Q. And who distributed the food?
A. The Red Cross.
Q. Not the German Wehrmacht?
A. No, the International Red Cross.
Q. Well, did the International Red Cross distribute its own food, or was food given by the Germans?
A. No, the International Red Cross supplied the food itself and the so-called "Swedish ships", as they were called, brought the larger part of the grain supplies from Canada etc. In addition quite considerable contributions were made from Germany, and I remember that once in Germany and in Ruomania almost one hundred thousand tons of food was made available for Greece; however, it could not be sent to Greece for technical reasons. Thereupon I sent officials and officers to Germany, who made it possible through direct negotiations with the transport officials there for the food finally to be brought to Greece.
Q. Was this aid given by the International Red Cross made necessary only because the German occupying power took food for its own purposes from the country?
A. No, there were quite definite agreements between the International Red Cross and me. As a return service for the help given to Greece by the International Red Cross I agreed to ensure that no food should be taken from the country by the German Wehrmacht, apart from food which easily went bad, such as vegetables, fruits, and fish. But whatever was taken from the country in this respect was compensated for again. I regarded it as an essential task to survey and to control in this connection, and by ever recurring explanations to the troops I made it my duty to see that this agreement was adhered to.
Q. Was your support of the International Red Cross shown by any other measures?
A. Yes, but I don't know any details at the moment.
Q. Here your Honor, I would like to submit two more affidavits; the first is contained in Speidel Document Book No. II. This is Speidel Document No. 35, on page 66 of Document Book II. This is an affidavit by General Eisenbach, who has already been mentioned several times, dated 12 November 1947. This document becomes Exhibit No. 39. I would like to read the following from the affidavit and I quote:
"The Swedish archeologist Professor Person and his wife, who is a doctor, represented the International Red Cross on the Pelopennesus. While I was in command in Corinth I was often in contact with him, because at that time he did not yet have his own vehicles to service the peninsula. Whereever it was possible, we gave him space on the trains and the truck columns. At first the unit was hesitant about this because Person also took care of rebel territory. I was aware of this too, but I thought that on account of the poor food situation of the country it was necessary to accept this. With this recommendation I presented the matter to General SPEIDEL. He approved of my conception and directed the support of the IRC with all available means. In the end the unit also had to overcome its doubts as a result of his and my action in this matter".
The second document is contained in Document Book Speidel No. I. This is Speidel Document No. 10 and is on page 26 of Speidel Document Book No. I. I offer this document as Speidel Exhibit No. 40. This is an affidavit by Fritz Delkeskamp who was on General Speidel's staff in Greece. Perhaps I might read the last third on page 26:
"It is known that the German soldiers went hungry in Greece. In spite of that General Speidel also refused to increase requisitioning of food from the country. He always repeatedly through personal intervention supported the Red Cross and measures in favor of the indigenous population." This affidavit is duly signed and certified. General, as Military Commander, did you not improve the food situation in Greece by your own measures?
A. Well, I couldn't do very much. I could only give very slight aid as follows: For instance, I ensured that every ship which delivered cargo to the island was to be loaded as far as possible by the Navy with food for the inhabitants of the island. From Germany I obtained large quantities of seeds, manure, machines, experts etc. to intensify Greek agriculture. In order to ensure the food supply I currently gave quantities of fuel to the Greek fishing boats. Those are just a few examples.
Q. Apart from this regular support, were there special reasons which caused you to give aid?
A. Yes. When, on the 11th of January 1944 there was a very heavy air raid on the port of Piraeus with large casualties among the civilian population, I went at once to Piraeus although I felt very ill on this day personally organized aid. Troops were called in to rescue people from under the rubble, Military hospitals were made available, military doctors were made available, and finally, for three days, I fed the whole population from field kitchens from Wehrmacht stocks. This was again followed by a reprimand from above because in this way, by active on my own initiative I had endangered the readiness for action of the troops.
Q. At this point, Your Honor, I refer to the affidavit of Friedrich Herrmann, contained in Speidel Document Book No. I, Speidel Document No. II, page 29, which is Exhibit No. 41. This is an affidavit by a foundry worker Friedrich Herrmann, and its most important part is as follows: He states:
"In January 1944 the harbour of Piraeus was - as we heard - subjected to an attack from the air by the English as a result of which approximately 11000 Greeks, poor people who had been expelled from Asia Minor previously were rendered homeless. The Greek administration was not in a position to supply these poorest of the poor with the most essential provisions. In view of the emergency the German administration intervened. For this reason I received an order through my superior officer with the LXVIII Army Corps to provide for these people immediately in co-operation with the General Staff administrative Section of the Wehrmacht in Athens. The order came from the then General Speidel and as far as I know also from our former General Felmy. For the project about 50 tons of provisions were made available from army stocks to tide over the worst of the misery, and, with energetic support from the LXVIII Army Corps and the General Staff administrative section of the Wehrmacht in Athens, I prepared for days on end with nine or eleven field-kitchens respectively two warm meals daily and brought these with bread to the individual communal camps and distributed them there. I shall never forget the hungry children, the pregnant women and mothers and the old people who crowded round me and my soldiers to express their thanks. For my part in this emergency measure I received a short letter of thanks from General Speidel that I should place at your disposal."
This affidavit has been duly signed and certified. I have placed this document very gladly in the document book because this affiant is a simple man, a foundry worker, who has made it available to us voluntarily and he wrote and told me that in this way he wanted to help the Tribunal to obtain a correct picture of my client. General, every occupation power is to a certain extent compelled to rely on the work of the indigenous population, and this was also the case in Greece. Is it then correct that those workers who worked for the German occupation power were also fed by the occupation power?
A. The Greeks who worked for Germans, in Athens and Crete, there were about 100,000 men, were given special food as an inducement to work and to keep up their strength. I attered this system and fundamentally extended it so that the workers employed by the Wehrmacht received, in addition to their wages, complete Wehrmacht meals without extra pay. And in addition I ensured that the workers even received their wages and food when there was no work for them to do. In this way I thought that I could help directly, at least, a part of the population.
Q. During the examination of General Foertsch there was mention of extensive medical measures which were carried out in the whole of the Balkans and especially in Greece.
Q. Did you participate in these measures too?
A. At that time these measures were extensively discussed by General Foertsch and I need only say that I took over the re-organization and helped and carried them out to the same extent.
Q The Military Occupation of Greece brought with it of course security measures for the country, which inevitably intruded in to the private sphere of the country and its inhabitants, and it is possible perhaps also brought economic difficulties. What did you do to mitigate the distress arising from these conditions?
A The main problem at that time was the inflation which was increasing daily. In order to direct this inflation and so to support the Greek Government, I took measures with the German Wehrmacht which were considerably influenced in favor of the Greek Government. The currency needs of the German Wehrmacht that is the occupation expenses were repeatedly considerably limited by me, even the ordinary soldier felt this because his pay in Greek currency became less and less, and once even I stopped the distribution of pay altogether in favor of the Greek workers, because the drachma stock at that time was only sufficient to pay the Greek workers and not the German soldiers. That is just an example of the inflation measures which I took with regard to the billeting worries which of course are always brought to the civilian population by every occupation. I always limited our needs in this direction as far as possible, partly by direct intervention.
One of the measures I took was during the building-up of the coastal defenses. I prevented whole blocks of houses from being torn down as the experts wanted and by my immediate intervention the houses remained standing and the prospect of the people was preserved. That is just an example.
Q General, as supreme judicial authority in face of certain offenses against the occupation powers had to exercise jurisdiction over the Greek population. Is it correct that from time to time you ordered a large number of people to be released from the prisons?
A From the war diary, I see that at Christmas of 1943 approximately 500 prisoners were released, some of them even had up to ten years sentences to serve; and furthermore on the Greek National day about half of the people were released from prison.
Then I also note from the books that from those Greeks who were still in Italian prisons, then over 2000 were released by me, after their cases had been examined.
Q Your honor in order to provide evidence for the correctness of my client's statements, I would like to refer to the war diary which came from the Washington documents. The first covers the period until November 1943. This has already been offered as Exhibit 23. The second covers the period from 21 November 1943 onwards and this is contained in Speidel document book 3 as Speidel document No. 42. I offer this as Speidel exhibit No. 42. With regard to two excerpts and I am referring to the entries of 23 September and 24 December, 1943 and 26 March, 1944.
Further, I would like to submit here the affidavit by Paster Liebl as contained in Speidel document book No. 2 document No. 30, page 56 of Speidel document book No. 2. This document receives exhibit No. 43 IV is a statement by Paster Richard Liebl, who was superior of the Capuching mission in Greece and he confirms that at that time he was with General Speidel and that he always found understanding of the matter submitted to him. Then the affiant continues he would like particularly to stress that General Speidel had the case against Bishop Msgr. Greger Vuccine, who was arrested by the Wehrmacht for alleged military offenses dismissed at the request of Mgr. Testa and himself. The affidavit was given on 25 October 1947 in Athens.
Now, General, I have one final question with regard to this subject. We have now discussed quite briefly the activities which you did for the benefit of the Greek population while you were in Greece, the activities which you thought were your duty, do you think that this was a contribution towards the internal pacification of the Greek population?
A I think so, even if these measures were only a very small part when I think of all other things I wish to do then these measures certainly facilitated the material soundness of the population, and they certainly had a psychological effect. I was doing my best to be kind of a mediator between the Greek and the German interests.
Even if in this way sometimes of course I acted in opposition to military demands. They show secondly, in my opinion, that in this way I contributed towards avoiding the return of a famine. Finally I would like to assume that such measures were not exactly in line with the methods and expression of an extermination policy, to return to the term used at the beginning of your questions.
Q Your honor to conclude this chapter, I would like to submit a few affidavits. The first is contained in Speidel document book 1. This is Speidel document No. 7 on page 17 of document book 1. This affidavit becomes exhibit No. 44, Speidel exhibit No. 44. The affiant is a professor of theology, Peter Mein hold, who from April 1941 until October 1944 was a Protestant Naval Chaplain in Greece, particularly in the Athens area. In the last paragraph on page 17 the affiant states:
"Herr Speidel has, in his area, furthered the work of the clergymen of both denomination, repeatedly attended himself the Protestant services and celebrations and attached great importance to influencing the troops in the spirit of Christianity."
And I would like to point out also the next sentence on page 18:
"In practical respect the attitude of Herr Speidel had its effect especially by allowing an unhampered activity of the clergymen in the hospitals, where since 1942 it had been made more and more difficult by general orders from the Highest authority. In public celebrations, e.g., on the occasion of the Heroes Memorial Day, only the Protestant and the Catholic clerics made the addresses, likewise on the occasion of funeral celebrations to which the commander attended. In doing this, he professed his open allegiance to Christianity, and the greatest possible repudiation of, even a challenge to the propaganda of the National-Socialist ideology which came to the fore especially on occasions like these."
And then I would like to refer briefly once again to this affidavit, especially to the last sentence on page 18:
"Repeatedly the then Greek Minister Lovaris mentioned the assistance he had received from Herr Speidel, and or his staff in carrying out the measures taken by him on behalf of the well being of the Greek people."
I would ask that judicial notice be taken of the parts of the affidavit which I have not read.
The next affidavit is on page 23 of the same document book, document book No. 1, Speidel document No. 9. It is by the same General Erich Eisenbach, who has been mentioned before. I offer this affidavit as Speidel exhibit 45. I would ask that judicial notice be taken of the contents of this affidavit and I refer especially to the first paragraph in which it is stated:
"Towards the Greek civil population he showed benevolence and a readiness to be of help wherever possible. For instance at a conference in Corinth, General Speidel ordered me to support by all means the extremely difficult supply of the country."
The next paragraph states briefly:
"In Athens General Speidel ordered me to re-examine military quarters in order to recover as much living space as possible for the population."
This affidavit has been duly signed and certified.
In this connection I would also like to refer to the affidavit of Monsignore Jacquest Testa, as contained in document book Speidel No. 2 page 78. I offer this affidavit as Speidel Exhibit No. 46. It is given by Monsignore Jacquest Testa, Chief of the Apostolic Delegation in Athens and contains the following:
"I the undersigned, Monsignore Jacques TESTA, Chief of the Apostolic Delegation in Greece declare that, whenever I had to negotiate with General W. Seidel, former commander of the German forces in Greece, in order to request his support for my work of helping the local population, I have always found full understanding and eagerness.
In the last document here I would like to refer to a certain paragraph in an affidavit given by Dr. Graevonitz on page 58 of Speidel Document Book No. II. I already offered this affidavit this morning as Exhibit No. 33. I would like to refer here particularly to the second paragraph on page 58 and the third and fourth paragraphs on page 59. I do not want to read them but I would like judicial notice to be taken to them.
General, I think that in order to make a clear presentation of your attitude towards the Greek problem, you should refer quite briefly to the motives for your basic attitude with regard to your tasks in Greece. From your description of the assistance for the Greek population, whether it was through the International Red Cross or whether it was direct, and from your answers to my questions I take it that you did not limit yourself to fulfilling your purely military duties but you tried in addition to help the Greek population and this repeatedly in opposition to the ideas of the tactical leadership. This is a certain contradiction which I would like you to clear up.
A. It is a matter of course that the tactical leadership makes it factual justified and necessary rights because, after all, that is its job to wage war; but my task, as I saw it, was as I have already stated to play a sort of intermediate role between the military necessities on the one hand and the needs of the decent population of Greece on the other hand.
Q. What were the most important reasons for this attitude?
A. My attitude towards my task can perhaps only be understood at all from the intellectual background which determined my personal attitude towards Greece. Through my education and my training, and through the experience which I had gained through life, I became more and more a conscious humanist, a humanist in the sense as Goethe expressed it, and at the same time I was pro-Greek in the sense of the German classics and in the sense of Lord Byron.
Spirit, culture, art, history, philosophy and religion of the ancient Greeks filled my life much more strongly than as if I had only obtained the knowledge from books.
Hellas had become for me a living reality and the experiences which I had in Greece were like revelation to me. I tried to live up to the words of Goethe: Everyone can be a Greek in his own way, but he should be one.
Q. General, that was your personal attitude. How then, could these ideals of yours -- I think I might call them that -- be brought into line with the harsh necessities of war?
A. The harsh necessities of one war could only be mitigated by such an attitude. Because the aim should not be to alienate further to aggravate the contrasts, but to adjust them.
Q. Well what help was it if you were alone, if only you had this attitude, and the others who were also in Greece were of a different attitude?
A. I regarded it as my quite decisive task to educate the German soldiers intellectually and to bring them nearer to the Greek spirit; and in this way, or should I say by this detour, to bring them to understand the population there.
Q. Can you quote a few examples as to which spheres your efforts were directed?
A. One of my most important tasks as territorial commander was the so-called intellectual welfare of the troops. I thought about this task myself and interpreted it rather differently from the way in which it was interpreted in Berlin; and if I tell you that I tried to educate the German soldier to my attitude, then I can give you a few brief examples of this. For instance, I got scientists to draw up short pamphlets about the Greek culture and to set it down in a very understandable way, and I distributed this to all the soldiers who came to Greece in order to awake understanding. Further, I made available to every German soldier pamphlets in which I told them why they should admire these art treasures and why and how they should protect them and that they were sacred. Further, I got a group of scientists to write a popular paper on Greece for the German troops.
I myself participated in this work. Unfortunately, this was not finished and could not be distributed to the soldiers. I also organized scientific visits of all kinds in order to bring the history of the country nearer to the soldiers. Finally, I organized scientific lectures every week about historical art and historical problems, etc., and I even led the discussions myself on these lecture evenings in order to stimulate interest. And finally, I regarded it as a very important task to help protect the art treasures and to prevent them from being taken away or to prevent them from being damaged, first of all, by explanation and also by practical protection. For instance, once I was able to prevent a Dionysus statue being taken away to Germany, on an alleged Fuhrer order, etc. Those are just a few examples.
Q. Here, your Honor, I would like to offer Speidel Document No. 57 contained in Speidel Document Book No. III, page 80, and this Document No. 57 receives Exhibit No. 47. It is an affidavit by Professor Doctor de Wolff Metternich who is now Land Curator of the North Rhine Province. During the war he was Commissioner for the Protection of Art Treasures with the Army High Command, and in this capacity he had repeated opportunity to observe the correct attitude of General Speidel in all questions relating to art treasures.
The affiant then states how General Speidel aided in every possible way the tasks connected with art preservation, and mention might also be made, amongst other things, of his strict orders forbidding the use of museums and monasteries for military purposes. The affidavit is duly signed and certified.
Q Now, General, apart from the matters which we have just discussed, did you create other installations in order to inspire understanding of Greek culture and also in order to continue the intellectual education of the German soldier in this direction? Can you tell us what installations you created on these lines?
A I did not limit myself only to the direct method with regard an understanding of art which I have just indicated, but I tried always to influence the German soldier as far as I could towards becoming a more intellectually minded man than was possible in the German Reich.
For instance, in Athens, I organized the so-called German Culture Weeks, and here there were offerings of the highest quality in the sphere of music, literature, and art; and at the opening of this art week in Athens, which was also open to the Greeks, I held the opening speech in one of the largest halls in Athens about, on the subject of, "Intellect and the Soldier."
Further, I organized the so-called University Week. I brought a large number of university professors from Germany to Greece, and assembled all the graduates amongst the German soldiers and these scientific conferences were also introduced by me in a speech which I held in the main hall of the Athens University, on the subject of "The importance of the Hellenic Spirit for the German Scientist."
Finally, for the German soldiers as well as for the Greek population, I organized symphony concerts and I worked on the programs exclusively myself. I am also, by the way, something of a musician.
In addition, I also had a very strong influence on the methods of the culture propaganda, the welfare of the soldiers the theater, and always with the same purpose, to raise the intellectual level and in this way to create the readiness to understand Greece.
Q General, in answering my question before last you talked about wanting to have the art monuments of Greece protect as shrines. I don't think the translation came through correctly at the time.
I think you used this term, "shrines"?
A Yes, I did.
Q General, you talked about your participation in a scientific paper about Greece.
A Yes.
Q Did you also have any other literary activities in addition to that?
A Yes, as far as I had enough time and enough strength in Athens, I wrote something. Two things I can mention first, an art "historical comparison, "The Cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean Area and Their Influence on the Origin of Greek Culture, especially the Minoistic the Mykenian and Jonic Culture." That was the first one, and the other one was instigated in Athens itself by the genius of Loci. In the year 51, the Archbishop Paul, the Apostle Paul in Athens had his first argument with the Hellenic philosophy, the Epikur, and the Stov wrote the following work about this: the "Historic Figure of the Apostle Paul, as Synthesis of old Testament Jewry, Hellenic Philosophy and Christian Faith."
Q General, one question in conclusion with regard to this subject before last: if I observe in conclusion this intellectual activity of yours, it seems to be mainly an effect of your personal attitude, did not seem to be in direct connection with your task in Greece. Isn't that correct?
A Oh, yes, it did. It had a very decisive connection with my task. The pre-condition was, first of all, my personal attitude towards the world of Greek culture. The basic principle was the world in which I lived, in which we all lived, and, finally, the aim was the education of the German soldier the spirit and the culture of ancient Greece and in this way the creation of a bridge towards understanding of modern Greece.
DR. WEISSGERBER: Your Honors, the attitude of my client is illustrated and proved by a few affidavits. The first one is an affidavit by Hermann Boedecker in Speidel Document Book No. II, Speidel Document No. 22 and Speidel Exhibit No. 12. I would ask judicial notice to be taken of the paragraphs under I on page 27, and IV on pages 32 and 33.
In addition, I would like to state that on page 32 in the German text one line has not been included. I don't know whether it is included in the English text or not. I can't say at the moment. I would like to have them compared. That is on page 32, at the beginning of the bottom half.
There is mention of the 20th of July 1944 and then it goes on "by the latest prior to the collapse in May 1945 he had lost his life in a concentration camp" and then in the German text it goes on "myself had been denounced" and before that the following words are left out and I quote the words which have been left out: "lost his life. I had all the more cause for this assumption as I myself had been denounced."
And then I offer the next document, Speidel Document Book No. XXIII, Speidel Document No. 2, page 35. This is an affidavit by Dr. Ernst Kirsten which I offer as Speidel Exhibit No. 48 -
I am very sorry, your Honors; this document has already received Exhibit No. 25. -
I will not read this affidavit in detail either. I ask that judicial notice be taken of it.
The affiant is a lecturer at Goettingen University. Dr. Kirsten was in close association with my client from October 1942 until the end of May 1944. The affiant describes in detail how General Speidel took into account the needs of the Greek population; and how he had protected the feeling of honor of the Greek population and made the proposal that the German flag which was flying over the Acropolis as a symbol of foreign domination should be hauled down, even though this proposal did not meet with any success.
Then he continues with the attitude of my client towards National Socialism; and on page 38 he states that General Speidel eliminated any influence of the National Socialist Political Directing officer on his staff. The National Socialist Political Directing officer was an institution in the German Wehrmacht from Spring 1944, in order to fill the German Wehrmacht with National Socialist ideas and, as the affiant states here, General Speidel completely eliminated any influence on the part of this officer in his staff.
THE PRESIDENT: Dr. Weissgerber, before we take our afternoon recess I want to call your attention to the fact that you have previously referred to some documents in Document Book Iv, Speidel Iv, which have not been read into the record or which you have later called to the attention of the Tribunal. Perhaps, you might want to check on that during this recess period. We will take our afternoon recess at this time.
THE MARSHAL: The court will be in recess until fifteen-fifteen.
(A recess was taken)
THE MARSHAL: Persons in the Courtroom will please find their seats.
The Tribunal is again in session.
THE PRESIDENT: I wish to make this following statement--that during the recess I have advised Mr. Fenstermacher and Dr. Laternser, as the representative of the defense counsel, that the Tribunal will adjourn for the Christmas recess at the close of the afternoon session of December 23rd. The defense counsel who maybe absent should be advised of this fact.
I have also advised Dr. Laternser, as the representative of the defense counsel, as to the time and preparation of the closing arguments and as to the time of presentation. I am making this statement into the record at this time so that defense counsel may gain this information from Dr. Laternser. This is December 15th, and, with this notice, there should be no excuse on the part of defense counsel as to their not having been given sufficient notice as to the matter of the preparation of any final arguments that they care to present.
You may proceed with your further questioning, Dr. Weissgerber.
DIRECT-EXAMINATION (Continued) By DR. WEISSGERBER:May I say something about the remark made by the Presiding Judge just before the recess?
I believe that Your Honors have referred to the two documents contained in Volume IV, which I have offered sometime previously in a different context, at a time when the English translation of Document Book IV was not ready yet.
I would like to read briefly those two affidavits. One is Speidel Document No. 73, contained in Speidel Document Book IV, on Page 40, which has been offered as Exhibit No. 28. It is an affidavit by Anton Heiligbrunner, who, between November 1942 and June 1944 served as an ADC with the Department Ia of the Military Commander. I do not wish to read the whole document. I believe I can be brief here, and I merely point to Paragraph 2 of the affidavit, contained on Page 41. The affiant says that among the officers (he means the officers on the staff of the Mili tary Commander), "It was an open secret among the officers that the powers of the Commander were becoming increasingly curtailed."
In Paragraph 3 the affiant draws attention to the fact that "in economic matters the Military Commander played a very subordinate role because the former Plenipotentiary of the Reich, Neubacher, was alone competent for the entire Greek area." In Paragraph 4 the affiant refers to reports such as reached the Military Commander Greece and which he forwarded. In Paragraph 5 we find a reference to relationships between the Military Commander Greece and the Higher SS and Police Leader for Greece. "I can say from my own observation that the latter always strove to create complete independence for himself. In police and sabotage matters and in the fight against the bands the Higher SS and Police Leader was not subordinate in any way to the Military Commander Greece." Paragraph 7 I read once before. In Paragraph 8 the affiant says that he remembers that "General Speidel concerned himself only slightly about official matters after the arrival of General Scheuerlen and that he left Athens about 8 days after the arrival of General Scheuerlen to go back to Germany. General Speidel did not return to Athens subsequently."
The passages which I have not read in this affidavit I would like to recommend to the judicial notice of the Tribunal.
The other affidavit offered in a different context previously is Speidel Document No. 71, which may be found on Page 31 in Speidel Document Book IV. This was offered as Exhibit No. 29. It is an affidavit by Dr. Carl Muehlmann, Senior Government Councillor, Retired. In December 1943 Dr. Muehlmann joined the staff of the Military Commander as a Major, and he was in charge of the Ia affairs and also acted as a deputy for the Chief of Staff during the latter's leave. The affiant describes in detail General Speidel such as he got to know him, and the work he did after an air-raid on Piraeus. He also makes a brief statement concerning reports by the Military Commander. And he produces other points of view. The last but one paragraph on Page 32 I should like to recommend to the special attention of the Tribunal, and I quote:
"I cannot remember an individual case either in which Speidel ordered reprisals." The affiant also says that General Speidel was not connected with the recruiting of labor and "the Higher SS and Police Leader was a State within the State." I would appreciate it if the Tribunal would take judicial notice of the whole of this document. Finally I should like to read from Speidel Exhibit No. 32, which is an affidavit by Robert Geiger, which may be found on Pages 1 and the following of Speidel Document Book IV. The affiant testifies as to events which became known to him in connection with the proceedings against Zaitis, and this is followed by a copy of the sentence passed by the military court of the Military Commander Greece of 18 February 1944. I withdraw that. The date should be 23rd of June 1943. This is an acquittal signed by General Speidel on 30th of June 1943, by way of confirmation after the Defendant Zaitis had been sentenced to two years in prison in the previous hearings. These are the three documents which have been offered once before from Document Book IV in a different context. If the Tribunal please, may I ask whether those were the documents to which Your Honors referred before the recess?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
DR. WEISSGERBER: Thank you, Your Honor.
I shall now continue reading those documents which are connected with General Speidel's attitude towards Greek culture and the Greek people.
The next document in this connection may be found in Speidel Document Book II, on Page 39. This is Speidel Document No. 24, offered as Exhibit No. 48. It is an affidavit by Dr. Hermann Josef Nachtwey, former head of an administrative school, and he gave this affidavit on the 5th of October 1945. The affiant was, between November 1943 and July 1944, with the Armed Forces Welfare Department of the 19th anti-Aircraft Division in Athens. He was not on General Speidel's staff. He came to know General Speidel in Athens, and he met him frequently. I shall not read all the details of this affidavit. I should like to point out various significant passages in this affidavit.
For instance, on Page 40, the second paragraph: "In my eyes, General Speidel was a 100% opponent of the National Socialist regime, which was proved from numerous remarks to me, and from his whole attitude." In the third paragraph on that page the affiant says that the fact that he, General Speidel, "was forced to deal with this country, which he loved so dearly, as a militarist, grieved him very much, and he suffered even more, because many other military and political authorities interfered with the conditions of the country, by giving orders without consulting him, and by starting actions on their own bat." The next sentence also, "Speidel obstructed the plans and operations of the SS Police in Greece, but he lacked the authority to succeed on all occasions."
The affiant then describes how General Speidel, "in the course of the summer 1944, General Speidel fell in disgrace," and his authority was increasingly reduced. As for the remainder of the document I should like to draw the Court's attention to it.
The next document is Speidel Document No. 25, on Page 42 in Document Book II. This is offered as Exhibit No. 49. It is an affidavit by University Professor Dr. Wilhelm Weber. He had been, for many years, a lecturer for ancient history at Berlin University. This affiant came to know General Speidel for that period of time. I shall not read the details of this document here.
The next document is Speidel Document No. 26, on Page 46, which is offered as Exhibit No. 50. This is another affidavit by the same Professor, Dr. Wilhelm Weber. From this document I would like to read Paragraph 2, on Page 47, and I quote: "As a member of the central administration of the Archeological Reich Institute in Berlin I witnessed at the annual meeting 1944 under the agenda point 'nomination of new members,' how the proposal to admit the General Wilhelm Speidel as a new member was dealt with. I am in a position to testify that this proposal was unanimously adopted, by all the members, in view of the extensively expounded and unambiguously recognized merits of the General for archeological research, as expressed in the lectures mentioned, in authoritative work for the protection of art and the activity of the Institute.