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. NUERNBERG MILITARY TRIBUNAL
Volume I · Page 873
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Questioned by the commentator, Pastor von Bodelschwingh said almost literally — in any case in effect — the following:

"You must not picture Professor Brandt as a criminal, but rather as an idealist."

This radio talk left me under the impression that Pastor Bodelschwingh did not agree with the nature of Professor Brandt's activities, yet he had a favorable opinion of his human qualities.

Gummersbach, 23 January 1947.

[Signed] Alfred Rueggeberg

.

  TRANSLATION OF KARL BRANDT
DOCUMENT 23
KARL BRANDT
DEFENSE EXHIBIT 19
 
AFFIDAVIT OF EDUARD WOERMANN,
18 JANUARY 1947, CONCERNING
DISCUSSIONS OF KARL BRANDT
AND PASTOR BODELSCHWINGH
ON EUTHANASIA
 
The Director of the Institution Bethel
Dpt. Bethel-office
 
 Bethel, near Bielefeld, 18 January 1947
 
 AFFIDAVIT
 

I, the undersigned Pastor Eduard Woermann in Bethel near Bielefeld, have been informed that I am liable to punishment if I should give a false statement under oath. I hereby affirm the following:

The director of the Bodelschwingh institutions in Bethel near Bielefeld, Pastor D. Friedrich von Bodelschwingh, who died 4 January 1946, had several discussions with Professor Dr. Karl Brandt on the question of "the extirpation of life not worth living", in February 1941 and during the following months. Pastor D. Bodelschwingh reported about this only very discreetly within a very close circle of coworkers, to which I belonged.

He emphasized then that —

  1. Though they held fundamentally different views of these measures, he had met a willingness on Professor Dr. Brandt's part to hear the objections.
  2. Professor Dr. Brandt had talked about "completely extinguished life", while other exponents of these measures based them upon the formula "incurable" or "hopeless".
  3. Professor Dr. Brandt was aware of the fallibility of these measures, and he was prompted to act, not by brutality, but by a certain idealism which was inherent in his conception of life.

I give my permission for this statement to be presented as evidence to the International Military Tribunal I in the Palace of Justice in Nuernberg.

[Signed] Eduard Woerrman



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