 |
| [Depart…] ment of the Ministry of Economics, at whose
instigation this entire conference took place, was the same which 2 years
before - -that was in 1938 - -had handled the Aussig-Falkenau matter, I would
assume — at least it would have been very natural — if the Reich
Ministry of Economics had made such a remark. I cannot recall these details
today. I only know that this matter became unimportant because, in the
meantime, we had been ordered to work out a charter. It is an unimportant
episode. |
| |
| * * * * * * * * * * |
| |
| e. Testimony of Defendant Mann |
| |
EXTRACTS FROM THE TESTIMONY OF DEFENDANT MANN,
1 APRIL 1948*
|
| |
| DIRECT EXAMINATION |
| |
| * * * * * * * * * * |
| |
DR. BERNDT (counsel for defendant Mann) : That brings me to the next
point which is mentioned in the indictment under 2 (f), and that is Russia.
When you listed the various offices you held, you also spoke of a Commercial
Eastern Committee?
DEFENDANT MANN: In November 1941 there was a
discussion within the circle of the members of the Vorstand concerning the
situation in the occupied Russian territories and, more particularly,
concerning the tendencies to development which became apparent during that
period concerning our possibilities of export to the East. In view of the
organizational conditions in these Eastern Territories, which were completely
different from ours, I have to remind you that there it was a question of state
economy. In view of this situation, the opinion prevailed that in the case of a
commercial coverage of these Eastern Territories in a near or distant future by
the I. G. Farben, then Farben should, for the first time, deviate from its up
to then prevailing principle of decentralization and should set up a joint
sales combine for the East. In order to prepare such a Farben sales
organization for the Eastern Territories, the Commercial Eastern Committee was
set up, It is of great interest to read the minutes now and to see that we,
ourselves, at that time, again and again made it a point to have the autonomy
of the sales combines stressed. That can be read in a decision of 1941. This
Commercial Eastern Committee was presided over by me and met two or three
times. We heard reports there made by the business manager, De Haas, who was
the liaison man with the Reich Government agencies, particularly with the
Ministry of the Occupied Eastern Territories. On account of these reports of de
Haas’, we then |
_________
* Further extracts are
reproduced earlier in sections V C 2 and VII D 4a in volume VII, this
series.
306 |
. 
