GOERING'S 1939 THREAT TO POLES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21978, 23 March 1946, Page 5

GOERING'S 1939 THREAT TO POLES

TALKS IN BERLIN BRITISH_ENVOYS PEACE EFFORT DENIED CRITICAL AUGUST DAYS (9 a.m.) NUREMBERG, Mar. 22 Hermann Goering, former Chief of the Luftwaffe, told the former British Ambassador in Berlin, Sir Nevile Henderson, on August 31, 1939, that if the Poles did not give in Germany would crush them like lice and if Britain should declare war he would regret it greatly. Sir George Ogilvie-Forbes, former Counsellor at the British Embassy in Berlin, said this is his answer to a questionnaire from Goering’s counsel.

Sir George Ogilvie-Forbes gave an account of the interview wnicb he and Sir Nevile Henderson had with Goering on August 31, 1939. Sir George Ogilvie-Forbes said he listened closely at the interview. It had impressed iUelf in his memory.

Goering’s counsel’s questions arid Sir George Ogilvie-Forbes’ answers are as follows: —

Question: It is known to you that Goering attempted in August,_ 1939, by all means in his power, to bring about an understanding with Britain for a peaceable solution of the Polish question? Answer: No. No Constructive Proposals

Question: Did Goering propose direct negotiations between Germany and Britain on the Polish question with Britain, representing Polish interests?

Answer: I do not remember any constructive proposals whatever. The atmosphere was negative and desperate, although friendly. Questioned about the visits to London by the Swedish industrialist, M. Birger Dahlerus. Sir George OgilvieForbes said he knew about the visits which were made only to keep Britain out of the war.

Goering caused a surprise to-day when he told the War Crimes Tribunal that he did not believe in the master race theory.

"I recognise there are differences in races, but I have never agreed with the theory that if one race might be superior to another it should be described as a master race,” he said. Lord Justice Lawrence, president of the tribunal, several times checked Goering for attempting to make speeches and also told Goering’s counsel. Dr. Stahmer, not to ask questions which invited speeches.

The American chief prosecutor, Mr. R. H. Jackson, while Goering was praising Hitler, interrupted with a warning that the trial was liable to drag on into August. Shooting of British Airmen

The British prosecutor, Sir Maxwell Fyfe, returned to the question of the shooting of the British airmen at Stalagluft 111 in March and April, 1944. Hermann Goering said Keitel’s prisoners of war chief, General Westhof, was wrong when he stated that Keitel had said Goering had reproached him in .the presence of Himmler for letting more prisoners of war escape. Sir Maxwell Fyfe: You still say you had not heard of the shooting? Goering said he had to rely on memory for events which had occurred many months ago and asked the court to make allowance for this.

Fie gave a long answer when Sir Maxwell Fyfe asked: “Are you telling the tribunal you did not know your own officers were selecting which men were to be shot?

Goering said there was no selection. The. shootings were bv virtue of the Fuhrer’s decree. He knew of no list

selecting .the men to be shot as leaders of the escape attempts. When Sir Maxwell Fyfe described the German Note to Britain on the shootings as a complete and utter lie, Goering said: 'T myself considered it the worst matter of the whole war and expressed myself on the point.” Confronted with affidavits showing that even his subordinate officers of the Air Ministry were informed of what Sir Maxwell Fyfe called this series of foul murders. Goering maintained that he had not been told of the matter until too late. Goering heatedly denied the statements of his subordinates that he was present at the meetings which received Hitler’s decree that fugitive airmen should be turned over to the police and shot “to set examples to check these escapes.” He claimed that the order went to the police, not to the Luftwaffe. Therefore he could not have intervened. Concentration Camps

Goering added: “I was upset about this incident, as a result of which I ordered my general quartermaster to write to the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht that I did not want to run this war prisoner camp (Stalagluft III) any longer. I tried to intervene to prevent Himmler carrying out the executions and dissuade the Fuhrer from his decree.”

Sir Maxwell Fyfe then raised the question of concentration camps and asked Goering if he was still telling the tribunal that he did not know what was going on there. Goering: “That’s true. These things were kept a secret from me. Even the Fuhrer knew only approximately what was going on.” Sir Maxwell: You mean to say that the district leaders knew what you. as second man in the Reich, didn’t know? Didn’t your friend Himmler inform you? Goering: These things were kept from me and I object to your referring to Himmler as my friend. Sir Maxwell: Hadn't you access to the foreign press or English broadcasts? There is evidence that, taking Jews together with other people, something like 10,000,000 people were done to death in cold blood. Do you say you never heard of these things going on? Goering: The figure of 10,000,000 is not established as far as I am concerned. During the entire period of the war I did not read the foreign press, since I considered it contained nothing but propaganda. Although I was entitled to listen to foreign broadcasts I never did, because I did not want to listen to their propaganda. Only during the last four days of the war did I listen to foreign radio stations. Keeping Pledge With Hitler When Sir Maxwell Fyfe reverted to the shooting of the airmen, Goering said: “I never contradicted the Fuhrer so strongly or sharply as I did in that matter. I told him my views and, because of that, the Fuhrer and I did not speak to each other for months.” Sir Maxwell asked if he still believed in the Fuhrer after he heard of the killings. Goering: I am not here to deify or glorify Hitler. lam here to say I have kept my pledge to him even now, because I believe in keeping the oath of loyalty not only in good times but also in bad.

Sir Maxwell quoted the record of the meeting attended by Goering at which Ribbentrop said the Jews must be exterminated or taken to concentration camps. “Do you still say Hitler did not know the Jews were being exterminated?” he asked.

Goering: As far as Hitler is concerned, I cannot believe it. I knew of the migration of Jews, but did not know they were being liquidated. I only knew of certain cases where such measures were taken.

The Russian prosecutor, M. Rudenko, followed Sir Maxwell Fyfe in cross-examining Goering. who admitted that a plan to incorporate the Crimea and the Baltic States into the Reich was discussed at a meeting at the Fuhrer’s headquarters three weeks after the attack against Russia. He added: “But as we had not won the war, I confined myself to practical problems. The old hunter does not value the skin until the bear is shot.”