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Combine Bayer was undoubtedly the part which did most of the economic
publicity work. We addressed a large number of purchasers all over the world,
not only physicians and pharmacists, but also the little consumers. The
materials which were bought by the little consumers and which did not have to
be sold on a prescription basis, that is to say, which were sold freely in the
stores, the selling of this material could only be effected by publicity and
advertisements. For that purpose we set up a large publicity machine, but we
never, never put this advertising machine in the service of the National
Socialist propaganda.
Q. I want to interrupt you. Will you please
explain the difference between the word "propaganda" in German and the word
"propaganda" in English?
A. I believe that has been done. "Propaganda"
in English is more political, and "propaganda" in German is used mostly in the
sense of advertising.
Q. Very well. How about this charge of the
prosecution?
A. I can only answer that all the requests which were
addressed to us to combine political propaganda with our commercial
advertisements were flatly rejected. It was not at all possible, because we
were always given sample copies of all of our economic advertisements for the
business abroad, which was usually done by our agents abroad, and we therefore
knew exactly what material was contained in these advertisements and what
material was distributed abroad.
Q. Did the commercial advertisements
for Bayer products increase after 1933?
A. Within the framework of the
general development of our business, but not in connection with the political
development.
Q. Doesn't a certain connection exist, nevertheless, in
connection with the political development, but in another sense than understood
by the prosecution; namely, because German products were boycotted abroad and
that your advertisements were influenced by this?
A. That is correct.
That is, of course, special circumstances which were caused by the judgment
abroad of the rise to power of Hitler. Particularly in 1934, when the
culmination of German boycotting was reached abroad, I considered it my duty,
in order to safeguard Bayer's business interests, to publish information for
the use of our agents abroad in which I described, to the best of my belief,
the situation as I saw it at the time. I must emphasize that the reason why I
did anything at all in that direction was, of course, solely to safeguard the
business interest of Bayer.
Q. I shall deal with that point later when
I present the docu- […ments] |
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