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toward Poland and that this would mean war not only with Poland but
as well with France and England. After Ungewitter had told me in July 1939,
that the government was concerned about the proximity of the Ludwigshafen-Oppau
plant to the French border, I was worried by the prospect of war. As head of
the Kaufmaennische Ausschuss [Commercial Committee] of IG, and as the person in
charge of the biggest part of IG's export trade, the dyestuffs field, I quite
naturally took every precaution of a cautious and considerate business man in
case a clash should occur. I was not a gambler myself, and I considered
gambling too mild a word to describe Hitler's foreign policy. I then considered
Hitler’s foreign policy a matter of “Verbrecherisches
Spekulieren”, which can properly be translated as criminal speculations.
The steps I took to protect IG's foreign assets abroad were the natural
protective steps of a cautious business man against this criminal speculation.
At the time in 1939, I felt that a captain should stay with his ship, that I
owed certain obligations to my employees, and that I had a responsibility to
I.G. Farben, in total, including the shareholders. For these reasons I did not
resign or withdraw to an unimportant position in spite of my aversion feelings
concerning Hitler's policy.
7. I have carefully read each of the 25
pages of this declaration and have placed my signature at the bottom of each
page. I have made the necessary corrections in my own handwriting and initialed
each correction in the margin of the page. I declare herewith under oath that I
have stated the full truth to the best of my knowledge and belief.
|
| |
| [Signed] GEORG VON SCHNITZLER |
| |
| |
| 4. AFFIDAVIT OF DEFENDANT TER MEER |
| |
| |
COPY
OF DOCUMENT
TER MEER 2
(ALSO DOCUMENT NI-5180)
TER MEER DEFENSE
EXHIBIT 9* |
| |
AFFIDAVIT OF DEFENDANT FRITZ TER MEER,
2 MAY
1947 |
| |
| 1. Friedrich Hermann ter Meer, member of the Vorstand of I. G.
Farbenindustrie from 1925 to 1945, after having been warned that I will be
liable to punishment for making a false statement, telling an untruth, hereby
state the following of my own free will and without coercion: |
__________
* This affidavit was
executed by Defendant ter Meer before the issuance of the indictment in the
Farben case after interrogations by a representative of the prosecution. The
prosecution did not, however, introduce the affidavit during its case in chief,
but the document was introduced as a defense exhibit by counsel for Defendant
ter Meer.
1524 |
. 
