Testimony of DR. HERIBERT VON STREMPEL, at Oberursel, Germany, 14, 15 and 16 February 1946, by Captain Sam Harris, OUSCC. Also present: Dr. Jan Char-matz and Miss Joan Wakefield, Reporter.
14 February 1946
QUESTIONS BY CAPTAIN SAM HARRIS TO DR. VON STREMPEL:
Q. Dr. Strempel, I wish you to understand that you are under no compulsion to testify. The statements you make are made of your own free will. I make no promise of reward to you nor do I threaten you in any way. I shall ask you a number of questions which I believe fall within your peculiar knowledge. The only requirement that I impose is that such questions as you choose to answer, you answer truthfully and to the point. Do you understand all of this ?
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A. I do.
Q. Please outline briefly your activity from the date you entered the foreign service in Germany until you came to the United States in 1938.
A. I entered the diplomatic service in 1923 as a technical assistant in the Foreign Office. I passed my diplomatic examinations in 1926 and became Attache in Paris. From 1928-34 I was in Chile. I was Second Secretary there from 1928-32, and in 1932 I was elevated to Charge d'Affaires.
In 1934 I was recalled to Berlin because I was not a Party member. I should like to point out that I have never been a member of the Nazi Party, and for that reason I was not looked upon with favor by the Nazis. In 1934 there was an opening in the Embassy in Washington for Second Secretary, but the Nazi Party did not approve this assignment—apparently because they didn't trust me. Instead, I was assigned to the Press and Political Departments of the Foreign Office in Berlin. In the Press Department, I was in charge of Spanish, Portuguese, English, American, and Western European press; and In the Political Department, I was in charge of South American political affairs.
Q. What were your precise functions in those positions?
A. In the Press Department I had to read the press of the above-mentioned foreign countries and to report to Minister Aschmann about it. Furthermore, especially when I was in charge of the English and American press, I had to cultivate close relations with the correspondents stationed in Berlin. In the Political Department, I had to keep up with affairs in South America and to report to my superior, Geheimrat Freytag, about them.
Q. What did your superiors do with the information you passed on to them?
A. I merely reported to my chiefs in order to enlighten the understanding of the development of public opinion and political affairs.
Q. During the period you were in the Press Department, do you recall any references in the American press to the activities of Frits Kuhn and the German American Bund ?
A. Yes, but I took note of it only when it' looked particularly interesting, and then reported it to my chief.
Q. When did it strike you as particularly interesting?
A. When it appeared that his activities were straining good relations between Germany and America.
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Q. When was that?
A. The official policy of the Foreign Office was to avoid any political frictions with the U.S.A. On that point we always had great trouble with the Auslands Organization. We represented the point of view that the Auslands Organization should not have any organizations in the United States because they could be used and claimed for propaganda activities.
Q. Was the German-American Bund supported by the Auslands Organization ?
A. I am positive that it had relations with the foreign section of the Party. For example I am sure they advised the Bund how to draw up their political organization, how, where, and when to hold mass meetings and how to handle their propaganda and like matters. I do not know of my own knowledge if they received financial support.
Q. From whom did you hear this?
A. There was constant talk in the Foreign Office about it.
Q. Was it regarded as a matter of common knowledge in the Foreign Office that the German American Bund was supported by the foreign section of the Party?
A. Yes. I know that I heard often about it.
Q. In the Foreign Office or from persons in the foreign section of the Party?
A. No. Not from the foreign section of the Party. I was not on good terms with anyone in that office. They disliked me.
Q. Well, then it must have been in the Foreign Office that you heard about this matter?
A. Yes—certainly so.
Q. Do you recall any instances during the period you were in the Foreign Office in Berlin in which the activities of Kuhn were commented upon by German diplomatic representatives in the United States?
A. Yes. Ambassador Dieckoff was in Germany during the meeting of the Reichsparteitag in 1938, and said that all relations that may have existed between diplomatic and consular services in the United States with Kuhn should be severed.
Q. Your last answer indicates that there were, in fact, relations between Kuhn and the German diplomatic officials. What was the precise nature of these relations?
A. No. I'm sorry, Captain Harris, I didn't make myself clear. The relationship of Kuhn was only with the foreign section
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of the Party or their representatives, who were also members of the German Consular Service in the U.S.A.
Q. Then you know that to be a fact?
A. Yes.
Q. If there were no relations between Kuhn and any German diplomatic officials, why should Dieckoff have recommended a halt to such relations? It's silly to stop something that isn't going on, isn't it?
A. Let me explain it this way. German foreign policy was emerging on two parallel roads—the Foreign Office and the foreign section of the Party. As long as they remained parallel, the Foreign Office did not take special action. But where their policies started to cross, the Foreign Office considered it necessary to do something. Our policy was not to interfere with affairs in America which might have caused a breach of diplomatic relations. The activities of Mr. Kuhn and the foreign section of the Party were considered a burden on German-American relations, so Mr. Dieckoff recommended that they be stopped.
Q. What action was taken?
A. I remember an order was issued at the end of 1988 that it was prohibited for the members of the Embassy and the consulates to continue possible former relations or connections with the Bund. This was after Minister Thomsen had delivered a solemn pledge to the State Department to that effect.
Q. Again, doesn't your last reply indicate that members of the Embassy and consulates had actually been in contact with the Bund?
A. I was merely reciting the nature of the order. I don't know about any relations between the diplomatic officials and the Bund. I do know for a fact that the Embassy did not have any relations with the Bund after my arrival in Washington. Mr. Thomsen and I were much opposed to any dealing with the Bund.
Q. Did the foreign section of the Party continue to support the Bund after the order you mentioned before was issued?
A. I am sure that Mr. Draeger, Consul in New York City, and representative of the foreign section of the Party, did continue to have relations with Bund officials. '
Q. What's the basis of that belief?
A. Out of their general attitude and their ways and methods to cultivate contacts abroad. I am convinced that they had
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contacts with the German-American Bund and probably with the noisy representatives of the isolationist groups.
Q. These relationships seem to have violated the order you mentioned before. Did you report these violations to the Foreign Office?
A. Yes, several times. In reports I drafted for Thomsen when I was in the Embassy, we drew the attention of Berlin that this relationship to the Bund was very detrimental.
Q. In order to make the record clear—you are now speaking of the time you were 1st Secretary in the German Embassy in Washington, after Thomsen had issued the order you previously recited?
A. Yes.
Q. Please give us the substance of these reports to Berlin, as well as you can recall them.
A. Well, we stated that the continued support of the Bund by the Foreign Section of the Party was harming diplomatic relations with the United States.
Q. I don't want there to be any ambiguity in the record on this point. When you reported that this support of the Bund was harmful to good relations, you must have known that such support was, in fact, being given. Now, my question is: What was the source of your information ?
A. I don't .recall that I was told about it by anyone specifically. That was my impression. I had the impression that Draeger continued to support the Bund against orders. I made a number of trips to New York, and that was the impression I formed after talks to Draeger, German newspaper men, especially Schaeffer and other acquaintances.
Q. Did Mr. Thomsen share your impression?
A. He must have. He signed the reports I prepared and took responsibility for them.
Q. You mentioned before that you also believed that the Foreign Section of the Nazi Party was in contact with various vociferous isolationists. Do you recall the names of any such persons?
A. No.
Q. What action was taken in Berlin to halt the activities of which you complained?
A. I know of no action.
Q. And despite your continued reports to Berlin that the activities of the Foreign Section of the Nazi Party in the United States were harmful to good relations, no action was taken? A. No action was taken, to my knowledge.
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Q. I should like, if I may, to revert briefly to your activities in the Foreign Office in Berlin during 1934-38. Apart from the Bund, did you notice any organizations or persons in the United States that threatened good relations between Germany and the United States.
A. No. I can't recall any.
Q. When did you go to the German Embassy in the United States ?
A. On Christmas Eve, 1938.
Q. You went as 1st Secretary, didn't you?
A. Yes. .
Q. This represented a promotion didn't it?
A. Yes, but it had been delayed since 1932. They couldn't hold
. it off any longer.
Q. That's a matter of opinion. I was of the impression that the Nazis never did anything they didn't want to do. What instructions did you receive from the Foreign Office prior to the assumption of your new duties?
A. Nothing in particular. I saw Dieckoff, who said that it was possible to go to the United States even though it was a period of extreme tension.
Q. But didn't you receive any instructions from your superiors in the Foreign Office concerning your actions in the United States ?
A. I was merely instructed to report to Mr. Thomsen at the Embassy in Washington. .
Q. What functions did Thomsen assign to you?
A. He put me in charge of cultural relations.
Q. What did that,involve?
A. German universities would invite American professors to come over for visits, and it was my task to pass on the invitation. Political tension was already strong and little room left for cultivating cultural relations.
Q. That doesn't sound like a full time job. Did you ever hear of the German-American Fellowship Forum?
A. Yes.
Q. What was your relation to that organization?
A. None. ,
D. Did you supply any fund to that organization?
A. No.
Q. Did the Embassy supply any?
A. While I was in charge—no.
Q. Before that?
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A. Yes, I think it was financed by a representative of the Propaganda Ministry, Gienanth.
Q. Was v. Gienanth attached to the Embassy?
A. Yes. He was the representative of the Propaganda Ministry at the Embassy.
Q. He was also a member of the SS, wasn't he?
A. Yes. I believe he was also a member of the Security Police, but I'm not absolutely sure.
Q. Did v. Gienanth have special funds available to him for propaganda purposes?
A. I believe so.
Q. As you know, Fritz Auhagen was head of the German American Fellowship Forum. Did you give him funds at any time?
A. No. Auhagen came from the Propaganda Ministry and his behavior in the United States was stupid. He was not to be trusted with a political mission. He was a very unreliable man.
Q. Did Gienanth give any money to Auhagen?
A. I believe so.
Q. Don't you know for certain? You were Gienanth's superior, weren't you?
A. Actually no. Gienanth was working for the Propaganda Ministry and I suspected him to be a member of the S D. I didn't want to have anything to do with him that might have antagonized him. He acted quite independent of me.
Q. Do you or do you not know that Gienanth gave money to Auhagen?
A. I am quite certain that he did, or Draeger. Auhagen was sent out by the Propaganda Ministry in Berlin to deliver propaganda speeches.
Q. Have you ever heard of a person named Laura Ingalls?
A. Yes.
Q. In what connection?
A. Gienanth pestered me to see her. He had a special liking for her. Thought she would be a good propagandist.
Q. Did you give her any funds for propaganda or any other purpose?
A. No.
Q. Did Gienanth?
A. I don't know.
Q. Well, there's little point in discussing this matter. She admitted over 2 years ago that she received some money from
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von Gienanth for delivering lectures throughout the United States.
A. I didn't know that.
Q. Did you have any funds at your disposal for propaganda purposes ? ,
A. In July or August 1939, Blankenhorn left the Embassy—he was in charge of the political and press departments—and I was his successor.
Q. Did the Embassy have a political or press fund?
A. Yes, a press fund.
Q. How much was in the fund when you took it over?
A. I don't remember the exact amount.
Q. Approximately how much?
A. I don't recall. But I think in October 1939, we received for the "Kriegskostensonderfonds" [War Funds] $50,000 a year.
Q. What were these funds used for ?
A. Mainly to finance the propaganda of the German Library of Information and Flanders Hall.
(Off the record discussion)
Q. I want you to describe briefly the origin, nature, functions, sponsors, and chief employees of the German Library of Information.
A. Yes. The German Library of Information was in 1937 founded by von Gienanth as representative of the Propaganda Ministry on order from Berlin. I was not in the United States at that time. After his trip to Germany in 1938/1939, Mr. Viereck was engaged as public relations counsellor of the Library.
Q. Is this George Sylvester Viereck?
A. Yes, the well known author.
Q. What was Viereck's salary as public relations counsellor?
A. At the beginning $500. Later more.
Q. Did the German Library of Information remain under the control of the Propaganda Ministry?
A. No. It was somewhat confused. From 1939 on, the Library was controlled and financed by both the Ministry of Propaganda and the Department of Information in the Foreign Office. You see, in 1939, Hitler issued an order that from that time on, foreign propaganda would be handled by the Foreign Office.
Q. That would seem to indicate that the Foreign Office superseded the Propaganda Ministry in the Library of Information?
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A. Well, not completely. The Library was under the control of Dr. Hans Borchers, Consul General of New York, and under the immediate direction of Professor Mathias Schmitz. Both of these people were part of the Foreign Office. Actually, Schmitz was paid a salary by both the Foreign Office and the Propaganda Ministry, but accepted only the salary from the Foreign Office.
Q. Where did the Propaganda Ministry come in?
A. Gienanth had chosen Schmitz in 1940, and had also appointed many of the lesser employees. Naturally, as a representative of the Propaganda Ministry, he selected only such people as were agreeable to it.
Q. Did the Propaganda Ministry issue instructions to the German Library of Information?
A. I believe so.
Q. Have you ever seen any such instructions?
A. Yes, they related to expanding their activities and issue more books.
Q. What was your relation to the German Library of Information?
A. Maybe I can best explain it by an example. The Foreign Office would request us to edit the American edition of some books, and then we asked the Library of Information how much it would cost to do that. The Library of Information would tell us, and then we would cable back to Berlin for approval of the amount. After approval, I would pay over the money to the Library of Information to bring out the book.
Q. The Library of Information also published a magazine entitled "Facts in Review" didn't it? '
A. Yes.
Q. What kind of a magazine was it?
A. Its propagandistic aim was to criticize British policy and to counteract British propaganda.
Q. How often did it come out?
A. Since 1940, regularly ever week.
Q. That is, until the outbreak of the war against the United States ?
A. Yes.
Q
A
. How large was its circulation?
. About 40,000 copies were issued every week, which were read by approximately 200,000 Americans every week, I believe.
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Q. Did you exercise any supervision over the view"?
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'Facts in Re-A. I had a kind of political supervision over it.
Q. How much money did you advance to the German Library of Information?
A. As far as I can estimate, the Library received about $600,000 from the Embassy from 1939-1941.
Q. That's considerably more than you had in your "Kriegskostensonderfonds", isn't it?
A. Yes. It worked this way, Captain Harris. When we received an order from Berlin to pay the Library of Information from the Kriegskostensonderfonds a certain amount more than was available in that fund, the amount was especially authorized.
Q. How did you get these extra funds?
A. The Embassy had at its disposal very large sums of dollars which came to it from dollar legacies for German heirs.
Q. Do you mean that when a person residing in Germany inherited money from a relative or someone else in the United States, the Embassy would collect the dollar amounts and put it in the Kriegskostensonderfonds?
A. Yes, thats it. The heirs in Germany would receive the equivalent in German marks from the Reichsbank.
Q. Then, if I understand it, the Kriegskostensonderfonds consisted of sums greatly in excess of the $50,000 a year mentioned earlier?
A. Yes. I'm sorry I didn't make that clearer before. The $50,000 a year was merely the press fund, which also came out of the larger "Kriegskostensonderfonds".
Q. It's my fault; I didn't completely understand your previous answer. What was the total amount in the "Kriegskostensonderfonds"?
A. I don't know, but it was very large.
Q. Did the Consulates have separate "Kriegskostensonderfonds" of their own, apart from the one in the Embassy?
A. Yes, but I never knew the amounts in them. The consular officials didn't discuss that matter with me. They tried to minimize the funds at their disposal, because they came to the Embassy for funds from time to time.
Q. But you know for a fact that they did have "Kriegskostensonderfonds" of their own?
A. Yes.
Q. It is now after 1730 which is your dinner time. We shall resume late tomorrow afternoon, if that is agreeable to you. A. Yes, sir.
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15 February 1946
Continuation of interrogation of Dr. von Strempel by Capt. Sam Harris.
Reporter: Miss Joan Wakefield.
Present: Mr. Robert M. W. Kempner of OUSCC.
Dr. Strempel: May I make a preliminary statement ?
Capt. Harris: Yes, certainly.
Dr. Strempel: When I was in the United States, especially in 1940-41, I observed two political trends: First, the wish to crush Germany entirely with the help of American troops and to occupy Germany, because that was the only way too to abolish the Nazi regime. Second, the other political trend was the policy, short of war, called the Arsenal of Democracy, to deliver war materials to England and Russia.
This second tendency of American foreign policy was that the Nazis and the Soviets should, through a war of many years, exhaust each other. After a certain time naturally the German people would want to get rid of Hitler, e.g. 20 July 1944. The United States, under the second policy would have stepped in as a decisive international factor, without entering the war in a military sense. This policy would have had the following advantage at the end of the war. You would see in the international field a very exhausted Soviet Russia, an exhausted Germany, a feeble England and a very powerful United States. And it would have saved the United States many soldiers that were used in the European Theater. The policy of myself was to avoid the first type of policy, because I thought as a German it would save my country from total defeat. Certainly many more would be killed when the United States would join the war, so I thought it was the smaller evil and it would weaken the Bolshevistic ideology too. So I think it would have been of benefit to my own country and to the benefit of the United States too.
Q. If I understand you correctly, you favored what you called the "second policy", which involved keeping the United States out of war while it was delivering war materials to England and Russia. Did you favor that aspect of the policy which involved sending materials to England and Russia?
A. I was not in a position to be much concerned with that point. It was up to the U-boats to take care of any materials that were sent to England and Russia.
Q. Am I right in assuming, therefore, that your aim was identical with that of the Nazi Government in Berlin— in other
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words, to keep the United States out of the war-—but your reasons were different?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you actually believe in 1940-41 that the war would develop into a stalemate? Hitler was having one overwhelming success after another on the Battlefield at that time.
A. Yes, and especially after the war started with Russia I was convinced there would be a long drawn out war, in which the German people would want to get rid of Hitler.
Q. Did you think that Hitler intended to wage war on the United States?
A. No. For instance the reports in which we drew the attention of Berlin to avoid incidents and provocations were not rebuffed. We advised against submarines coming too close to American waters, and we had the impression that competent quarters in Berlin agreed with us.
Q. There are certain documents in our possession in Nürnberg —in fact, they have already been introduced in evidence— which show that Hitler did, in fact, intend to Wage war upon the United States. Weren't you advised of that fact?
A. No—definitely not. Let me point out that the policy of the Embassy as well as of the Foreign Office was to avoid anything that might harm the political relations between Berlin and Washington. As it was, to my great dismay, relations were deteriorating rapidly; the diplomatic thread was becoming thinner and thinner.
Q. I'd now like to return to the role which Viereck played in this studied program, which the Nazi government had worked out to keep the United States out of the war. You mentioned yesterday that Viereck was appointed public relations counsellor of the German Library of Information.
A. Yes.
Q. Did he also have any connection with the Flanders Hall enterprise which you mentioned yesterday?
A. Yes.
Q. Please explain to us the precise details of that connection.
A. I believe I have already mentioned that during his sojourn in Berlin in 1938/39, where Viereck was chosen for these anti-British propagandistic activities because he was considered an experienced American author who could manage efficiently and rather independently this anti-British propaganda without interfering in the internal affairs of the United States. .
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Q. Where did Flanders Hall fit into the picture?
A. Flanders Hall was run by two brothers named Hauck, under Viereck's direction. I don't know how the arrangements were worked out in details because I was too occupied with my main tasks to draft political reports and to cultivate the relations with the American forces.
Q. Exactly what did Flanders Hall do?
A. The manuscripts of certain books came from the Foreign Office in Berlin in the diplomatic pouch or otherwise, and then went to the German Library of Information. Viereck selected from those manuscripts those which he thought might criticize and unmask British propaganda and egoistic British foreign policy, and which could easily be sold in the United States.
Q. Then what happened?
A. Viereck would publish these books at Flanders Hall. If he thought a financial risk was involved, he would contact me, and say that the costs would amount to $5,000 or sometimes ' even to $10,000.
Q. What did you do?
A. I drafted a report for the Chief of Mission, which was cabled to Berlin and after having received approval, Viereck would receive the money. He always received lump sums of 5 or 10 thousand dollars.
Q. Do you recall the names of the books that you and the Foreign Office approved, and whose publication by Flanders Hall you directly financed?
A. I remember "Lothian versus Lothian", "English Policy in India", "English Policy in Ireland", "English Policy in Palestine", "Britain's 100 families" by the German author, G. Wirsing. The manuscripts of these books had come originally from Berlin, and were then published by Viereck after I had advanced funds to him.
Q. Did the publication of each of these books entail a loss ?
A. I don't know. I don't believe so. Books about Ireland sold easily. Lothian versus Lothian was a big success. The book on India sold well. Some didn't sell so well.
Q. If no loss was sustained in the publication of any book, did Viereck return the money you had given him?
A. No. He kept it.
Q. Did he also keep all profits on books he distributed through Flanders Hall?
A. Yes.
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Q. How much did you give to Viereck to carry out his propaganda activities?
A. Between 70 and 120,000 dollars during the period 1939 to
1941.
Q. There is a considerable spread between $70,000 and $120,000. Can't you be more exact?
A. No. I'm sorry. I always gave Viereck round sums of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. I never kept an exact accounting of these funds.
Q. Didn't the Foreign Office insist upon some sort of an accounting? My studies of the Reichsbank and Ministry of Economics files indicate that Germany was . rather short of foreign exchange, and that they sought to control it as much as possible.
A. Even after my return to Berlin 1942 I was never asked any questions by officials in Berlin about what had been done with the funds of the Kriegskostensonderfonds. Viereck had been chosen in Berlin as their propaganda representative, and I felt no need to account for any money given to him.
Q. Did the manuscripts of all books published by Flanders Hall originate in Germany?
A. No. It also distributed various books by American authors which criticized British propaganda and tried to keep the United States out of the war. I remember a book by Porter Sargent; a book by Peterson called "Propaganda for War"; the book "England expects Every American to do his duty". I believe that Flanders Hall also published one or two books by Congressman Stephan Day about British propaganda.
Q. Do you know anything about the negotiations which led to the publication of these books?
A. No.
Q. Did Viereck help write any of these books?
A. I don't know. He may have helped Congressman Day. I seem to remember Viereck's saying he had written down some highlights for Congressman Day.
Q. What was Viereck's connection with Porter Sargent?
A. Viereck told me that he financed the book of Porter Sargent.
Q. How?
A. I suppose that he bought for Flanders Hall a certain number of copies, so that thereby was rumored the financial risk for Mr. Sargent.
Q. Did Viereck ever mention the name of Senator Lundeen to you?
A. Yes. He told me that he was an old friend of his and that
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when the President of the German Red Cross came to the United States Viereck claimed to have arranged that Senator Lundeen pronounced the after-dinner welcome speech.
Q. Did Viereck ever mention that he had written some of Senator Lundeen's speeches?
A. Yes. He told me on a number of occasions that he had written down high lights to be used by Senator Lundeen in his speeches.
Q. Did Viereck state to you that he had written speeches for any other Senators or Congressmen, or contribute ideas for their speeches?
A. I am not sure. I don't remember all the details. Viereck tried to give me the impression that he had good relations with a number of senators and congressmen—Lundeen, Hamilton Fish, Senator Holt, and Stephen Day—and maybe more, but I do not remember all the names.
Q. To your knowledge, did Viereck ever advance any funds to any congressman or senator for any purpose?
A. No. I do not think Viereck would do that. He was too precaution.
Q. Did you?
A. Absolutely not.
Q. Did Viereck ever mention William Griffin to you?
A. Was he the editor or publisher of the New York Inquirer?
Q. Yes.
A. Several times he mentioned Griffin.
Q. In what connection?
A. Griffin several times took up advertising in his daily newspaper in which he dealt with the Flanders Hall publications to spread them. Griffin was much against England. I believe he had sued Churchill. He hated England.
Q. Do you mean Viereck inserted advertisements in the New York Inquirer?
A. Yes, but Viereck, or rather Flanders Hall under his direction, also advertised in the New York Times, New York Herald Tribune, Daily Mirror, and other papers.
Q. Did Viereck pay a larger sum for his advertisements in the New York Inquirer than in other papers?
A. Not a higher rate, but bigger advertisements. Viereck bought say half a page, and Griffin would not likely receive such a huge advertisement from another single person.
Q. Why did Viereck place such large advertisements with Griffin?
A. Griffin helped Viereck distribute his books. The other
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newspapers did not do that. Viereck and Griffin were working—how do you say it—hand in glove.
Q. What else besides advertise in the New York Inquirer did Viereck do for Griffin?
A. Besides these advertisements, I think it was in the New York Inquirer that Viereck organized a contest about foreign policy, and one of the requirements was that the contestants should have studied the books published by Flanders Hall.
Q. What was the prize?
A. Speculating—about $500. Maybe more.
Q. Who made these funds available?
A. Viereck. He turned over these funds to Griffin to be used in the contest.
Q. Who told you about this?
A. Viereck.
Q. In what other way, if any, did Viereck help out Griffin?
A. Griffin was Irish and had Irish friends; and so I think that many copies of the book about British Atrocities in Ireland were handed over to Griffin by Viereck, and he sold them to his Irish friends at meetings which he helped to organize.
Q. Were these books given to Griffin by Viereck free of charge?
A. I believe so.
Q. And Griffin thereafter sold them?
A. Yes.
Q. What happened to the proceeds of these sales?
A. My understanding was that they were kept by Griffin.
Q. Did Viereck give Griffin other Flanders Hall books in addition to the book concerning British Atrocities in Ireland?
A. I think so.
Q. Have you ever spoken to Griffin about these things?
A. No. My information came from Viereck.
Q. Do you know Laurence Dennis?
A. Yes.
Q. When did you first meet him?
A. I met Laurence Dennis in the period 1940/41 and I think I met him, as far as I remember, in one of the South American Legations which I visited frequently—either the Argentine, Chilian, or Cuban Embassy. I think the reason why Mr. Dennis was present is that he had been in the American diplomatic service and I think he served in one of those countries. We had conversations about his opinion on the political state of affairs.
Q. Was he publishing his Weekly Foreign Letter at that time?
A. If he already did so at that time or later, I do not know.
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But later I received the "Weekly Foreign Letter" in which he wrote about domestic and international politics as well as economic affairs.
Q. Did he send you this copy free of charge or did you subscribe ?
A. I do not remember.
Q. When was your next visit? .
A. I do not recall definitely. I think I have seen him several times, but not often.
Q. Did he ever indicate to you that he was in need of funds ?
A. If he mentioned it or if other people mentioned it to me that he needed funds, I do not remember.
Q. But you do recall that you were advised by someone that he was in need of funds?
A. Yes, I knew that he was not doing too well.
Q. Did you ever give him any funds?
A. No, not directly as far as I remember.
Q. Have you ever heard of his book "The Dynamics of War and Revolution" ?
A. Yes, I received a copy of this Dennis book and I glanced through it. It seemed like an interesting book.
Q. Did you know that 1,500 copies of this book were distributed free of charge to the colleges and universities throughout the United States?
A. I did not know that.
Q. Did you advance funds to him for that purpose?
A. No, I do not think so, because that book would not have fit in the line of books, that the Embassy sponsored.
Q. Did you ever discuss a scheme to publish European editions of Dennis' book?
A. As far as I remember, Dennis was approached with the plan that European editions of his book should be issued and it was thought that this was a practical way to give him indirect financial help and to publicize his personality.
Q. What is the source of your information?
A. Either through Dennis or another source, I had heard that Berlin had such a plan. Now, it could have been that it was mentioned in an instruction or communication.
Q. Who would know about that?
A. Dennis. Or there were quite a number of Nazi agencies that occupied themselves with propaganda in the United States.
Q. What were those Nazi agencies?
A. The German Railway Information Service, the German-American Chamber of Commerce, Westermann Book Store,
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and the V.D.A. They may sometime have suggested to Berlin—why don't you sponsor Dennis' book.
Q. We shall return to these agencies at a later time. At the moment I want to get a complete statement of the facts concerning Dennis. If I understand you correctly, you knew that there was a plan to publish European issues of Dennis' book, but you are not certain whether you heard it from Dennis, the Foreign Office, or a Nazi agency in the United States ?
A. That is right. I have a definite recollection that there was a plan to bring out European editions of his book, and that the plan was sponsored by Berlin. But I do not remember all the details.
Q. Were European editions of this book ever published?
A. I don't know, for sure, but I do not think so.
Q. Did Viereck discuss Dennis with you at any time?
A. Yes, several times.
Q. In what connection?
A. Berlin insisted that, America being a country of business affairs of great importance and their leaders being politically influential we should publish magazines which would deal with international economic problems. This order was passed on as usual to Viereck who started to organize such a magazine, either as a weekly or a fortnightly. As Dennis had had experience in this type of work because he had published the Weekly Foreign Letter or similar publications, it was considered that he should be the one who should organize or write for such a magazine. .
Q. What was the period that these plans were being laid?
A. In 1941.
Q. Who in Berlin issued these instructions?
A. Normally, propagandistic orders were signed by Mr. Martin Luther, Under Secretary of State, Foreign Office, in charge of the Department of Information.
Q. Did you ever speak to Dennis about this project?
A. Yes. .
Q. What was the substance of the conversation or conversations ?
A. Dennis' opinion was that it is very important to explain to leaders of business and finance the economical consequences of the second world war and to commence regularly on international events in order to demonstrate where the real economical interests of the United States were at stake. So I had conversations with Dennis about the type of readers of
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his foreign letter. The significance of such a letter is that it is not like a daily newspaper that anyone could buy or read. Such a type of publication is only available for those who are substantially interested in international, economic and political affairs. '
Q. Who told Dennis about the suggestion from Berlin?
A. I suppose that Viereck directly or through his literary agency had approached him too, as Viereck knew Berlin's great interest to bring out an economical weekly or magazine.
Q. Was Dennis' name mentioned by you in your communications with Luther of the Foreign Office concerning the economic periodical?
A. The Embassy reported several times about the Weekly Foreign Letter.
Q. What did you report?
A. That it contained interesting observations and information which sometimes could be used for propaganda purposes too. To show Berlin what should be most interesting for businessmen in the United States.
Q. Was the plan for an economic publication along the lines ordered by Berlin carried out?
A. I had several conversations with Viereck about such a project and I think I even advanced funds to him.
Q. How much?
A. As usual lump sums between $10,000 and maybe $15,000.
Q. In what denominations?
A. I do not remember the particular denominations, but payments were always issued in all kind of denominations between 5 dollar bills up to 1,000 dollar bills.
Q. Was it your understanding that Viereck would transmit all or a part of these funds to Dennis in order to bring out this new periodical?
A. Viereck was authorized by me to transmit these funds to Dennis, or anybody else he saw fit for this publication. In his dispatches to Germany, Viereck spoke very highly of Dennis being a very able economist and writer.
Q. Did Viereck transmit any funds to Dennis.
A. I believe so.
Q. How much?
A. I do not know. The ultimate costs of this magazine had not been established. It would have cost a lot ,of money to give it a wide distribution. (Difficulties with the printers' union, etc.)
Q. Did Viereck tell you how much he had given to Dennis?
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A. No. Viereck did not discuss details of his propagandist activities with me and was always vague about financial matters. He said everything is working out fine; it has cost money already.
Q. What did you understand this to mean?
A. My impression was that Viereck, or the literary agency which Viereck used as an intermediary, had advanced money to Dennis to launch this periodical. Viereck knew I had no objection against Dennis.
Q. Did Dennis ever mention to you that he had received funds from Viereck?
A. I do not think so.
Q. Was the magazine ever published?
A. No.
Q. Why not?
A. There were too many difficulties in the way.
Q. Wasn't the real reason that Dennis' "Weekly Foreign Letter" admirably suited the plans and purposes of the Foreign Office; so that a new magazine was not considered necessary ?
A. No, Berlin wanted to have launched a much bigger project.
Q. Didn't you discuss this matter with Viereck?
A. Yes, we did discuss the possibility of Dennis' "Weekly Foreign Letter" meeting Berlin's requirements; but Berlin wanted a bigger magazine to be issued.
Q. You mentioned a short while ago that Viereck had a literary agency in New York. What was its name?
A. As I have stated already I do not remember the name, only the purpose.
Q. What was the function of the agency?
A. To win. the cooperation of American authors.
Q. Whom did Viereck contact through this literary agency?
A. In addition to Laurence Dennis, several other American authors and for this economical project I believe also Roscoe Drummond,
Q. Who was he?
A. An author on economic subjects.
Q. Did Viereck advance any funds to him?
A. I don't know, but it is quite possible.
Q. Have you ever heard of Mrs. Elizabeth Dilling of Chicago?
A. I'm not sure. Did she publish a book "The Red Network" ?
Q. That's right.
A. I think she was one of the persons in touch with Viereck. He mentioned her as being interested in distributing Flanders Hall books.
744400—47—38 '
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Q. Did she pay for the books she got from Flanders Hall ?
A. I believe so.
Q. Did you ever advance any funds to her?
A. No.
Q. Did Viereck?
A. I don't know. I doubt it.
Q. Did you know Prescott Dennett?
A. Yes, unfortunately I met him. I read in the newspapers the scandal about Dennett's handling of speeches of senators and congressmen. I remember I told Viereck that Dennett had once swindled me out of money. He came to the Embassy and sold me a news clipping service. He said each clipping would cost only a cent. They were not only useless cuttings, but the costs ran into several hundred dollars a week. He tried to sue the Embassy and I had to hire a lawyer to get rid of him. So when I read about him, I told Viereck that after my experience, he was unreliable.
Q. What had been Viereck's relationship to Dennett before that time?
A. I don't know. I was doubtful if he had something to do with him.
Q. Why, then, did you go to the trouble of telling Viereck to have nothing to do with Dennett?
A. I had the feeling, "there is a rotten egg", and I advised Viereck to take his hands off this man.
Q. Did Viereck indicate that he had had dealings with Dennett?
A. He did not deny it. He left it open. If he had not had relations with Dennett, he would have denied it more emphatically.
Q. Did you know Col. Emerson?
A. Yes, he had worked for the Embassy as a newspaper man shortly before World War I, and he came regularly to the Embassy to receive a pension, as he had worked for the Embassy before the First World War. He was now an old man and had no means to support him. As far as I can remember he may have received about $500 every three months.
Q. Did you have anything to do with this so-called pension?
A. It was paid out of the press fund. We proposed Berlin that we should pay him a final large sum to stop these regular payments. Berlin approved.
Q. Did you know that he wrote articles for the German-Amer-ican Bund paper, the "Weckruf"?
A. No, I did not. I would not approve of that.
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Q. Did you know a Cleveland lawyer named Frank Birch?
A. The lawyer who got arrested?
Q. Yes, did you authorize payment of funds to him?
A. No, but I think that the German Consul General in Cleveland, Kapp, when he received additional funds from the Embassy for distributing Flanders Hall books he advanced money to him.
Q. What was Birch to do in return for the payments to him?
A. I don't know exactly but I think Kapp wanted to use Birch to distribute Flanders Hall publications.
Q. Did Kapp request funds from you for all of his propaganda activities ?
A. During one of the consular meetings in Washington he asked that his propaganda funds should be increased. I told Thomsen that Kapp was a reliable and experienced career official and that I could see no objection to turn down his request that he should have this press fund increased.
Q. Did Kapp speak to you about Father Coughlin?
A. I think so. But I do not believe that he cultivated relations with him. I was very much against the Embassy having any relation with Father Coughlin, because such relations would have been to smear him in order to destroy his integrity. I believed he would be more effective to be left alone.
Q. Was Father Coughlin mentioned in any communications you received from Berlin?
A. I recall that Berlin may have asked about the political importance of Father Coughlin, his radio audience and the like.
Q. What else?
A. I believe that the Pope banned Father Coughlin, and Berlin asked what would be our suggestion to lift that ban. We replied that the German Embassy in the United States could do nothing about that.
Q. Why were the Berlin officials interested in lifting the ban?
A. Because he was such a strong isolationist.
Q. With whom in Berlin were you in contact about this?
A. I believe Weizaecker of the Political Department of the Foreign Office.
Q. It is now 1740, so I believe we had better adjourn, so you can have your dinner.
16 February 1946
Continuation of Interrogation of Dr. von Strempel by Captain Sam Harris. Reporter: Miss Joan Wakefield
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Q. Can you think of any phase of Viereck's activities we have not covered?
A. No.
Q. Now, Dr. Strempel, I want to discuss with you another enterprise. What was your connection, if any, with the magazine Scribners Commentator?
A. I remember that I was informed that two young but well experienced publishers—I believe around the middle of 1941
—wanted to organize a magazine of the type of Reader's Digest, to be managed and financed as well by German and American capital.
Q. What were the names of these men?
A. Their names seem to have slipped my memory, because I spoke to them only once. Perhaps you can help me?
Q. Stewart and Eggleston? .
A. Yes, Yes.
Q. Go on.
A. As Berlin had given, on several occasions, orders to bring out such a magazine, either the German Consul at Chicago or at Cleveland showed themselves interested in their proposals. Their idea too was to have a mixture of political, economic, and general topics in the magazine.
Q. Were the articles in the magazine to have any particular slant ?
. A. They were to explain that an actual military participation in the war by the United States would be detrimental to the United States.
Q. Did they ask you for funds?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you give any to them?
A. Yes, between 10 to 15 thousand dollars.
Q. Did you personally hand the money to them?
A. Yes.
Q. Where?
A. I think in New York.
Q. In what denominations?
A. I don't recall.
Q. Did you hand the money to them on the basis of your single conversation with them? That seems a little strange, doesn't it?
A. They came to me either through Baer or Kapp, with a recommendation. Baer was German Consul General in Chicago, and Kapp, Consul in Cleveland. Before their meeting with
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me, Stewart and Eggleston had had conversations with Baer or Kapp. Their negotiations had already reached an advanced stage. The main purpose of their visit was to have contact with the Embassy too and to get funds to prepare a dummy of the magazine. They said that they could show the dummy to other possible promoters and get more backing.
Q. What happened after you advanced the 10 or 15 thousand dollars to them?
A. I had no further contact with them.
Q. Didn't you undertake to see that the money had been spent for the purposes represented to you?
A. No. I did not see Stewart or Eggleston after this meeting because apparently their efforts were not successful.
Q. Well, did Kapp or Baer maintain contact with them?
A. I assume so.
Q. Don't you think that you were a little lax in the way you handled your government's funds? According to your story, you never seemed to have paid much attention to what happened to the money you disseminated for propaganda.
A. The Foreign Office knew that we were not able to bother about the details of the execution of the different projects and that we could not control if one or the other project caused financial losses. Therefore, the overwhelming amount was spent by the Library of Information for their periodical "Facts in Review".
Q. Did you know that in the Scribners Commentator which Stewart and Eggleston published with the funds you supplied, they re-published cartoons and articles from the Ger-man-American Bund's newspaper, "Weckruff"?
A. No. I would have opposed that. I thought the political line of the Weckruff was detrimental to German-American relations. May I point out that the above-mentioned funds were not to be spent for Scribners Commentator, but for a new magazine. As far as I remember, the two mentioned publishers had lost their position, which they may have had with that or another magazine, so that therefore they looked for a new opportunity.
Q. What steps, if any, were taken by the German government to spread propaganda on the West coast of the United States?
A. I had nothing to do with that part of the U.S.A. Mr Hubner was in charge of propaganda activities of the Consul General in San Francisco.
Q Is that the same Hubner that subsequently went to Washington ?
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A. Yes. He was appointed as Propaganda Attache at the German Embassy in Washington by Ribbentrop. He arrived in Washington at the end of 1939 to relieve me, so that I could concentrate on my main duties. He stayed only a short time as the State Department asked his leaving the United States. It was not a great loss, because his intellectual capacities and his experience abroad would not have been sufficient for a job of this kind. His ideas about propaganda would have been useful only for colorful detective stories or movies.
Q. As. I understand it, Hubner was Ribbentrop's propaganda representative, whereas Gienanth represented the Propaganda Ministry.
A. Yes.
Q. What did you mean by "detective story propaganda"?
A. He said: "Don't you think it is a good idea to be in touch, through many agents, with thé isolationists, Fascists or Nazi groups in U.S.A., and to support them?" I tried to bring the conversation on a higher level, because I thought that was foolish.
Q. Did he mention the names of any agents who were in his pay?
A. No.
Q. Were any efforts made by the German government or any of its representatives to produce any pro-Nazi films in Hollywood?
A. The Embassy was approached by a producer. He had TB, that was the reason why he started to stay in California. He was interested in bringing out a film to show the real horrors of war. As I do not remember his name I want to describe him as well as I can. He was a close friend of a German film actress, who presented him to the Embassy.
Q. What was this man's name?
A. I don't remember, as I mentioned already.
Q. Was this man of German extraction?
A. No, I do not think so.
Q. Did you advance any funds to him?
A. No, his project did not appear well founded. I believe he was a member of the Knickerbocker Club in New York.
Q. Did he do any radio work?
A. No.
Q. Do you know of any other attempts to produce a pro-Nazi film?
A. No.
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Q. Do you know of any plans to distribute pro-Nazi films?
A. No.
Q. Have you ever heard of a man named Ferenz in Los Angeles ?
A. No.
Q. Did you know a man named Winrod?
A. I did not know him. I was asked this before by Mr. Rhetts. I heard about him; he was a preacher, if I remember well.
Q. In what connection did you hear about him?
A. That he wanted to organize speakers.
Q. Did you hear anything further?
A. No. '
Q. Did you participate in any way in Winrod's plans to organize speakers?
A. No.
Q. Did you advance any funds to him?
/. A. Personally not.
Q. To your knowledge, did anyone connected with the German government advance any funds to him?
A. If so, it might have been done through the Consulate General at San Francisco, but I don't remember to have heard about it.
Q. Did he request any funds from you?
A. No.
Q. Did you, or any representative of the German government, give money to any of Winrod's representatives?
A. Not to my knowledge.
Q. Have you ever heard of Edmondson?
A. I was asked this before also, but I do not think I met him. The Edmondson letter, I think I have seen that. If it was , anti-semitic, I am sure Edmondson did not receive funds from me, because I had a very clear line against propaganda for Weltanschauung, because it did not fit in the line of the Embassy propaganda.
Q. Have you ever heard of Boake Carter?
A. Yes, he was a radio broadcaster, wasn't he?
Q. What contact, if any, did you have with him?
A. Personally, I had none.
Q. Did any member of the German government, to your knowledge, have contact with Carter?
A. Borchers, Consul General in New York, or his younger assistant, Hirschfeld, may have told me that they had relations with Carter.
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Q. What does that mean?
A. Possibly that Carter was interested to receive information about German policies.
Q. We are not interested in speculation here. Precisely what did Borehers or Hirschfeld say to you?
A. I don't remember.
Q. Did you advance any funds to Carter?
A. No.
Q. Did you give any funds to Borehers or Hirschfeld to give to Carter ?
A. No.
Q. Did Borehers or Hirschfeld give any money to Carter?
A. They would not discuss with me the detailed use of their funds.
Q. Have you ever heard of George Deatherage?
A. Yes—he was the head of the Knights of the White Camelia, I am told. But I never met Deatherage and he got no funds from me, directly or indirectly.
Q. To your knowledge, did Deatherage receive money or support from any other representative of the German government?
A. I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if Gienanth had supported him, with money too, because he may have known him.
Q. But you don't know for sure?
A. No.
Q. How much money did Gienanth have at his disposal?
A. He posed as if he had none, but I had the impression that he must have had some funds. Sometimes I imagined that he would draw out of the press fund, on Thomsen's approval. He would come to Thomsen and ask for money. He would probably say "I cannot convince Strempel, he is against it." If he could convince Thomsen, he might have given sometimes money to Gienanth, but only insignificant amounts.
Q. Did you support the Winona Press in any way?
A. Yes. '
Q. How?
A. When I took over the Press Department, I found a note in the files that every three months, I think it was, transfer of a small amount was to be made to the Winona Press in Chicago, through the Consulate General in Chicago.
Q. What was published by the Winona Press?
A. A small weekly or daily, in both English and German. I do
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not remember details because I was not personally interested in the paper.
Q. Did you have any contact with William Dudley Pelley?
A. No. He was head of the Silver Shirts and very anti-Semitic. I was opposed against all contacts with that type of propagandists.
Q. Did he ever visit the Embassy?
A. I heard that he had been in the Embassy once—I think in 1939 or 1940. I suggested to Thomsen that it was unwise to receive Pelley in the Embassy.
Q. Whom did he visit?
A. Probably Gienanth.
Q. Did Gienanth give any money to Pelley?
A. Maybe. I don't know. His case is like Deatherage. I wouldn't be surprised.
Q. Let me revert, for a moment, to Viereck's activity. What type of an audience did Viereck intend to reach with his publications ?
A. Everybody interested in foreign policy, especially in English propaganda for war.
Q. Including members of the armed forces of the United States ?
A. No, we were against distributing propaganda to the Army or Navy. For example, General von Boetticher of the Embassy had received small booklets from Germany. He was ordered to distribute them amongst American officers. He received them from Berlin. He showed me the booklets, and said "Well I have this order now to distribute this booklet, what do you think"? I suggested not to distribute them. "The Embassy receives many foolish orders from Berlin, but there are ways to turn them down".
Q. What did von Boetticher do?
A. The booklets were destroyed.
Q. Do you recall any further instances in which German authorities in Berlin had instructed anyone in the Embassy to distribute materials to the armed forces of the United States ?
A. No..
Q. Did Viereck ever show you a copy of the V-card?
A. Yes, I think he did.
Q. What was the purpose of the card?
A. I remember it was a postcard. Viereck said it would be used to convince people not to send forces abroad.
Q. Did you approve the distribution of the card?
A. It was not up to me to decide on that. Personally I thought
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that such cheap type of propaganda would not have been effective.
Q. But you knew that Viereck nevertheless authorized its distribution, didn't you?
A. No, I did not.
Q. Did you or anyone connected with the German government support James Smythe in any way?
A. I have been asked about him by Mr. Rhetts. This morning I had a walk with Mr. Schmitz, former manager of the Library of Information, and he said that Smythe once came into his office to collect money, and he threw him out. Smythe was head of the Protestant War Veterans, I understand. Schmitz believed that Borchers gave some money to Smythe. Schmitz would know more about this.
Q. Did you know Paul Scheffer?
A. Very well. He was ousted by Goebbels as editor in chief of the Berliner Tageblatt while I was in Berlin, and we were afraid in the Press Department of the Foreign Office, especially Minister Aschmann, that he probably would run into trouble, maybe even be put into a concentration camp; and so we tried to find a position for him. We managed that he was sent as foreign correspondent to the United States. In order to organize a living for him, he worked for the DAZ, the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, whose editor in chief was Mr. Silex, who was thoroughly anti-Nazi. When Das Reich was founded and they found out that the reports of Scheffer in the DAZ were especially of a high intellectual and political level, they forced him to write for them.
Q. What was the form of pressure that was used on him?
A. They said they would stop his work for the DAZ and then he would have no more income.
Q. What type of article did he write for Das Reich?
A. Foreign policy topics.
Q. Pro-Nazi?
A. No. He was never a Nazi.
Q. Did the Nazi government sponsor any radio programs in, or directed to, the United States?
A. Yes.
Q. What was the nature of these programs?
A. They were of two types. One was to use simple slogans to impress the wide masses of American radio listeners, and the other type was to broadcast political information for American news agencies, newspapers and so on.
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Q. Were these programs transmitted by many ?
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short wave from Ger-A. Yes.
Q. Did the German government own or lease any stations in the United States?
A. No, not to my knowledge. The Embassy received once an order to organize a broadcasting station in the United States. Thomsen turned it down because we thought it was just throwing away money and would be detrimental.
Q. Were you privileged to disobey orders from Berlin in this
, manner ?
A. No, but the arguments of our reports apparently convinced the Foreign Office.
Q. It seems rather strange that you should not have heeded such an important order. Did you or any representative of the German government purchase any radio programs?
A. No, to my knowledge.
Q. This also seems strange, since radio is such an effective medium of propaganda.
A. There were those short wave broadcasts.
Q. What was the Embassy's function with respect to those broadcasts ? '
A. On these short wave broadcasts, it was von Gienanth's function to report to the Foreign Office, who would send them to the Propaganda Ministry. The radio propaganda was cherished by both Goebbels and Ribbentrop, so both said they should have a hand in radio propaganda. Ribbentrop organized a radio propaganda department, headed by Minister Ruehle. So it was a constant fight between Goebbels and Ribbentrop who should handle radio propaganda. Gie-nanth, since 1940, received a salary from the Foreign Office, but he was not a permanent official of the Foreign Office,, and so he retained his capacity as representative of the Propaganda Ministry. He drafted his reports for the Berlin Foreign Office; but I think his reports, while forwarded to the Foreign Office, carried a notation to transmit them to the Propaganda Ministry.
Q. What was the nature of Gienanth's reports?
A. Political and technical supervision of the radio propaganda.
Q. Did he report upon certain themes which might effectively be played upon?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you recall the particular themes?
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A. I do not remember. Facts which would help keep the United States out of the war.
Q. Were his recommendations followed?
A. Partly.
Q. Did Gienanth report to Germany upon the size of the American audience?
A. Yes—grossly exaggerated. He said 5 million people were listening. I told him I wondered whether it would be much more than 10% of that figure.
Q. Did you see any of Gienanth's reports?
A. Yes. Several times, if the reports were not clear enough, of were not written in the right style, then Thomsen gave them to me. I redrafted them.
Q. Did Gienanth mention the names of any persons he was supporting in these reports?
A. I would not know, because these reports would not necessarily come to my knowledge. '
Q. Were any branches established outside of Berlin for short wave radio broadcasting to the United States?
A. Yes, in Shanghai.
Q. What was the reason for that?
A. For technical reasons, German broadcasts did not come through well to the Pacific coast, so Berlin established a powerful radio station on the other side of the Pacific. Several members of the Library of Information, who had gathered experience in the Library, left America and were supposed to go to Shanghai.
Q. What was their function to be?
A. To make a radio program which appealed to American listeners.
Q. Was the Shanghai station openly known as a German station?
A. Yes, I think so.
Q. Did it, in fact, broadcast German news and other programs to the United States?
A. I think so. I personally never heard it.
Q. Did Gienanth report on the effectiveness of these broadcasts ?
A. I think so.
Q. Did you read any of the reports submitted about Shanghai?
A. No.
Q. To your knowledge, did the Reich Railways Office, Reiehs-bahnzentrale, in New York, receive any funds from the Propaganda Ministry?
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A. Yes, I think it did.
Q. Who managed the Reichsbahnzentrale ?
A. Mr. Ernst Schmitz.
Q. I take it that this is a different Schmitz from the one in the German Library of Information?
A. Yes. -Q. Did you learn that funds vere givèn the Reichsbahnzentrale by the Propaganda Ministry while you were in Washington, or after your return to Germany?
A. After my return.
Q. How much did Schmitz receive from the Propaganda Ministry ?
A. I do not know, but they were very large funds.
Q. What was the nature of Schmitz's activity?
A. He published more or less regularly weekly letters in which he appealed to those Americans who he knew had travelled in Europe and had special interest in European affairs.
Q. What did Schmitz seek to accomplish by these publications?
A. To show that Germany would not lose the war, and thereby indicate that it would be useless for the United States to enter the war.
Q. Where did the Reichsbahnzentrale, under Schmitz, receive the materials which were used in its propaganda literature?
A. From the German short wave, direct communications from the Propaganda Ministry and the Transocean News Service. It even picked up some material from the American press.
Q. How large a group of persons did Schmitz reach with his publications ?
A. I don't know. Quite large, I assume.
Q. Have you ever heard of Dr. Degner?
A. Yes.
Q. In what connection?
A. He was secretary general of the German-American Chamber of Commerce in New York.
Q. Did he issue any publications?
A. Yes, he issued a periodical.
Q. What was its nature and to whom did he distribute it?
A. It was a weekly which related to the economical strength of Germany. It was distributed to members of the Chamber of Commerce and those influential business men who he thought would like to read his stuff.
Q. How large was the circulation? .
A. Not very big. It was supposed to have a select audience.
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It was supposed to be read by influential Americans interested in international economic affairs. Several Congressmen used the articles of this periodical for their speeches, and they were distributed to their constituency.
Q. Did Degner receive funds from the German government?
A. From the Propaganda Ministry, I believe.
Q. Did you ever transmit funds to Degner?
A. No.
Q. How did you know that he received funds from the Propaganda Ministry?
A. From conversations with my colleagues.
Q. Did the Consul General in New York exercise any control over Degner?
A. I think so. The Nazi system was for the Consul General to have a kind of control over such enterprises.
Q. Did the Ministry of Propaganda direct the line Degner's magazine was to take?
A. I believe so, by a mutual steering committee of the Propaganda Ministry and the Economic Ministry in Berlin.
Q. Have you ever heard of an organization called the Westermann Book Store in New York?
A. Yes.
Q. In what connection?
A. That you could buy there books about Germany, about economic, financial and political problems, and that those books would give the background for better understanding of German news. For instance, one important topic was the blockade, and they explained why the blockade would remain ineffective because Germany produced so many new synthetics.
Q. Who managed the Westermann Book Company.
A. Eisele.
Q. Did the Westermann Book Store receive any funds from the German government?
A. Yes, I think so.
Q. Did you transmit any funds to the Westermann Book Store?
A. No.
Q. Who did?
A. They came directly from the Propaganda Ministry or maybe from the Carl Schurz Vereinigung in Berlin.
Q. Did the Consul in New York supply any funds to the West-termann Book Store?
A. I don't know. He may have been an agent for the trans-
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mission of funds from the Propaganda Ministry or Carl Schurz.
Q. What do you know about Orgell?
A. He was representative of the VDA (Verein fur das Deutschtum in Ausland) in New York. He was steering man for mass distribution of small pamphlets that were printed in Germany, or at least in Europe, and then sent over and distributed in America.
Q. Who published these leaflets?
A. VDA.
Q. Did the Fichtebund also publish some of these leaflets and pamphlets ?
A. Yes, some.
Q. Did he likewise represent Flanders Hall, and aid in the distribution of their materials?
A. No.
Q. Did Orgell receive any funds from the German government?
A. Yes.
Q. How do you know?
A. This was one of the points I learned when I returned to Germany.
Q. Do you know who financed him?
A. Finally the Propaganda Ministry. How many other organizations came between him and the Propaganda Ministry, I do not know.
Q. Do you know of the "Organisation Hoffman"?
A. Yes.
Q. What was the nature of that organization?
A. They published periodicals called "Foreign Letter" or something, which was specially to be distributed in English-speaking countries.
Q. Who was the publisher?
A. Mr. Hoffman, and he lived near Munich at Starnberger See and I think he was close to the SS.
Q. Was he financed by the SS or the Propaganda Ministry?
A. By both.
Q. Did Orgell distribute any of Hoffman's materials?
A. I do not know.
Q. Who did distribute them in the United States?
A. I think they had a list and sent the material directly.
Q. Did you know of this while in the United States, or did you learn of it after your return to Berlin?
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A. In the United States. I learned it from Gienanth, at the Embassy, that this weekly of Hoffman was backed by the SS. Q. Did any of the German agencies or German personnel indulge in whispering campaigns?
A. Yes.
Q. Who?
A. Remnants of the Foreign Section of the Nazi Party in the United States, under the control of Draeger.
Q. Was that the Draeger who was vice-Consul in New York?
A. Consul, under Borchers.
Q. Who financed these whispering campaigns?
A. They were financed by members of the Party.
Q. The Nazi Party in the United States?
A. Yes. '
Q. What was the nature of these whispering campaigns?
A. Germany would win the war.
Q. What else?
A. Contradicting atrocity propaganda against Germany.
Q. What else?
A. Anti-Semitic propaganda.
Q. How did you learn about these whispering campaigns?
A. Through visits in New York, I heard about this nonsense.
Q. From whom?
A. From the German newspaper men.
Q. In what period were these whispering campaigns carried out?
A. 1940, 1941.
Q. What do you know about Mr. Westrick?
A. I knew him personally when he came to the United States.
Q. In what capacity?
A. As special envoy of Ribbentrop.
Q. What was his mission ?
A. In order to use his personal relations with influential American business men that they should engage in propaganda to keep America out of the war and that if Hitler would win the war in Europe, it would be of great benefit for American economics in general and to their business in particular.
Q. How do you know this?
A. Out of conversations with him in the Embassy.
Q. Did he indicate any particular persons he proposed to contact?
A. He indicated several personalities.
Q. Do you recall any names?
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A. An oil man. I cannot remember the name of this man, but I have the recollection that he was forced to resign from the Board of Directors because of his relations with Westrick as exposed by Winchell and other American newspapers.
Q. Did Westrick comment upon this particular event?
A. Several times he-came to Washington and reported to Thomsen about his saddening experiences.
Q. Did he mention any other persons?
A. I can't recall their names at the moment.
Q. What "personal relations" did he have in the United.States?
A. He was legal adviser in Germany of General Motors, of Coca-Cola, Woolworths, Kodak, and other big American commercial enterprises.
Q. Did Westrick have any funds at his disposal for this1 particular mission?
A. He said he could use funds in a double way. He had a dollar fund and he said that he could furthermore help prominent business men through unfreezing their blocked credits in Germany.
Q. Who authorized him to engage in this type of activity?
A. He was a special envoy of Ribbentrop.
Q. Also of Goebbels?
A. No.
Q. Did he meet with any success?
A- It is difficult to say.
Q. It is past your dinner time and I believe we had better stop. I want the record to show that you have been very cooperative in answering my questions. Thank you.
I have read the foregoing interrogations, pages 1 through 44; I have made such corrections as I found necessary; I have initialed each page and I certify that all the statements in these interrogations are correct to my best knowledge and belief.
Signed: HERIBERT STREMPEL
Febr. 18th 1946.
Witnessed this 18th day of February 1946, at Oberursel, Germany.
Signed: E. JOAN WAKEFIELD Sgt. K. BEAUCHAMP
R. OTTENBACHER, Capt., Inf.
744400—47—39
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Extract from an interrogation of von Strempel, on German funding of a projected American magazine intended to advocate against American participation in the war
Authors
Strempel, von (Dr., German embassy in US (1938-42))
Strempel, von
- Additional details not yet available.
Sam Harris (capt.; US war crimes staff (1945))
Sam Harris
- Additional details not yet available.
Date: 16 February 1946
Literal Title: Excerpt from Interrogation of Dr. von Strempel by Captain Sam Harris
Defendant: Walther Funk
Total Pages: 2
Language of Text: English
Source of Text: Nazi conspiracy and aggression (Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.)
Evidence Code: PS-3800
HLSL Item No.: 452849
Trial Issue
Document Summary
PS-3800: Interrogation of Dr. Heribert von Strempel, Foreign Office official, by Capt. Sam Harris at Oberursel, Germany
PS-3800: Excerpts from interrogation of Dr. von Strempel, 14 february 1946, by Captain Sam Harris, aus, Ouscc, concerning the relation between the German-american bund and the German Auslands organization
PS-3800: Interrogation of von Strempel, 14 to 16 February 1946, in which 37 the activities of the German- American Bund and its relation to the Foreign Section of the Party were common knowledge in the Foreign Office. The activities of the German-American Bund and the AO in America were considered a burden on American-German relations and were contrary to Foreign Office policy in not interfering with American affairs. An order was issued at the end of 1938 prohibiting members of the Embassy and Consulate to continue connections with the Bund. Draeger, New York Consul and AO leader, continued relations with the Bund and isolationist groups. Propaganda and subversive activities dealt under AO auspices in America. WEIZSAECKER is mentioned.