The Mazal Library

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NUERNBERG MILITARY TRIBUNAL
Volume IV · Page 575

"Q. * * * You say that you did include in your report the statement that the Jews constituted an important economic potential. Did you then add that this important economic potential was rapidly disappearing because of the executions?

"A. No. I did not report that.

"Q. And yet you want to tell the Tribunal seriously that you made a report on the economy of the Ukraine?

"A. Yes."

In his pretrial affidavit the defendant stated that he had been employed as an interpreter. He amplified later that he was drafted into the Einsatz organization because of his ability in languages. His witness Kraege confirmed this. Yet, at the trial, von Radetzky denied acting in the job for which apparently he was best adapted. It can only be assumed that he made this denial because, by admitting the translating functions, he would be admitting that he knew of executions which followed certain investigations. Asked how it was that he was able to side-step his job of interpreter he replied that his work day was filled up with his job of expert in the SD Department.

"Q. Well, how did you become an expert in department III? You had not had SD training?

"A. No. I did not have that, I said —

"Q. Well, then, how did you become an expert so quickly?

"A. I was appointed for this because of my training in economics and my knowledge of languages.

"Q. Well now, we come back to languages again. If you were appointed because of your linguistic accomplishments, and your commanding officer needed an interpreter why wouldn't he naturally turn to you who was already known to be a good translator and interpreter?

"A. There were other interpreters in the Kommando, and the commander used these interpreters.

"Q. Then you were not used as an interpreter?

"A. I was never used as an interpreter by the commander. I was never used in interrogations as interpreter, either."

Von Radetzky could have had also other reasons for denying he was an interpreter. Report No. 156, commenting on the activities of a Teilkommando of Sonderkommando 4a at Lubny, stated that —

"On 18 October 1941 the Teilkommando of SK 4a at Lubny took over the evaluation of the NKVD files."

and thus,

" * * * it was possible, with the aid of the files acquired to arrest a considerable number of NKVD agents and several leading Communists. 34 agents and Communists and 73 Jews were shot."

Report No. 37 states —

872486 — 60 — 89

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