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I now ask you, Dr. Schneider, to explain your appointment as
Hauptabwehrbeauftragter, main counterintelligence agent, to the Tribunal.
DEFENDANT SCHNEIDER: My appointment as main counterintelligence agent
of Farben came about as the result of a letter written by Admiral Canaris* to
Geheimrat Schmitz. In this letter Canaris stated that, because of various
differences of opinion his agency had had with Mr. Faubel, the former main
counterintelligence agent of Farben, he intended to recommend his dismissal,
and he was asking Schmitz to name him an important person of the Farben
Vorstand for this position. At that time I was chosen, and I accepted only
reluctantly.
When I presented myself to Admiral Canaris, the latter
explained to me that he had not been satisfied with Farben's support up to that
time, and that he hoped this would be different in the future. He pointed out
in particular the valuable relations that Farben had abroad in regard to
transmittal of information and intelligence, and when I stressed that this
would have to be very carefully done, he replied very curtly, "We are now at
war, and the war interests take precedence over private interests in wartime,"
and he said that OKW had ways and means to force industry. From this the
emergency can be recognized which made it impossible to reject any
collaboration with OKW. Furthermore, Farben was not the only firm which had to
collaborate with OKW in this regard. Other enterprises did that too, for
instance, the AEG and Siemens.
Q. What organizational measures did you
take in this field, after you had become appointed?
A. In Berlin, I
first of all instituted Office A, Department A, that has been frequently
mentioned in the prosecution's documents, in which [the defendant] Mr. von der
Heyde took care of the commercial affairs, while Dr. Diekmann handled the
industrial affairs of the counterintelligence sphere.
After von der
Heyde was drafted, an event which took place at the end of 1940, Mr. Ruediger
became his successor. In discussions with experts of OKW counterintelligence, I
was told that I would not have to deal with details of this counterintelligence
work, that that would be done by my experts. I was being used merely if any
differences of opinion arose in fundamental matters and my decision was
necessary.
Q. What were the tasks of the main counterintelligence
agents, Hauptabwehrbeauftragte [Buero A] ?
A. OKW/Abwehr originally
demanded the following cooperation: First, consolidation of all
counterintelligence agents of the |
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* Chief of Military
Intelligence of the High Command of the German Armed Forces.
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