. NMT06-T0148
Volume VI · Page 148
| The reasons cited by the prosecution against
this. To be brief I will only state that these reasons cannot withstand an
examination, to say the least they do not necessitate the conclusions drawn by
the prosecution. The prosecution charges that the defendant, with the help of official agencies, put pressure on the owners of industrial enterprises, and that he caused them to give up their property. However, one has to start from the point of view that it is impossible to assume that the defendant exerted any pressure or influence on official agencies. The material submitted by the prosecution as proof of its assertion does not necessitate this conclusion. What is correct is that a far-reaching cooperation on the part of official agencies in these deals did take place; according to the assertions of the defense the State even took the initiative in these deals. This will be amplified in the course of the hearing of the evidence. In regard to this point we just want to state briefly that the defense will prove that pressure on official agencies did not occur to the extent that the latter, as tools of the defendant, had forced the owners to give up their property. As to the next count of the indictment, the activities of the defendant Steinbrinck in the "Circle of Friends" of the Reichleader SS, the former "Keppler circle," the defense can make good use of the statements of the witness Lindemann, whom the prosecution brought in for this very count of the indictment. Apart from the declarations of this witness, the defense will bring further evidence for the assertion of the defense to the effect that the activity of the "Circle of Friends," as represented by the prosecution, does not at all correspond to the actual situation. The "Circle of Friends" was not an agency which advised the government of the Third Reich in economic or economic-political matters. The members of this circle did by no means form a homogeneous body which might have been able to exercise such advisory functions. Opposite the prominent industrialists invited by Keppler, or Kranefuss to the meetings of the Circle were persons who were full time officials in the SS and who, according to their origin and activity, presented completely divergent points of view, so that uniform aids or a uniform attitude of this group as such was inconceivable. As to the other charge against the defendant Steinbrinck, his membership in the SS, it will be proved that Steinbrinck did not do any duty in the SS, that the rank of Standartenfuehrer with which he was taken into the SS was given to him for one reason only: Himmler wished to increase the respect of the public for the SS by taking persons like Steinbrinck into the SS. The latter enjoyed great public esteem as one of the best-known subma- […rine] |
