 |
| A word from the opening statement of my defense counsel made a deep
impression on me, the quotation from the book, "De Civitate Dei" by St.
Augustin: |
| |
“What difference does it
make under what government a mortal lives as long as those who govern do not
force those who are governed to Godless and unjust
acts?” |
It was the tragedy of our lives that we, like our whole people, could
not evade this compulsion of an absolute dictatorial and inhuman system at all
times, and today, we, like our whole people, are faced with the ruins of our
life work; but it was not our guilt either in a criminal sense or in an ethical
sense and so, at the end of this trial, I am deeply convinced that our trust in
one another was justified and that the escutcheon of our enterprise, the IG, is
clear.
For many months while I have been under arrest I have been
carrying with me an article from an American newspaper which I have thought
about in many sleepless nights. It deals with the attitude of one of the
greatest men of your history, your president, Abraham Lincoln, his views on
justice. As a lawyer in a trial he made the following statement — and I
quote: |
| |
“ The best judge of human
character that ever wrote has left these immortal words for us to ponder:
“‘Good name in man or woman, dear my Lord, is the immediate
jewel of their souls; who steals my purse steals trash;’tis something,
nothing; ’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands; but
he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him and
makes me poor indeed.’” |
| Your Honors, the good name of our IG and our own good name is, in the
last analysis what this trial is about. I trust that you will give back to
Farben and to me this most costly possession. |
| |
| 3. DEFENDANT VON SCHNITZLER |
| |
PRESIDING JUDGE SHAKE: Dr. von Schnitzler.
DEFENDANT VON
SCHNITZLER: Your Honors, since I did not take the witness stand during the
trial, I should like to avail myself of this opportunity in order to explain in
a few words what I consider to be of importance for the evaluation of the
evidence and the arguments submitted in my case.
Two principles have
guided me l believe all through my life; love for peace and respect for my
fellow men. I come from a family of Rhenish industrialists and bankers, and
from this sphere of life I have learned that progress and peaceful living
together are only possible if all interests are reconciled in an honest way.
This opinion was confirmed by a round-the-world trip in 1907-1908, when I got
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1059 |
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