 |
been refuted by the evidence of the defense. Dr. Krauch was so far
from being one of Goering's confidants that he saw Goering only about twice a
year, and Goering told him in July 1939 that there was no possibility of a war.
A number of witnesses from the circle around Goering. I refer to Milch and
Goernert, confirmed the statements of Dr. Krauch.² Dr. Krauch could also
not have been one of the initiated for one other particular reason: The fact
that precludes from the very outset any possibility of Dr. Krauch's knowledge
of Hitler's plans is the opinion that the authoritative Party circles had of
him.
To be sure, the Party recognized Dr. Krauch’s great technical
ability without reservation, but politically they regarded him with extreme
distrust Abundant proof of these facts has been submitted³ The cause for
this distrust was Dr. Krauch’s own attitude with regard to the
National-Socialist ideology and the wishes of the Party; particularly his
attitude with regard to Jews, the church, and science. This distrust of Dr.
Krauch extended to the whole of Farben, which in its turn, under the management
of Krauch and Schmitz, refused, as has been proved, to concede to the Party the
influence in the Vorstand and Aufsichtsrat which they so strongly desired. How
far this distrust went is shown by the order issued during the war, prohibiting
the passing-on of any information to Dr. Krauch about the atomic experiments.
In view of these basic facts, the references of the prosecution to
numerous details fail to achieve anything. No matter how many small pieces they
fit together, the fact that Dr. Krauch had no knowledge of Hitler’s plans
for aggression cannot be argued away. This knowledge is thus not proved in any
way by the reference to Krauch’s participation in the large meetings of
December 1936 and October 1938, where many German industrialists were assembled
around Goering and Hitler in order to hear the government’s views on the
situation.4 Neither is this knowledge proved
by the reference to Hitler’s confidential memorandum about the Four Year
Plan, which, apart from the fact that its contents do not disclose any
aggressive intentions, only came to Dr. Krauch’s knowledge in
Nuernberg.5 These and many other things are
details, which indeed show a knowledge of the promotion of rearmament, which
Dr. Krauch himself does not contest, but which do not prove anything about his
knowledge of Hitler’s intentions of aggression.6 Along with millions of other Germans, Dr. Krauch
saw in the rearmament a means of meeting a threat of aggression from the East,
and this interpretation was based on the political |
__________
² TV 7.
³ TZ
8,9.
4 TZ 11, 12.
5 TZ 13
6 TZ
16
913 |
. 
