. ©MAZAL LIBRARY

NMT07-T1211


. NUERNBERG MILITARY TRIBUNAL
Volume VII · Page 1211
Previous Page Home PageArchive
Table of Contents - Volume 7
b. Testimony of Defendant Schneider 
 
EXTRACTS FROM THE TESTIMONY OF
DEFENDANT SCHNEIDER¹
 
* * * * * * * * * * 
 
DR. HELLMUTH Dix (counsel for defendant Schneider) : Now we come to the problem of stockpiling war materials. * * * Then the indictment speaks of the stockpiling of urea and other products of Sparte I.

DEFENDANT SCHNEIDER: This stockpiling of urea and other products of Sparte I goes back to the letter of the Reich Ministry of Economics of 5 July 1939, in which, because of the unfavorable position of the Ludwigshafen and Oppau plants from the point of view of defense, the transfer of important products was demanded. The production of products which could not be transferred on short notice was to be increased and stocks were to be accumulated in plants which were not fully used. To these products belonged carbonyl iron, ammonium chloride, carbon, nickel, carbonate of ammonia and carbonyl, and above all urea.

In Prosecution Exhibit 231, that is NI-7125, in book 8, English page 126 there is contained a list 2 which shows what the uses of urea were. That is on page 178 in the German text, in book 8. One can see from this that it was of indirect importance during war, like all other industrial products, but that there is not a single use listed which is only a military use. If one adds up all the various uses, one gets an annual consumption of 5,425 tons, of which 4,110 tons were for the production of molded plastics, cellophane, Raunt glue, Plastopal; and of the remainder there is also nothing that is of any direct significance whatever for war.

In February 1937, the Reich Ministry of War asked Farben to set up a stand-by plant for urea, since the only production plant for this product was at Oppau. Because of the small amount of work at Oppau, stockpiling was suggested by Farben, which can be seen from Prosecution Exhibit 231. A year later this was again discussed with the Reich Ministry of War. This can be seen from page 180, in the same exhibit. And a year later it was taken up more energetically again by the Reich Ministry of Economics — that was 2 months before the outbreak of war. It is quite difficult from this delaying action of Farben to see in this evidence of preparation for a war of aggression.

Q. I have only one more question, Dr. Schneider. You mentioned a letter in the beginning. What exhibit is that?
_____________
¹ Further extracts are reproduced above in subsections C 5c. D 4e; and in section IX F 3. volume VIII, this series.
² Prosecution Exhibit 231 is reproduced in part in 2 above, but the mentioned list is not reproduced
.  
 



1211
Next Page NMT Home Page