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Belge-Allemand. As my wife has a Belgian mother, my connections with
Belgium have always been very close.
The idea of national socialism
never corresponded to my nature. National socialism was authoritarian and
totalitarian, it permitted only what followed the line of its ideology. A
businessman, however, especially if his interests exceed time borders of his
own country, has learned that his own wish cannot be an absolute canon for his
actions and is never allowed to be such, but that he always has to take into
consideration the interests of his partners. This was time basic difference
between my views on life and the principles of national socialism.
Unfortunately I, like many Germans, fell for the illusion that one could
influence and improve an authoritarian psychosis by personal activity. More
prudent and more experienced men than I am, fell for this illusion. The visits
of Simon, Eden, Halifax to Berlin, and Mr. Churchill's benevolent judgment,
strengthened my mistake, as I have always been an admirer of British
statesmanship.
Moreover another fact induced me to believe that one was
right in making formal concessions to national socialism. The chemistry
negotiations in Moscow in 1924 and 1929 showed me in a terrifying way the
Bolshevistic nature. At our second visit we had to dissolve our branch office
in Moscow, because our Russian employees were thrown into unbearable scruples
of conscience because of being spied upon by the GPU. The collapse of the
liberal bourgeois parties in Germany to which I adhered, convinced me that
Germany had to choose between national socialism and bolshevism. Under these
circumstances I considered it the right way to make the attempt to come to
terms with national socialism in order to save the German people from chaos.
How formal these concessions were, to what an extent they were opposed
to my innermost feeling and how little I was trusted by the Party circles, is
proved by my relations to time Gauleitung in Frankfurt which grew worse and
worse. The enmity of the Gauleiter was a continual danger for me, for my
family, and in a certain sense also for the firm. But I felt responsible for
the firm and its thousands of workers and employees and therefore I believed it
my duty to make these concessions.
I spoke just now about the formal
concessions which I considered necessary, but I want to emphasize that I never
made any concessions in such fields which in the beginning I designated as my
principles of life: respect for men and love for peace.
Numerous
affiants confirmed that I tried, by even frequently endangering myself, to help
those persons who had to suffer under national socialism because of political
and racial reasons. I never approved or tolerated anything that would violate
the dignity of my fellow men. I never supported anything that was aimed towards
war. When, in |
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