 |
responsible statesmen are today grateful for its caution. But I ask
how, under such difficult circumstances, a soldier can be expected to take a
clear cut stand against his own government on this question.
You will
be told that in your countries no wars of aggression were prepared, and that,
therefore, the soldier was not exposed to these doubts and conflicts of
conscience. Before the outbreak of a war but especially after a war, each of
the two parties will contend that the other was the aggressor. After a war the
victor will always be able to interpret this definition as he desires to, but
above all, in contested cases as for instance in all cases of necessary
interventions. Can a government leave the decision whether military plans or
even operations are necessary in such cases, up to the soldiers, and, what is
more important, will it want to do this? But if you, through your verdict, give
the soldier not only the right, but also the duty to decide himself whether an
operation is justified and whether he will participate in it, then those
countries with the greatest freedom of thought will at the same time be the
weakest. But those nations will be strongest which limit and control the
knowledge and thoughts of their citizens and soldiers. |
| |
| 4. CLOSING STATEMENT FOR DEFENDANT WARLIMONT* |
| |
DR. LEVERKUEHN : Your Honors, I would like to speak in English, but
unfortunately owing to technical reasons, we didn’t get enough copies, and
I am afraid I will have to represent my final plea in English without being
able to give the Tribunal a copy of the English
PRESIDING JUDGE YOUNG :
That will be satisfactory if you want to do that, or you can give it in German
and they can translate it to us. I suppose whatever you prefer, you may do.
DR. LEVERKUEHN : Since I wrote it in English and translated it into
German, I think I'd rather speak in English.
PRESIDING JUDGE YOUNG :
That will be entirely satisfactory to the Tribunal.
DR. LEVERKUEHN :
May it please Your Honors. The prosecution bases its case chiefly on documents.
These numerous reports, minutes, orders, belonging to the past, speaking with
the dull voice of the written word, telling the stern story of war, the
depressing tale of cruelty and death.
One document is different –
it is in most parts full of cheer, of flags, of music. That is the film: Nazi
Rise to Power. Only in |
| —————————— |
* Closing statement is recorded in
mimeographed transcript, 12 August 1948, pp. 9895-9910.
402 |
. 
