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Dyestuffs Committee. If it is noted here that Dr. von Schnitzler's
report was strictly confidential, in my opinion that means nothing special. If
a report was made on speeches which have not been made public yet, speeches of
leading government personalities, then the word "confidential" or "strictly
confidential" was put in the record. Also these expressions "confidential,"
"strictly confidential," even "State Secret," etc., were greatly misused. In
the last few years of my activity I hardly saw a single document which did not
have a red stamp on it, "This is State Secret," even if it was the most
harmless matter possible.
Q. You have just spoken of speeches which
were not made public. Do you recall whether this speech was published?
A. I know that that speech was published, because I remember the
quotation that "only the guns are not yet being fired," and I remember that it
was generally discussed by the public at the time.
Q. This quotation
which had such a pregnant effect, did von Schnitzler report about it at this
particular meeting in question?
A. That is possible, but I do not
remember it.
Q. Do you believe Mr. Kuepper, that you would remember it
if it had been reported since it is a fairly pregnant quotation?
A. I
cannot say that because my remembrance of this speech can just as well come
from the newspapers or general talk about this speech at the time.
Q.
With respect to this sentence which has been quoted, was Goering's speech
considered a war speech; a preparation for aggressive warfare?
A. No,
at least not by me. Otherwise I would have been able to take entirely different
steps in my special work at that time. This was the time when I was fighting a
bitter struggle with the English, to induce them to continue taking charge of
Farben's insurance, and even after this speech, I renewed this reinsurance. If
there had been any talk of a war of aggression at that time, I certainly would
not have done so. If I were informed about intentions of an aggressive warfare
and I had still invested in insurance in England, I would rightly have been
dismissed. |
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| * * * * * * * * * * |
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| CROSS-EXAMINATION |
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| * * * * * * * * * * |
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| MR. SPRECHER: Now, I would like to search your memory on one point
which should be of some assistance to us, concerning Goering's speech which you
and Dr. Siemers discussed yesterday. The prosecution has not found any copy in
the German publications at its disposal, but we could be wrong. Do you remember
|
854 |
. 
