Agreement between the regional prefect of Limoges and Wehrmacht General Niehof

The préfet régional de Limoges wrote to the Conseiller d’Etat, secrétaire général à la Police/Cabinet, Vichy that he had taken on the Schloss case once the truck containing the crates headed to Limoges. In order to avert any escalation or incident, the préfet felt he had no choice but to reach out to the Colonel Commandant of the Hauptverbindungsstab in Limoges. He was granted an audience with him and the latter gave his assurance that the truck and its contents would be left unharmed in Limoges until the case was settled at the governmental level. Although the arrival of German SD men complicated matters, the agreement was upheld and confirmed on the morning of 17 April 1943 by General Niehof [Infantry General Hermann Niehoff, head of the 371st Infantry Division], in charge of the “zone sud” who relayed his assent to Colonel Menzel. The préfet noted that the SIPO HQ in Limoges [I presume] had not been placed under surveillance as requested. 2-3 gendarmes were on guard duty outside the SIPO building in Limoges.