i n g summarizes h i s GIS a c t i v i t i e s .

Sep 1939

Oct 1939 t o Feb 1940

Feb 1940 t o m i d - 1 9 4 1

Mid -1941 t o m i d - 1 9 4 3

Sep 1943 t o Oct 1943

Nov 1943 t o Apr 1945

Became Haupt A b t e i l u n g s L e i t e r ( I n l a n d ) w i t h SD O b e r a b s c h n i t t Sued—West I n c h a r g e ' o f c e n t r a l i m m i g r a t i o n o f f i c e i n POZNAN and LODZ. R e f e r e n t f o r t r a i n i n g i n Amt I - F of RSHA. F u e h r e r d e s SD und de r S ipo i n E s t o n i a u n d e r B r i g f STAHLECKER, KdS E a s t e r n t e r r i t o r i e s . In c h a r g e of Dept I I I ( S D I n l a n d ) u n d e r KdS VERONA, Dr HARSTER. G r u p p e n l e i t e r of Amt VI-A and Mi l Amt A s i n c e Aug 1944 . In c h a r g e of o r g a n i z a t i o n , f i n a n c e and t r a i n i n g fo r Amt V I . Took a l e a d i n g p a r t i n t h e r e o r g a n i z a ­t i o n of Amt VI i n 1944 .

ADMINISTRATIVE DATA

A SANDBERGER a r r i v e d a t 1 2 t h Army Group I n t e r r o g a t i o n A C e n t e r on 17 Jun 45 and was a c c e p t e d by r e q u e s t of G-2 (CIB ' « 1 2 t h Army Group. Dato of a r r e s t and a r r e s t i n g agency unknown

SHAEF b u f f c a r d s 3 6 9 , 3 4 5 , and p i n k c a r d s 7 1 , 209 5 7 , 602 a p p e a r t o c o n f i r m i n f o r m a t i o n g i v e n by S.JTOBLRGiH.

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3 . KNOWLEDGE BRIEF

a . Amt VI of t h e RS IIA. b . L a s t - h o u r r e o r g a n i z a t i o n of Amt V I : p u r p o s e of r e o r g a n i z a ­

t i o n . c . SCHELLENBERG- and h i s a c t i v i t i e s . d. RSHA p e r s o n a l i t i e s .

4 . INTERROGATION PLAN

The interrogation will be conducted according to knowledge brief. . •

5 . COfUENTS 3 D REC0I5IENDATIONS

8ANDBERG3R is a well educated, capable nan who, though still very young, held a high position" in the GIS hierarchy. As one of the few in the R3HA v/ith university training, he tried to introduce scientific methods in the organization, in opposi­tion to those who wanted to apply the methods of the criminal police only. His efforts to defend the existence of the SD, and his activities do not follow conventional lines when he calls the SD (later Amt III) a "democratic regulation valve" because it was the only agency through which criticism could be voiced openly to improve the lot of the population. He is extremely anxious to prove that his administration in Estonia in 1941/43 was beneficent and designed to give autonomy to the Estonians.

The recipients of this report arc requested to submit special briefs of any subjects upon which this prisoner should bo interrogated and to indicate the desired distribution of the resultant report.

For the Commanding Officer:

HARRY K. LENNON Capt, Inf B & E Section

DISTRIBUTION: SHAEF CI War Room . . . . G-2 SHAEF BGS (I) 21 Army Group . G-2. Third US Army . . . G-2 Seventh US Army . . G-2 Ninth US Army . . . G-2 Fifteenth US Army G-2. US Port Enclave . . G-2 (CIB) 12th Army Group CPJ.I MIS Washington . . .

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COPIES . 16 . 3 . 1 . 1 . 1 . 1 . 1 . 1 . 5 . 2