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СКАЧАТЬ existed. It was only after the war that I learned the names of Mauthausen and Buchenwald from the newspaper. I only know of the camp of Dachau because I happen to come from Bavaria.

      DR. STAHMER: Did you never hear of the atrocities either?

      BODENSCHATZ: No, I never heard of the atrocities. The very first time I heard was last year, when I reported to the Reich Marshal—to be exact it was the middle of March 1945—when I reported my departure on sick leave. The Reich Marshal told me during lunch that very many Jews must have perished there and that we should have to pay dearly for it. That was the first time that I heard of crimes against the Jews.

      DR. STAHMER: I have no further questions. I can now turn the witness over to the other Defense Counsel and to the Prosecution.

      THE PRESIDENT: Does any Defense Counsel wish to ask any questions of this witness?

      DR. HANS LATERNSER (Counsel for the General Staff and High Command of the German Armed Forces): I have only a few questions to ask this witness.

      [Turning to the witness.]

      Witness, in your capacity as liaison officer of the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe at the Führer’s headquarters you took part, as you have already mentioned, in the discussions on the war situation. Did you also take part in discussions on the war situation when front-line commanders were making their reports to Hitler?

      BODENSCHATZ: I personally did not take part in such discussions. At two discussions, however, I was in the adjoining room, once when Field Marshal Von Kleist was there for a conference, and the second time was when the leader of the Crimea Army came to make a report after the evacuation of the Crimea. I was, as I said, not actually present at those conferences, but I heard, in the adjoining room, that there were some differences of opinion between Hitler and the commander in question as they were raising their voices. That is all I can say.

      DR. LATERNSER: Did you hear enough to follow the trend of this discussion?

      BODENSCHATZ: No, I could not follow the trend nor the substance of these discussions.

      DR. LATERNSER: In that case I have no further questions.

      THE PRESIDENT: Does any other Defense Counsel wish to ask any questions?

      [There was no response.]

      Then does the Prosecution wish to ask any questions?

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: May it please the Tribunal.

      [Turning to the witness.] You are at the present time a prisoner of war of the United States?

      BODENSCHATZ: I beg your pardon. Could you please repeat the question. I did not understand it.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: You are at the present time a prisoner of war of the United States?

      BODENSCHATZ: At the present time I am a prisoner of war of the United States.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: You have been interrogated on a number of occasions by representatives of the United States?

      BODENSCHATZ: I was interrogated several times by representatives of the United States.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: You have also had a number of consultations with Dr. Stahmer who has just examined you?

      BODENSCHATZ: I have had several discussions with Dr. Stahmer who has just addressed questions to me.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: Those questions were addressed to you some time ago and you prepared your answers in writing?

      BODENSCHATZ: Those questions were submitted to me beforehand and I was able to prepare my answers.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: Coming to the subject of the concentration camps and the activities of your department in releasing persons from them—as I understand, a large number of applications came to the Göring office for release from concentration camps?

      BODENSCHATZ: I stated before that the requests for release from concentration camps did not come to my department but to the Staff office. I received only the requests and complaints in which people begged for help because they had been arrested, among them Jews who were to be arrested.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: And were those applications that did come to you numerous?

      BODENSCHATZ: My sector covered only the Luftwaffe. There were perhaps 10 to 20 such applications.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: And those applications were from persons who were threatened with imprisonment, or had been imprisoned, or both?

      BODENSCHATZ: Partly from people who were threatened with arrest and partly from people who had already been arrested.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: And in each case, as I understand you, you intervened to help them.

      BODENSCHATZ: On the instructions of the Reich Marshal, I helped in all cases that were submitted to me.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: And did you know of any other cases that came to the Staff in which help was not given to the imprisoned persons?

      BODENSCHATZ: I do not know anything about that. I only heard from Dr. Gritzbach, Chief of Staff, that requests that came to him also were settled in a humane way.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: Now, were the persons that you intervened for innocent of crime or were you helping out those who were guilty of crime?

      BODENSCHATZ: Those I helped were innocent people.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: So it came to your notice that innocent people were being put in concentration camps?

      BODENSCHATZ: Could you please repeat that question.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: It came to your notice that innocent people then were being put in concentration camps?

      BODENSCHATZ: Had not been put into concentration camps, but were destined for them.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: I thought you said you intervened for some who had been arrested.

      BODENSCHATZ: Yes; they were not taken to concentration camps. I will give you a practical example. A comrade of mine, from the Richthofen Squadron, a Jew by the name of Luther, was arrested by the Gestapo, that is to say, he was not taken to a concentration camp, but first was simply arrested by the Gestapo. His lawyer informed me. I informed the Reich Marshal of this case, and the Reich Marshal instructed me to have this man freed from his temporary custody by the Gestapo in Hamburg. He was not yet in a concentration camp. So far as I know this case happened in 1943.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: What was he charged with when he was arrested?

      BODENSCHATZ: He was arrested because he was a Jew, and he had been told that he had committed an offense against decency in that he had been with an Aryan woman in a hotel.

      MR. JUSTICE JACKSON: And did you make any inquiries as to whether the charge was true?

      BODENSCHATZ: I did not have to make such inquiries because I had no difficulty in obtaining his release. When I called up, he was released and thereafter stayed under the protection of Hermann Göring.

      MR. СКАЧАТЬ