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A. A little while ago you produced a document about a meeting in
Ludwigshafen on December 1942. The French director, Louis Frossard, proceeded
in all haste to Ludwigshafen and asked me for my assistance not to have the
plant closed down — because the Military Commander was not interested in
their productions. It was not very difficult to influence .the military
authorities by means of “window dressing,” and we succeeded in
keeping this plant running until the last day of the war, producing things that
we have shown by our figures. That's what I call “window dressing,”
that formally you comply, and you state that it’s important for the
Military Commander, but practically all three Francolor factories remained
plants for private economy, and deliveries to Germany — with the two
exceptions, mononitronaphthalene and Centralite. The chiefs of the Francolor
will confirm that to you today.
Q. Now, Dr. Ambros, were you trying to
deceive the German military authorities through this device of
“window dressing?”
A. I think “deceive” is
putting it a little too strongly. I intervened on behalf of the French firms as
though those firms were my own. I fought for the coal; I fought to have the
French remain there. The French were grateful to me, even after the war, for
this. Sometimes it became necessary to draw a certain picture to counteract a
decree of Berlin; and then we always pushed forward mononitronaphthalene. Dr.
Elias will certainly confirm to yon that mononitronaphthalene is an absolutely
insignificant product, but it was sufficient for window dressing for the
military and, still more, for the Berlin authorities.
Q. Now. Dr.
Ambros, isn’t it a fact that all orders of the Army Ordnance Office were
channeled through Farben, and you regulated the production of the French plants
to carry out those orders? Is that not a fact?
A. The orders went to
the directorate of Francolor, at Avenue George V, and each time I was in Paris
I took care of these at the request of my president, Mr. Joseph Frossard, and
at the request of the technical director of Francolor, Mr. Louis Frossard. I
did this in execution of my duty as a member of the Conseil d' Administration
de la Francolor [ Francolor Administrative Board]. Yes, I tried and I achieved
what has been demonstrated here. |
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