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by the prosecution. Even more rarely, however, has so much been
charged against defendants, in the press and in the indictment, as is the case
here. Yet never has so little been proven as in the trial of Krauch et
al. The prosecution loudly proclaimed Farben's alliance with Hitler, which
is supposed to have been concluded in 1932 by Buetefisch and Gattineau. We
waited for the proofs with close attention. They failed to appear. What was
left was a conference of an informational nature. If, in politics, every
conference of an informational nature is to be considered the same as an
alliance, there probably would be more alliances than politicians.
If
the prosecution had made a thorough investigation, it would have recognized the
grotesque character of its allegation. It takes a great deal of imagination to
set up the allegation that such an agreement was concluded during the life of a
man like Bosch or Duisberg. It will be a minor matter for us to refute the
charge of the indictment. In this connection I should like to quote only a few
passages concerning the relations of Bosch and Duisberg to Hitler. Dr. Jur.
Baron Kurt von Lersner, formerly president of the German Delegation to the
Peace Conference at Versailles, writes the following concerning the attitude of
Carl Bosch toward Hitler and the NSDAP: |
| |
"The attitude of Carl Bosch to
Hitler and the National Socialist Party can perhaps best be perceived from the
crushing criticism which he sent to me in connection with his first meeting
with Hitler: "Hitler is nothing; nothing at all! That is all a deliberate
swindle!" |
| We also have the following statement concerning Dr. Duisberg's
political attitude: |
| |
"I can testify that Geheimrat
Duisberg was always an opponent of national socialism and remained so, even
after the assumption of power [by Hitler], up to his death. There was no lack
of attempts to win him over to national socialism, but he in no way let himself
be moved to help the Party." |
Bosch and Duisberg were the leading personalities of Farben, and
vigorous opponents of the NSDAP. In 1932, Buetefisch and Gattineau were
uninfluential employees of Farben. In view of this actual situation, then, does
the prosecution seriously believe that these two men had concluded an alliance
with the Party?
I believe — and I ask you to forgive my harsh
expression — believe that the prosecution's allegation of an alliance is
so contrary to healthy common sense, that it is almost superfluous to offer
proofs against it. It is humorous to see how, in the effort |
308 |
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