 |
directed the attention of the
Wehrmacht to the urgent necessity of stockpiling. Already at that time, for
example, I requested that considerable quantities of toluene be stocked up for
the existing explosive factories. Measures taken to increase the production of
toluene then had the result that the producers could not dispose of their
products to the explosive factories, as the latter had no orders, and finally,
the increased production had again to be stopped, because their warehouses were
overflowing, as arrangements had not been made at the right time to provide
tanks for stockpiling. The same is true of diglycol and oxol (as a preliminary
product for mustard gas), where the few plants that actually existed were put
to use for stockpiling only after my repeated insistence — in March/April
1937 — or, in some instances, were even rendered workable."
|
Now, would you like to comment on that in the light of what you
have just testified to?
A. The military authorities at that time wanted
a so-called standby plant set up for all these products that you have just
mentioned, so that in case the supply was consumed, which would happen in the
event of war, they would have the opportunity to produce. It was possible, in
addition to the usual production of toluene by coking, to produce it
synthetically. This method did not seem sound to me, so I suggested that
toluene be stockpiled. That it was necessary to produce toluene in large
quantities for the event of war was seen after the outbreak of war, when a
large-scale plant for the production of toluene from benzol and methanol was
rashly started. Because of lack of experience, it took years before this
factory actually went into operation. In order to prevent inefficient processes
as were demanded by the military, it was suggested that toluene be stockpiled.
I always thought that this toluene would be used for the peacetime economy too.
If I had been thinking only of war, I would have had to insist that the
finished explosive — that is, TNT — be produced from this toluene,
which would then be ready for the event of war. That was my attitude. The same
thing applies to diglycol, which can also be used for several purposes for
peacetime purposes and as a war article. Here, again, I considered it better,
under the circumstances prevailing at the time, to stockpile this product too,
so that it could be used for peacetime purposes at any time; or if there should
be a war, it could be used for war purposes. Since, in my opinion, there was no
prospect of war, the method which I suggested was the correct one.
Q.
Now, in your testimony, you spoke of the construction of the West Wall, as an
urgent project requiring a great deal of building |
1038 |
. 
