| |
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
- Though they held fundamentally different views of these
measures, he had met a willingness on Professor Dr. Brandt's part to hear the
objections.
- Professor Dr. Brandt had talked about "completely
extinguished life", while other exponents of these measures based them
upon the formula "incurable" or "hopeless".
- 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
|
873
|