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[Val…] ley, this was confined to issuing appropriate directives
for coordinating the general policy of these plants in questions of production
and personal management.
To sum up, the position of chief of the Works
Combine was such that he could not issue orders or instructions to the
constituent plants, but that, by virtue of his position as chief of the large
Hoechst plant, he exerted some influence on them. Besides, every plant had its
own Betriebsfuehrer (plant leader) who had considerable independence. He always
decided, independently and on his own responsibility, all questions bearing on
the treatment of employees. It was incumbent upon Lautenschlaeger, as chief of
the Main [River] Valley Works Combine, to see to it that the individual plants
kept within the framework of his directives, unless orders to the contrary had
been issued by the authorities.
The employees of the Hoechst plant were
his special concern. To help him in this field, Lautenschlaeger had a personal
department, the function of which was to deal with the housing, feeding, and
wages of all employees, including foreign workers and prisoners of war.
Concerning the principle of employing foreign workers, this question
had previously been decided by the government. Lautenschlaeger had no influence
in this matter. Under the conditions prevailing in Germany, he employed foreign
workers in the plants of which he was in charge in exactly the same way as was
done in every other German plant. In presenting its evidence, the defense will
confine itself to showing that, especially in the case of plants under
Lautenschlaeger, the social welfare, food, housing, medical care, employment,
and treatment of foreign workers had been most carefully laid down by the plant
management in the workers' best interests, and accordingly carried out by the
plant management's representatives. In this connection, may I be allowed to
emphasize the unique fact that the chief of this world-renowned chemical plant
frequently used to spend his nights as a kind physician, personally
administering expert medical aid to his foreign workers, and seeing that
everyone was well looked after in the hospital.
This man was, of
course, no Nazi. His whole outlook was centered so exclusively upon healing and
helping, that — as will be substantiated by numerous testimonies — he
was incapable of ever making any discrimination on grounds of race, religion,
or nationality. He owed his position exclusively to his professional
qualifications as a scientist. The rulers of the Third Reich were always
suspicious of such a man. His joining the Nazi Party, or his appointment as
Military Economy Leader [Wehrwirt- […schaftsfuehrer] |
330 |
. 
