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and later of mineral oil and its auxiliary branches. He was
instrumental in the development of synthetic nitrogen, and synthetic mineral
oil and hydrocarbons, and was responsible for the technical and orderly
functioning of the plants of which he was in charge. It is obvious that a man
who is outstanding for his achievements in his special field frequently will be
called upon by his firm as well as by others, and that his cooperation will be
sought from all sides. So it came about that Buetefisch's duties grew, but not,
as the prosecution maintains, out of personal ambition, but simply as a result
of his technical ability, his diligence, and his organizing capacities.
When the development of Germany's internal economy made greater demands
on the utilization of German raw materials — a development to which the
economic leaders had been forced for want of surplus foreign currency —
Buetefisch was entrusted with a number of duties connected with Sparte I. His
activity, however, was always confined to technical duties, or those connected
with technical organization within his own field. Thus, from 1934 onward, he
was head of the Technical Commission in the Nitrogen Syndicate, and, as early
as 1931, was elected chairman of the Technical Experts Committee by all nations
taking part at the International Nitrogen Conference. He was made a member of
the Aufsichtsrat of various companies. Like many other German scientists,
technicians, and industrialists, he held an honorary position in the Reich
Office for Economic Development and, being a specialist in the mineral oil
branch during the war, he was appointed deputy leader of the Economic Group
Liquid Fuels. It would be absurd to try to conclude from these private economic
and other activities of his, in official and semiofficial offices, that he had
knowledge of the latest intentions of the government, especially as the
government revealed its intentions only to the top leaders of the Wehrmacht,
and to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. We cannot here discuss the activities
of the various German Economic Groups, nor can we enter into particulars
concerning the general activities of the many technicians who held honorary
positions in the Reich Office for Economic Development. At this point, it will
be sufficient to indicate that the purely technical economic duties which my
client had to carry out within the sphere of his work had not the slightest
bearing on political questions, let alone political decisions. In this
connection, the prosecution authorities are trying to construe a connection
between this activity of my client and the offences which Control Law No. 10
designates as criminal. In the course of the evidence, I shall have to explain
this activity of my client in more detail. |
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