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WHEREVER THEY MAY BE
© 1972, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation
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la Justice to speed it up . . . . During the week the
Marshal will issue one or more reports on the early results. De Brinon will be
advised at once, and will then inform Knochen and Hagen."
December
4, 1943. Hagen wrote a telegram for Himmler that he initialed and Oberg
signed: "Subsequent to my telegram of November 11, 1943, I wish to report that
between November 24 and December 12, 1943, there have been arrested: 1) 1,413
Jews in the south of France, 90 of whom were of foreign nationality, and 524,
stateless. 2) A shipment of 1,000 Jews will leave for the East on December 12,
1943. 3) our measures will continue in operation."
Hagen was one of the
last criminals sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia: on March 18, 1955,
in Paris, by the permanent tribunal of the armed forces.
After
examining our data on his father, Jens Hagen recovered his composure. We could
see what kind of person we had to deal with as soon as he began to dwell on his
parents' personal life.
"My mother is ill," he said.
But we had
seen his mother, and she seemed in excellent health.
"My father doesn't
earn very much. We live quite simply."
But we had seen his house, which
was perfectly adequate, and his car, which was the latest model. Herbert Hagen
was the business manager of a big company that manufactured electrical
appliances.
Jens had an unpleasant way of dwelling on the Hagens'
personal life instead of keeping things on a general level: "Take it easy on my
father. Don't start a campaign against him. I have young sisters. . .."
We could see that he was collecting his thoughts. He very, quickly
jumped from the subject of other people's sufferings to the problems that his
family could have. He emphasized: "My father, has changed. He has changed, I
tell you. He is not the same man he was then."
I answered: "We are
willing to admit that your father may have changed. Everyone can change. But we
need proof of his change, and he can easily supply it. The best way would be
for your father to give himself up, come to France, and ask to be tried. If he
does he will contribute a great deal to history, for he was in at the beginning
of the persecution of the Jews. He trained Eichmann, Dannecker, and most of
Eichmann's staff. Your father, in fact, effected German policy in Occupied
France from 1942 to 1944.
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WHEREVER THEY MAY BE
© 1972, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation |
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Page 186 |
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