Oświęcim, 9 August 1946. Regional Investigative Judge Jan Sehn, acting in accordance with the Decree of 10 November 1945 (Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland No. 51, item 293) on the Main Commission and Regional Commissions for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland, as a member of the Main Commission, interviewed pursuant to Article 255, in connection with Articles 107 and 115 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the person mentioned below who testified as follows:
| Name and surname | Józef Plaskura |
| Date and place of birth | 23 January 1911 in Brzeszcze, Biała District, Kraków Voivodeship |
| Parents’ names | Józef and Maria Kowalczyk |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Citizenship and nationality | Polish |
| Place of residence | National Synthetic Fuels Plant (National Chemical Synthesis Plant) in Dwory near Oświęcim |
I stayed in the Auschwitz concentration camp from 20 June 1940 to September 1944, as prisoner no. 1001. During my stay I worked in engineering units, first in the construction office (Baubüro), and then in the camp administration engineering unit (Verwaltung). In the first period, we carried out works on construction sites run by the construction office. In the second period, on sites handed over to the administration by the construction office. One of our tasks was to restore installations in already completed buildings.
On the basis of my own observations, I declare that the initiative to build individual camp facilities came from the camp headquarters or from its subordinate units. The construction office implemented projects requested by the buildings command office, and then work units assigned to the construction works office carried out those projects after approval by the camp headquarters and the supreme construction authorities in Berlin.
Commander Höß was interested in all the works by the construction office. In particular, I remember his direct participation in the works on the construction site of crematorium I. The construction of that crematorium began in the first days of July 1940, a few days before Wiejowski’s escape. I worked on the construction site for the first few days and during that period I saw Höß come to the site and personally supervise the progress. In July or August 1944, I met Höß at the premises of the gas chamber behind the new sauna in Birkenau. The well next to that gas chamber had dried up, so we were instructed to extend the water system of the new sauna to reach that well.
We made a temporary system on the surface, as we were being rushed, while carrying out that task. While we were working, Höß arrived at the gas chamber by car. SS-Hauptscharführer Otto Moll was in charge of the work in progress – there were piles of corpses lying around the gas chamber and bodies were burning in pits. Höß talked to him, walked around Moll’s work area, and gave him instructions.
As far as the escape of Jarzębowski’s group is concerned, I would like to say that in my opinion Höß reported the escape to Berlin saying that it was possible only because the escapees had poisoned the SS man who was guarding them at work. At least that is what Höß himself publicly stated right before the prisoners were executed by hanging. It was a lie, because that SS man was alive and was not even transferred from Auschwitz. When talking to prisoners, the SS man denied being poisoned. He loyally admitted that he had gotten drunk.
As for my work in the Verwaltung engineering unit, I know that one engineer, Franciszek Kozik from Zakopane, was permanently assigned to maintain the installations in Höß’s mansion. He was harassed in all possible ways at work. While observing Höß and the way he treated prisoners, I became convinced that he did not consider prisoners, and especially Poles, to be human beings.
At this point, the interview and the present report were concluded.