. NMT05-T0280
Volume V · Page 280
| like Georg Loerner because he
had so much work to do within his own field of work that he could not possibly
see into these things which he was not directly concerned with.
Therefore, on the one hand, I shall try to describe to you just what the field of work of such a man included and then I shall have to show just how he tried to perform this work, and furthermore if he had any time left at all to look beyond his small field of responsibility. I shall not deal with the subjects which my colleagues have discussed in detail, above all with the Action Reinhardt, and with surprising lack of knowledge about these incidents. Above all I shall have one subject which perhaps will concern us most intensely, and that is the question of the extent of Georg Loerner's activity as Oswald Pohl's deputy. We believe we will be able to assume that he was only a formal deputy, and I believe that we shall be able to put before the Tribunal decisive material to that effect. In the verdict of the Tribunal in the Erhard Milch Case the old proverb was applied, "Mitgegangen, mitgefangen, mitgehangen" which means in English, "Once you're in it, you can't slip out of it with impunity". Georg Loerner was "in it". However, he did not go along with them. In order to remain informed he was perhaps located very far in the background; however, from his position in the background he was not able to overlook the things which took place within the huge field of task of the WVHA. He was completely in the shadow of Oswald Pohl, and even if the shadow may somewhat darken the picture of this man, then it will be our duty to show in our evidence that we can put Georg Loerner into the proper light so that we can again recognize him as he is. The basis of this character is that of a simple, honest man, yes, one could even say that of a "petit bourgeois" whom fate threw into a time which he could not tackle. |
| D. Opening Statement for Defendant Pook* |
| I |
| DR. RATZ : 1. Defendant Dr. Hermann Pook is a dentist by profession. He was employed as dentist by the office D III of the WVHA (Economic and Administrative Main Office) and is charged in the indictment in his capacity as dentist. In view of the multitude of serious accusations and incriminating evidence compiled by the prosecution against the defendants, the indictment against defendant Hermann Pook appears to be a trifling matter. The indictment contains only one sentence which involves |
* Opening statement is recorded in mimeographed transcript, 15 May 1947, pp. 1237-1252.
