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TRANSLATION OF
LOESER DOCUMENT 18
DEFENSE EXHIBIT
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| MEMORANDUM ON CONFERENCES WITH MR. MANDL¹ ON 8 AND 9 JULY 1937,
CONCERNING NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE ACQUISITION OF BERNDORF STOCK
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[Copy from, Krupp file K.A. - 14]
Memorandum on my
conference with Mr. Mandl, on 8 and 9 July 1937, in Karlsbad.²
1. Berndorf — According to Mandl, the persons whose
influence in the Creditanstalt is strong enough to enforce decisions would be
agreeable to a transfer into private ownership of Berndorf stock owned by the
Creditanstalt. About 90 percent of the Berndorf stock, which is owned by the
Creditanstalt is involved.
Mandl considers it opportune to carry on
negotiations anonymously for the present, in other words none of the real
buyers must identify themselves. He thus proposes that Dr. Draxler, the former
Finance Minister, who returned to his very successful law practice, be
instructed to sound out Creditanstalt with a view to establish whether and on
what terms they are disposed to sell the Berndorf stock. At the same time,
Draxler would also be expected to obtain inside information on Berndorf, which
would make it possible to get a concept of the internal situation of the works.
Mr. Draxler’s compensation for this preparatory work might be
fixed at 10,000 to 15,000 schillings.
Draxler is to receive authority
from us to conduct the preliminary negotiations for the anonymous syndicate
[Konsortium], consisting of Hirtenberg, Krupp, and ourselves.
It is
Mandl’s idea that if the scheme takes on tangible form each of the three
groups will acquire one third of the stock. I brought to his attention that our
interest might possibly be for less. However, we did not further discuss these
particulars of ownership because the point first to be established is whether
and at what terms the stock would be available at all. Personally, I am
inclined to think that Krupp would welcome a participation higher than one
third.
Mr. Koenig, the former director of Berndorf, is still living in
Vienna, and it is through him that Mr. von Wilmowsky learned that last spring
Mr. Mandl had discussed with me matters regarding the acquisition of the
Berndorf stock. Following a sug- […gestion] |
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¹ Fritz Mandl,
Austria’s largest munitions manufacturer in the pre-World War II period.
² The author of this memorandum has not been positively identified;
Defense Counsel Wendland believes he was Dr. Joeden, a Krupp lawyer, see
transcript, 27 April 1948, pp. 6090-6091.
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