From the individual provisions we will see that in matters of death sentences, for example, the Oberstaatsanwalt, regardless of whether the condemned person had personally submitted a petition for pardon, had to make a thorough report on the question of pardon after he first gathered the attitude of the court, the presiding judge, the prison authorities, the police, and still other offices prescribed in special cases. This report goes to the Generalstaatsanwalt who on his part must then state in detail his attitude about the pardon report. In the Reich Ministry of Justice, special Referenten had been appointed for dealing with pardon questions. These Referenten were supported by numerous co-workers. The co-worker had to present an opinion with an exact report of the facts, an opinion on the legal question of the individual case, a criticism of the judgment with regard to the factual and legal aspects, and a detailed statement on the question of pardon. The Referent, on his part, as well as the division chief, had to add their attitude to this opinion. Only if all reporting offices, the co-worker, the Referent, and the division chief unanimously recommended that the sentence be carried out was the matter designated as a so-called smooth affair [glatte Sache]. In this case the Referent in charge of death sentences reported personally to the Minister, calling special attention to all the circumstances of the case worth remarking on. On the other hand, even if one of all these participants recommended commuting the death sentence to a prison sentence, then the co-worker had to present his detailed opinion in person to the Minister; and the Referent, the division chief, and the under secretary stated their attitude at the request of the Minister. The same procedure was also used in principle in cases of so-called immediate execution [Blitzvollstreckung]. This concerned cases from the last years of the war, in which the facts of the case and the legal question to be decided on were straightforward; moreover, it concerned cases in which, on account of the fact that the deed had caused considerable stir among the public, a special deterrent effect should be obtained by carrying out the sentence as soon as possible after the deed had been committed and judged. The only difference in dealing with these immediate executions and the usual procedure was that all reports and opinions were given by telephone, telegraph, teletype, or verbally, and on account of its being a straightforward case no files were submitted. The indictment also contains the charge that the amnesty laws were administered according to political view. The provisions in question will be discussed in detail when the evidence is presented. Hitler’s constitutional right to quash pending criminal proceedings [Abolitionsrecht] will be shown in its practical meaning.