Letter from Leonard Wheeler to Katherine Fite, with Attachment

Office of U.S Chief of Counsel, APO 403, Postmaster, New York January 1, 1946. Dear Murray, John, Frand aand Katharian (reading in order of relief from duty in the OCC): This being the first opportunity in the New Year, I am starting off right by trying to catch up a bit on my correspondence. And this being New Years morning, and the day after a gig party at the Grand Hotel last night, I claim some credit for being able and willing to do this. I trust these considerations will mitigate the severity of any criticism which might otherwise be directed my way for attempting to com- bine four epistiès into one in this way, and for the multitude of typo- graphical errors that are creeping in. John expecially will recall the Fronch type on this machine -- é è g a A it - and the tendency to hit the wrong letter in consequence. Now where shall I begin? With the Aberoaching end of my duties? I expect to present my two-bit supplement on the the persection of the Churches - especially the Vatican documents -- next Monday, and then I sholl hwa performed my most specific remaining mission. Whitney Varris is finishing up and polishing up the speech which Col. Stoney is daliver- ing on the SD and Gestapo, and his own presentation of Kaltenbrunner for delivery tomorrow. Then Col. Taylor is to go on with the High and General Staff Group; then Col. Amen, with an oral witness or twe on the orgenizations -- T don't know which ones, or who, or how it will go; and then, after my operation is sandwiched in, Albrecht opens up with an introduction to the cases against the individual defendants, and a presentation against Goering. He will be followed by U.S. and British presentations on the otheri defendants. Sprecher has drawn two -- Writzsche and von Behirach. Some further questions have come up about Fritzsche's original deposition, and to avoid having to question it, his counsel is aiding and assisting in the prepenation of a combined new statement which will incorporate those already prepared, and add some material that should help us, without, Sprecher thinks, weakening what we already have. Brudno will present Rosenberg -- we hope without dndue emphasis on the Einsatz- stab. Krieger is apparently not being given 8. crack at any of the boys, although I should think he deserved it. Just where the argument on the la w of the organizations come in, I don'' know, but think it will be right after the cases against them is completed. Charlie Burdell is in London -- or should be back today -- to write up some law showing how many analogies there are in the English TAUNAN and American law which make our proposal to bind individual members of "NATIONAL organizations by findings against the organization, really old stuff. Roger Barrett returned yesterday from his VIP Junket with the Jus- APCHIVES RECORDS ADMIN. AND tice. It would be easier to tell where they didn't go than where they u s. did. They took in Rome, Athens, Bethlehem, Cairo and Luxor. Bill Baldwin, Tom Miller (of Interrogation Division) and I took a C and R car to Berchtesgaden, Kitzbuhel, and Garmish-Partenkirehen for a skiiing trip. of about sight days. There was no snow at Berchtesgaden, at least not any that was accessible or not too erusty, so we went right on to Austria. At Kitzbuhel, we fell, most providentially, into the U. S.Forces in Austria rest cenner at the top of a long cable tramway in Kitzbuhel, and had no difficulty in getting in, despite not being stationed in that zone. The Americans ran a luxurious hotel -- the Ehrenbachhoehe -- in cooperation with the French -- whose zone it is in - with ski instruction, delicious and plentiful food, Tyrolean entertainment, a cosy bar,