BOHLE: Yes, because I have no knowledge of these transmitters, or their use; I must assume that it concerns apparatus of the embassy.
DR. SEIDL: The copy of the telegram, as I have it before me, does not indicate to whom this wire was addressed. The last sentence of the telegram leads one to assume that it was not in any case addressed to the witness. According to my opinion, I think the witness should next be asked whether he knew about this wire and to whom it was addressed.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: Perhaps you will tell Dr. Seidl to whom the Ambassador in Madrid was likely to send a telegrah on such matters as this?
BOHLE: To the Foreign Office at Berlin.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: And you, at that time, were State Secretary at the Foreigh Office of Berlin, were you not?
BOHLE: Quite right, in October 1939.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: Beneath his signature is set out the distribution to-it mentions various persons in departments in the Foreign Office in Berlin. Is that so?
BOHLE: Yes.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: And are you saying now that of those departments which were asked to submit this matte.
you, that they all failed to do so?
BOHLE: No, I do not claim that. They surely would done that.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: Do you remember yourself this telegram before?
BOHLE: I cannot recall it. I would have noticed it f heard anything about two secret transmitters in Spain also be quite in order for ma to admit it. But I cannot do not know it. The distribution under Number 3 me Secretary," but that does not mean me, but the State of the Foreign Office, the political one. My designation Office was: Chief A.O.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: I can save you a suggesting that that "State Secretary" means you; not be asked to be submitted to you. What I want you or your embassy workers, or both of you wanted with two secret wireless transmitting sets in Spain in October 1939?
Are you still saying that your organization was quite unconcerned in reporting back information of military importance?
BOHLE: Just how do you mean, "reporting back"?
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: Are you telling the Tribunal-I want you to be quite clear-are you telling the Tribunal that your organization was not being used for espionage purposes in Spain?
BOHLE: Yes indeed, I am asserting that. A distinction must be made between certain members of the Auslands-Organisation who naturally without my knowledge--I protested against this often enough-were used abroad for such purposes. I had no objection to Germans abroad being utilized in time of war for such tasks, as was the case very frequently with all other countries. However, I did hot want members or officials of the Ausiands-Organisation to become involved. A distinction must...
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: I do not want to stop you at all.
I do not want to stop you. Go on if you have anything to say. But, in the interest of time, try and make it as short as possible.
BOHLE: It seems to me there is some confusion between the Auslands-Organisation as an organization and what certain Germans abroad did during the war as their patriotic duty. This seems to me to be the crucial point of the question.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: Well, I will not argue about that.
We see that your organization took sufficient interest to reproduce accounts of what they were doing in its official book. I just want to show you one thing further.
[Turning to the President.] Well, I have one further document to put to this witness.
THE PRESIDENT: You may as well go on.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: It is a document which I have just had found. I have not had them copied. The Tribunal will forgive me if I read extracts from them?
[Turning to the witness.] It is an original document you hold in your hand and it appears to be, does it not, a carbon copy of a letter from . . .
THE PRESIDENT: Has Dr. Seidl got one?
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: Yes, he has one in German.
LTurning to the witness.] Is that a letter from your Landesgruppenleiter Konradi? BOHLE: It seems to be a directive from Konradi, but not signed by him.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: If you will look at the end of the letter you will see that it is actually signed "Konradi," after the usual "Heil Hitler".
. .
BOHLE: The copy that I have is not signed.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: Will you get that copy back? Perhaps these documents . . .
[The document was taken from the witness to Lt. Col. Griffith-Jones.]
It is in fact signed "Konradi." Show it to him.
[The document was returned to the witness.]
BOHLE: It is not signed by Konradi, but typed in.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: I am very much obliged to you. It is my fault for not making myself clear. I told you that we have here a carbon copy. A copy of a letter which was signed and sent by Konradi. That appears to be so, does it not?
BOHLE: That I do not know, for of course I do not know about all the letters written by Konradi.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: You can take it, so far as you are concerned, that that is a German document which has been captured, that it is this bit of paper that you are holding in your hand which was found by Allied troops and that bears a typewritten signature of Konradi, who was your Landesgruppenleiter in Romania; is. that correct? You remember that you had a Landesgruppenleiter in Romania?
BOHLE: His name was Konradi.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: And is this a letter of instructions to the Zellenleiter in Constantsa?
BOHLE: Yes.
LT.COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: It is dated the 25th of October 1939.
you read the first paragraph?
"From 9 to 12 October conferences took, place with the Supreme Party functionaries, or their deputies, of the Southeastern and Southern European groups at the head office of the Auslands-Organisation." Does that mean Eerlin?
BOHLE: Yes. Berlin.
LT.COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: That means your office, does it,not?
BOHLE: Yes, in my office, but not in my personal office.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: No, but is it in the office over which you had complete control?
BOHLE: Yes.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: Agreed. I imagine, before we go on, that no orders would be issued from your head office at a conference of that kind which were contrary to your direction, would they?
BOHLE: Not on important things, naturally not.
LT. COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: I am much obliged to you.
"I subsequently received direct instructions from the competent department of the head office of the Auslands-Organisation." So it appears that the direction given at the conference was confirmed in writing.
"During the war, every National Socialist abroad must directly serve the fatherland, either through propaganda for the German cause or by counteracting enemy measures." Now perhaps you will turn over, or rather, you will miss out-I am reading from copy-the English, the next paragraph, and the next plus one paragraph, and go on to the paragraph commencing: "As everywhere else it is extremely important to know where the enemy is and what he is doing..." I want you to be quite clear about this and keep it in mind.
These are directions coming directly from your head office in Berlin.
"It