. NMT05-T0786
Volume V · Page 786
| [indi…] vidual defendants in their official or administrative capacities did not constitute criminal conduct. Evidence concerning this defense appears on pages 786 to 801, "The defense of mere organizational or administrative association." In all trials at Nuernberg, the defense of superior orders was raised. In connection with this defense and the individual responsibility of subordinates in the Pohl case, the application of the leadership principle [Fuehrerprinzip] of the Nazi Party came into issue, particularly since all of Pohl's codefendants were subordinated to him. The evidence reproduced in "The defense of superior orders and war necessity," includes testimony of the defendants Pohl and Georg Loerner and of defense witness SS General Karl Wolf. Evidence concerning this defense appears on pages 801 to 808. Evidence concerning another special defense is reproduced on pages 809 to 821, "The defense of lack of knowledge because of secrecy regulations." | |
| B. The Defense
of Mere Organizational or Administrative Association |
|
| Testimony | Page |
| Extracts from testimony of defense witness SS General Karl Wolff | 786 |
| Extract from testimony of defendant Pohl | 789 |
| Extracts from testimony of defendant Vogt | 789 |
| EXTRACTS FROM
TESTIMONY OF DEFENSE WITNESS SS GENERAL KARL WOLFF* |
|
| DIRECT EXAMINATION | |
| * * * * * * * * * * | |
| DR. SEIDL (counsel for defendant
Pohl) : I now come to my final question. What reputation did the defendant
Oswald Pohl have within the leadership of the SS as a soldier and as a comrade?
WITNESS KARL WOLFF: One must perhaps differentiate here between two phases, the phase until the capitulation, and the phase afterwards. Up to the time of the capitulation, and until we heard something of these atrocities in the concentration camps, which naturally because of their organizational and schematic connection incriminated the defendant Oswald Pohl to a very large extent, until that time Oswald Pohl had a very good reputation. He was highly esteemed everywhere, and because of |
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* Complete testimony is recorded in mimeographed transcript, 3-5 June 1947, pp. 2090-2206. For personal data of this witness, and further excerpts from his testimony, see pp. 678-681, 768-784, and 803-804.
