. NMT06-T0210
Volume VI · Page 210
| which reduced the capital of the company. As
a result of this program, I came to own a constantly increasing share of the
company, and, since about 1941, I am the sole owner. My uncle, Karl Weiss, was the leading or regular member of the Vorstand [managing board] and I was a deputy member from my father's death until 1937. In that year my uncle withdrew and became president of the Aufsichtsrat [supervisory board] ; and I became the regular member of the Vorstand, and my cousin, a son of Karl Weiss, became deputy member. Since 1944 there were three members of the Vorstand, the other member being an engineer. The Aufsichtsrat as of 1937 consisted of six or seven members including my uncle as president, Mr. Flick as vice president and Gustav Knepper of Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks A.G. (a coal mining affiliate of Vereinigte Stahlwerke) and Dr. Ernst Tengelmann. Dr. Tengelmann was a leading official of Essener Steinkohlenberkwerke A.G. 3. My transfer to the Friedrich Flick Concern. — In 1939 my uncle, Friedrich Flick, spoke to me about the possibility of coming over to his Concern. I told him I should be prepared to come, but would like to retain a close relation with the Siemag business. Mr. Flick approached me again at the end of 1939 when Mr. Steinbrinck left. Steinbrinck had been Mr. Flick's right hand man in supervising the plants of the Concern with respect to industrial questions. Konrad Kaletsch occupied the same position with respect to financial questions. Shortly after Mr. Steinbrinck left at the end of 1939, I joined the Flick Concern and took over part of Mr. Steinbrinck's duties. His duties were divided into two parts. Dr. Odilo Burkart, who had already worked in Berlin under Mr. Steinbrinck, was put in control of the iron and steel works and brown coal [Braunkohle]. I was put in control of the soft coal [Steinkohle] companies include Harpen, Essener Steinkohle, and Chemische Werke Essen and of the finishing plants including Linke-Hofmann, Busch-Bautzen (railroad car plants), and A.T.G. 4. Functioning of Berlin office. — The head office of the Flick Concern, at the FKG offices in Berlin was not very large; the total staff did not exceed, I think, sixty or seventy. Mr. Flick, Mr. Kaletsch, Mr. Burkart, Dr. Streese, a lawyer, Tillmanns, Kurre, and Lang (accounting and tax expert), and others. Mr. Flick was inclined to leave the separate companies of the Concern decentralized and let them be managed by their own "Vorstand" according to German law. At the same time we received complete reports from almost all main companies on a monthly basis. A copy of these reports was always addressed to Mr. Flick and at least two other copies were addressed to persons |
