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The prosecution has endeavored to connect the responsibility for
political events, for governmental measures, and, in particular, for waging of
wars of aggression, with the achievements and work of the accused, including my
client. This work covered the field of chemical engineering, research, and new
developments, such as is everywhere customary in the economy of any state.
Quite apart from the fact that on all these counts the prosecution lacks any
conclusive evidence for the connections it assumes, some individual accusations
will be briefly considered in the following.
From a visit to Hitler
made by my client in 1932, at the request of his firm, and merely for the
purpose of seeking information on questions concerning mineral oil, the
prosecution deduces an alliance between IG and Hitler. Apart from the fact that
at that time Dr. Buetefisch was in no way authorized to represent IG in every
respect, since he had not yet become a member of the Vorstand, the prosecution
has no evidence at all from which to deduce the existence of this alliance.
This alliance is now further connected with the conclusion of a gasoline
agreement in December 1933. It should be mentioned at this point that evidence
will be produced to show that there is no connection at all between this visit
and the gasoline agreement. The very nature of the gasoline agreement included
in the documents shows that this agreement was concluded with the Reich on a
purely economic and commercial basis, and that there can be no question of any
influence exerted by the Party on the government offices drawing up the
agreement. We will substantiate this fact with further evidence.
In
connection with this count, an opinion will be expressed on the claim that IG
synchronized its production with the German war machine, with particular
reference to products coming under the technical direction of my client. I
shall also submit evidence on this count showing that the connection claimed by
the prosecution is a meaningless construction, and clearly proving that in all
the foregoing cases it is a question of normal economic developments. In
particular, I shall examine the accusation made to the effect that Dr.
Buetefisch, knowing about the fact that the Third Reich was planning wars of
aggression, arranged an exchange of experimental data with American firms in
the field of hydrogenation in such a way that the war potential of these
countries was thereby weakened. I will go into the question of the exchange of
experimental data in general, and the work it involved for my client, and shall
prove that the claims of the prosecution are rendered untenable by the actual
results of the exchange of experimental data which took place.
In count
two of the indictment, the members of the Aufsichtsrat |
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