 |
Q. After the machine was removed from Belfort, did you receive any
payment from the Krupp firm?
A. No, we never received any payment for
the machine that had been taken away from Belfort. We asked Krupp, first of
all, that our machine should be sent back to Belfort, and in case that should
not be possible, we asked that Krupp order for us new machines of identical
nature, and we gave our agreement that we would pay the difference between the
value of the new machine and of the used machine that was taken away. Besides
that, we also demanded an indemnification, firstly to cover the period during
which we were unable to produce because of the fact that the machine was not at
Belfort, and secondly, to cover the supplementary expenses we incurred because
of the fact that we had to produce with machines of minor value.
Q. Am
I right to say that you were not interested in any monetary indemnity for that
machine, that on the contrary you were only interested in the physical machine
itself and wanted to have it in your plant?
A. Yes, that is correct.
Q. Is it true also that a payment in money at that time could never
replace such a machine?
A. No, that was impossible.
Q. When you
did not agree to the terms of Krupp, were you threatened with the intervention
of the German military authorities in France?
A. Here's what happened.
After several months of discussion, the Krupp factory suggested to us a price
of purchase of about 108,700 Reichsmarks for the total of machines taken away
from Belfort.
Q. Would you please at this point —
A.
Here’s what the situation was. We never accepted this purchase price of
108,700 Reichsmarks, because it was inacceptable for us; however, in France we
had a decree by de Brinon² to the effect that in cases of seized or
requisitioned property the owner was obliged to negotiate with the German
authorities. If he failed to do so, he would lose all claim to the machines in
question. We continued to negotiate with Krupp months and months without
result, but I think toward 1042 — in order to answer quite clearly the
question put by the prosecutor, I cannot guarantee that it was 1942, but I
think that was the time we were informed by Krupp that we had to accept this
purchase price of 108,700 Reichsmarks. If we didn't, the purchase price would
be fixed by either — I don’t quite remember — either the
|
__________
¹ The French town of
Belfort was the site of the ALSTHOM plant.
² Ambassador extraordinary
of the Vichy government in the occupied part of France.
646 |
. 
