WHEREVER THEY MAY BE © 1972, The Beate Klarsfeld Foundation     Back   Contents Page 311 Home Page  Forward         AN EXTRAORDINARY TRIAL IN COLOGNE On the first day of the trial, Le Monde prints an article that spells out for the ruling circles in France the basis of the problem I, the accused, am trying to resolve. After that article we are in good shape to combat German justice: the French understand why we are fighting. The administrative assistant of Prime Minister Chirac receives Serge and assures him that France wants to prevent my going to jail, even though they are skeptical about ratification – all French overtures on the subject have been repulsed by German inertia. I will sum up the details of the trial: First session, June 25, 1974. I am not alone. Many of my supporters have come from Paris. Judge de Somoskoey has still not said whether he will admit witnesses for the defense. He has said he himself does not consider them necessary in order to inform the court of my motivation. Yet many French persons have performed illegal acts with me on several occasions in Germany, and it is obvious that their testimony would introduce some interesting elements, as would the testimony in German of the historian Joseph Billig on Lischka's career. But the judge does not want to listen to this. His move has been to call in a renowned psychiatrist to listen to the proceedings and give his opinion of me.   WHEREVER THEY MAY BE © 1972, The Beate Klarsfeld Foundation  Back Page 311 Forward
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