For the period of the present foreign political tension, I decree the following for the uniform leadership of administration and economy:
I
(1) A Ministerial Council for Reich Defense shall be established as a standing committee out of the Reich Defense Council.
(2) The standing members of the Ministerial Council for Reich Defense shall include: General Field Marshall Goering as chairman, Fuehrer's Deputy, Commissioner General for Reich Administration, Commissioner General for the Economy, Reich Minister and Chief of the Reich Chancellory, Chief of the High Command for the Armed Forces.
(2) The chairman may draw on other members of the Reich Defense Council including further personalities for advice.
II
The Ministerial Council for Reich Defense may issue decrees with statutory effect, in so far as I have not provided for the passing of a law by the Reich Government or the Reichstag.
III
The authority of General Field Marshall Goering under the Decree for the Administration of the Four-Year Plan of October 13, 1936 (RGBl. I 887) including his power to issue instructions shall remain unaffected.
IV
The Reich Minister and Chief of the Reich Chancellory shall supervise the business of the Ministerial Council for Reich Defense.
V
I shall determine the period for the expiration date of this decree.
Berlin, 30 August 1939.|
Source: Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression Volume IV Office of the United States Chief Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality Washington, DC : United States Government Printing Office, 1946 |