. NMT02-T0772
Volume II · Page 772
DEFENDANT ERHARD MILCH: Since I became a soldier in 1910 my work has been devoted to my German people. In the First World War I was at the front from the first to the last day. Then with others I built up the German air lines, and when in 1933 the government asked me to enter the Air Ministry, despite many misgivings, I could not refuse to take up that task because it was pointed out to me that I could not turn a deaf ear to this call of the German people.
I have remained faithful to the idea which I conceived at the time of the air lines, that all nations must collaborate, particularly the European nations. Pressed together in a small area, and whenever possible, mostly outside my actual sphere of work, I dedicated myself to that task. I was opposed to war because my experiences from the First World War showed me that the living standard of any people would not be improved by war, and on the contrary everybody would be grievously harmed.
It was .for me a matter of course, even in the late great war, the planning of which was unknown to me, to do my duty in my post. My full effort was dedicated to the air defense of the German homeland. This I conceived to be the only possibility to obtain bearable peace terms. Even though I had nothing to do with the employment of workers, including foreign workers, I considered it to be my duty to make precise investigations into the admissibility of work by foreigners, investigations which were answered in the affirmative; I also made efforts to keep the numbers as low as possible and to see to it they would work in protected factories in foreign countries.
I always made efforts to improve the living conditions of all types of workers.
My statements made to the best of my knowledge and conscience to this Tribunal were directed to the world at large, and above all to the German people, in order to show that only by peaceful understanding of the nations among each other could life and civilization be secured in future and that understanding was not only necessary but also possible if good will prevails. But I also wanted to show my fellow Germans quite clearly that an autocratic government which is not controlled must end in disaster.
My personal fate is of no consequence in this connection. I am interested only in one thing — that the German people should, as soon as possible, be relieved of their untold suffering and should join the community of nations as an equal partner.
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* Tr. pp. 2489-90.
