 |
A. In 1932, two representatives of the Heidelberg Kreisleitung
appeared in my apartment, who tried to persuade me to help them in founding a
National Socialist newspaper in the Rhine Palatinate area, and wanted a certain
sum from me — I think it was 50,000 marks.
They gave as a reason
that national socialism was on the threshold of its rise; the elections had
shown that within the next year one could surely count on national socialism
attaining power. It was certain, they said, that people who at this time, in
1932, were assisting national socialism by monetary contributions would later,
accordingly, be gratefully favored by the government.
I replied that it
was just the latter part of their request why I refused to make any monetary
contribution; that if I was in need of any consideration and favor I did not
want to pay for it with money, but I wanted to be appreciated on the basis of
my own achievements.
In addition, I said that I was not a follower of
the National Socialist Party, but of the German Peoples' Party [Deutsche
Volkspartei] which always had my vote during elections.
Q. Thank you
very much. One brief explanation in connection with the so-called gasoline
negotiations in November 1932. Let me remind you that under paragraph 7 of the
indictment, mention is made that the gentlemen, Gattineau and Buetefisch, had
negotiated with Hitler with respect to the question of the production of
synthetic gasoline in Munich. Did you participate in these negotiations?
A. No, I did not.
Q. Now we have dealt with the time before
1933; How about the beginning of your relations with the new men, who, on the
30th of January, 1933, came into power? Who was the first one with whom you
established contact?
A. The first man was Gottfried Feder.
Q.
Would you please be good enough to tell the Tribunal who Feder was?
A.
Feder was a well-known engineer, one of the first members of the Party. So far
as I know, he was even a member of the Party before Hitler, according to his
Party number. After Hitler's accession to power he was appointed State
Secretary in the Ministry of Economics and under the Reich Minister of
Economics performed the duties of an officiating State Secretary.
Q. In
respect to what matters did you establish contact with him?
A. I
contacted him through one of his collaborators, a certain Professor Upperlohde
of Berlin, who had developed a new |
608 |
. 
