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| c. Testimony of Defendant Buergin |
| |
[Statement from the judgment concerning the personal history,
positions, and affiliations of Defendant Ernst Buergin;
“BUERGIN, Ernst: Born 31 July 1885, Wyhlen, Baden.
Electrochemist. 1938-1945 member of Vorstand; 1937-1945 guest attendant and
member of Technical Committee; chief of Works Combine Central Germany and
member of Chemicals Committee during same periods; chief of the Bitterfeld and
Wollen plants; member of various Farben control groups in Germany, Norway,
Switzerland, and Spain.
“Member of Nazi
Party and German Labor Front; Military Economy Leader; collaborator of Krauch
in the Four Year Plan; chairman of technical committees for certain important
products, Economic Group Chemical Industry.”] |
| |
EXTRACT FROM THE TESTIMONY OF
DEFENDANT BUERGIN*
|
| |
| CROSS-EXAMINATION |
| |
| * * * * * * * * * * |
| |
MR. CHARMATZ: Now you testified yesterday at some length about the
importance of the light metals and about the Bitterfeld Works Combine for
peacetime production. Now, before you became the head of the Central Germany
Works Combine — before that time, were you aware of the importance of this
Works Combine for the production of armaments and the production of the
so-called K and L products, the so-called war-important and vital products? May
I rephrase the question? Were you, before 1938, aware of this importance?
DEFENDANT BUERGIN: The sales channels for the individual products were
only known to me on a large scale. Where, in the final analysis, the individual
products ended, only the sales organization would know about, and also the
people who had to deal with the transportation.
Q. Well, may I
interrupt you for a moment? Now, once more I ask you the question, were you
aware, not of where the things went to, but of the importance of the Works
Combine Central Germany for armament products and the so-called K and L
products?
A. In my opinion, Bitterfeld was not active under the
category of armament products, if you are speaking of Bitterfeld.
Q.
Well, maybe I can make myself a little bit clearer. Now, Dr. Buergin, didn't
you give a lecture in 1937, at which the representatives of all the
military-economic and other military agencies in Central Germany were present,
on a topic like that?
A. I can't remember. |
__________
* Complete testimony is
recorded in mimeographed transcript. 3. 4, 5 March. 11 May 1948, pp. 8340-8476,
14315-14321. Further extract, are reproduced below in subsection I 7d and in
section IX F 6. volume VIII, this series.
1145 |
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