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Berlin and was present at a conference with you, quite some time
before Munich. Quite some time before Munich. Remember that?
A. Surely.
Q.Now, do you remember, at that time, if you
talked about the possibility of what I.G. Farben was going to do in case the
Sudetenland was annexed, and even in case all of Czechoslovakia was overrun? Do
you remember that?
A. I
don't remember that, but it is very possible that I discussed it. I mean, as I
told you, Mr. Sprecher, I have the minutes of this meeting not before me, and
this meeting took place in summer, 1938, if I'm right; and in case you're
interested I'll tell you how it happened. Mr. Seebohm had been the head of the
sales organization in Reichenberg in Czechoslovakia, and he came to Berlin, not
because he was asked for having a meeting about the Sudeten question but
because he had some financial matters, I believe some depreciation business, to
discuss with the Central Finance Administration. The papers, at that time, were
full about Czechoslovakia. This was the beginning of Goebbel's or Hitler's
propaganda that the so-called Sudeten-Germans were persecuted by the Czechs;
and as we heard in Berlin that Seebohm was in our house, I asked him to come
into a boardroom, and I asked a number of other people to be present, and I
asked Mr. Seebohm to tell us what was going on in Czechoslovakia, because we
were interested to hear from him; and we heard from him that more or less
nothing was going on, that everything was peaceful.
Q. How long did it take you to call
together this rather spontaneous meeting?
A. I mean, it is rather easy. I mean, when
Mr. Seebohm comes to Berlin to discuss some financial matters and I ask him to
come in, 1 or 2 hours, to Board Room 4, and I ask my secretary to telephone to
WIPO [Political-Economic Policy Department] to have somebody present, there is
always somebody who is able to be there in half an hour.
Q. The defendant Kugler was there, was he
not?
A. I don't believe
so.
Q. All right.
A. I don't believe so.
Q. Now, you are sure that
was rather a spontaneous meeting, and that you did not discuss proposed
actions?
A. I mean, that
according to my recollection, it happened that way.
Q. Well, but answer the question, please.
Do you recall whether any proposed action was taken that was to be carried out
— that was to be the official policy of IG? Do you remember that?
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