STRÖLIN: I do not recall having made such a statement to Weninger at all, at least not in 1936.
COL. AMEN: When did you make that statement to Weninger or anybody else? In what year did you decide to make statements like that?
STRÖLIN: I cannot recall having made such a statement at all.
COL. AMEN: But you do not deny it?
STRÖLIN: I frankly admit that there was a time when one Was no longer proud of Germany.
THE PRESIDENT: Do the other Prosecutors wish to crossexamine?
DR. SEIDL: I have no questions to put to the witness.
THE PRESIDENT: Then the witness can retire. [The witness left the stand.] Does that conclude your case, Dr. Seidl, or have you got any other evidence to offer?
DR. SEIDL: Yes. First, I have to read into the record the questionnaire of the witness Alfred Hess which has arrived in the meantime. The Tribunal has admitted his testimony in the form of a questionnaire. I would then like to refer to various documents in Document Book Number 3, but before going into that and to conclude today's proceedings, I would like to establish upon the request of the Defendant Hess-this refers to Volume 2 of the document book-that Lord Simon came to the meeting as the official representative of the British Government; I therefore read a few sentences from Page 93 (Volume 11, Page 93): "Lord Simon said: 'Herr Reichsminister, I was informed that you had come here feeling charged with a mission and that you wished to speak of it to someone who would be able to receive it with Government authority. You know I am Dr. Guthrie and therefore I come with the authority of the Government and I shall be willing to listen and to discuss with you as far as seems good anything you would wish to state for the information of the Government.' " That was what I wished to state in completion of my reading of the Simon minutes.
THE PRESIDENT: Would you be able to finish tonight if we went on for a few minutes or not?
DR. SEIDL: Mr. President, the answers on this questionnaire are rather long. The witness was cross-examined and I assume that the Prosecution also intend to read the particulars of the cross-examination and I do not believe this would be possible today.
THE PRESIDENT: Very well, we will adjourn.
[The Tribunal adjourned until 26 March 1946 at 1000 hours.]
NINETY-FIRST DAY
Tuesday, 26 March 1946
Morning Session
MARSHAL: If it please the Tribunal, Defendant Streicher will be absent from this session of the Court.
PRESIDENT: 'Yes,Dr. Seidl.
DR. SEIDL: Mr. President, Your Honors, I now turn to the reading of the interrogation of the witness Alfred Hess.
THE PRESIDENT: Where shall we find it?
DR. SEIDL: Mr. President, I received this transcript of the interrogation of the witness only last Saturday, and it has thus not been possible for me to incorporate it into the document book as get. This witness was interrogated at Bad Mergentheim on 19 March.
THE PRESIDENT: Do you mean that we haven't got copies of it?
DR. SEIDL: I do not know whether the General Secretary, from whom I received this transcript, has supplied a copy for the Tribunal.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you had better go on then. Go on.
DR. SEIDL: Yes. Before answering the first question, the witness made a few preliminary remarks which are as follows: "It should be noted that I had to terminate my activity in the Auslands-Organisation of the NSDAP after the flight to England of my brother Rudolf Hem, Deputy of the Führer.
Therefore, the following statements are valid only for the period up to 12 May 1941.
"Question 1: 'What were the tasks and the purpose of. the Auslands-Organisation of the NSDAP?' "Answer: 'The purpose of the Auslands-Organisation was the cultural, social, and economic care of all German nationals in foreign countries, regardless of whether they were Party members or not. The Auslands-Organisation in this sense was to be a bridge between Germans abroad and the home country.
Its purpose was to foster and maintain love for and ties with the distant home country and to keep alive understanding for the fatherland, as well as to awaken the understanding of Germans at home for the hard battle for existence of their compatriots all over the world. The German abroad, through his dignified, upright bearing, was to make himself popular in the country of his adoption, and thus act as the best representative of his fatherland.'
"Question 2: 'Who could become a member of the Auslands-Organisation?'
"Answer: 'The question is not understandable. There was no such thing as a membership in the Auslands-Organisation; just as little, for example, as there was a membership in the Foreign Office of the Reich or in a Gau of the NSDAP in the Reich.'
"Question 3: 'Is it correct that on the membership card of each Reich German Party member the following principle was printed as a ruling principle of the Auslands-Organisation: "Follow the laws of the country whose guest you are, let its people make the internal policy of that country, do not interfere in this, not even in conversation"?'
"Answer: 'It is correct that the above principle, among similar ones, was printed on the membership card or on its cover. If I am not mistaken, underneath this principle there was the warning even of expulsion from the NSDAP if this principle was not observed. This latter is to be ascertained without great difficulty by procuring a cover, which was in the possession of every Party member in a foreign country.'
"Question 4: 'Did the Auslands-Organisation of the NSDAP develop any activity which could appear as Fifth Column?'
"Answer: ' "Fifth Column" is not a clear concept, uniformly used. In general, it would probably mean secret espionage or sabotage activity. According to its guiding principles, the Auslands-Organisation could not have carried on any such activity.'
"'I remember that the slogan "Fifth Column" of the foreign press was considered in the Auslands-Organisation as a clever bluff of the antifascist propaganda, and it caused genuine amusement. Seriously, no state could conceive that such a widely known, rather suspect and vulnerable organization could be suited for any service in the nature of the Fifth Column. I consider it natural that some individual Germans abroad had secret missions, services such as other nationals performed likewise for their fatherland, but the Auslands- Organisation was certainly not the giver d such assignments nor the intermediary for such agents.'
"Question 5: 'What kind of instructions and directives did the Deputy of the Führer give the Auslands-Organisation for its activity?' "Answer: 'The instructions and directives of the Deputy of the Fuhrer for the activity of the Auslands-Organisation are such as those mentioned in my answers to Questions 1 and 3.
He pointed out again and again, with special emphasis, his strict instructions that the groups abroad were not to do anything which could be detrimental to the countries affording them hospitality, or which could be considered an interference in the affairs of those countries. The basic principle must also be that National Socialism was a purely German movement, not an article for export which one wanted to force on other countries as suitable fomr them.'
"Question 6: 'Did the Deputy of the Führer give the Auslands-Organisatioa any directions or orders which could have caused them to carry on an activity similar to that of the Fifth Column?'
"Answer: 'The Deputy of the Führer not only never issued any such directions