 |
Q. Please tell me who concluded these negotiations on the part of
Farben, besides yourself?
A. Krauch, who was in Berlin at the time, one
day arrived in Ludwigshafen, and informed us that the Reich Minister of
Economics, Schacht, had spoken to him, and had made that request to him. He,
Krauch, had then agreed to the request and, as a result, Krauch, Schmitz,
myself, and Fischer, went to London.
DR. FLAECHSNER: Thank you. That is
sufficient. |
| |
| * * * * * * * * * * |
| |
| CROSS-EXAMINATION |
| |
| * * * * * * * * * * |
| |
MR. AMCHAN: Now, in what year did you negotiate with Standard Oil for
the purchase of 20 million dollars’ worth of aviation gasoline? What year?
DEFENDANT VON KNIERIEM: According to my recollection, I stated 1937 at
the time, and I believe that to be correct. As I already stated this morning,
not all of it was aviation gasoline, but only part of it. There was lubricating
oil, liquid fuel, etc.
Q. Could you fix the time of that affair in
relation to your conference with Colonel Thomas as, which the documents show,
October 1935?¹ How soon after your conference with General [sic] Thomas
was this affair with Standard Oil — this transaction with Standard Oil
— the negotiation for the purchase of aviation gasoline? Could you fix the
time in relation to [this conference] — could you say how long after it
was?
A. I cannot do that, and I don't think that that had anything at
all to do with it. |
| |
| * * * * * * * * * * |
| |
| MR. AMCHAN: Now did Dr. Schmitz tell you at the time of his
conference with Goering in May 1936, when he attended the meeting of the
experts for raw materials, about Goering's discussing gasoline and oil, and
where Goering said, “With the thorough motorization of the Army and Navy,
the whole problem of conducting a war depends on this. All preparations must be
made for the A-case [war] so that the supply of the wartime Army is
safeguarded”?² Did Schmitz tell you of the conversation with Goering
in May 1936 at the time? |
__________
¹ At this time General
Thomas was a colonel and was chief of the Military Economics Staff of the Reich
War Ministry. Actually the conference referred to was held on 17 September
1935, and concerned the “leakage of experience and information of a
technical nature to countries abroad.” See Document NI-14002. Prosecution
Exhibit 1868, a memorandum on the conference dictated on 4 October 1935 by the
defendant von Knieriem. Prosecution Exhibit 1868 is reproduced below to
subsection L 2.
² Document NI-5380.
Prosecution Exhibit 400, minutes concerning this conference, is reproduced in
past under section VII F, "The Four Year Plan,"
1208 |
. 
