He was deeply worried. I heard later that he did not go to bed that night but spent the night on his sofa in his office. I myself was likewise shocked at this frightful step which was to be taken, and refused to carry it out. I said it violated laws of war and undoubtedly was bound to result in reprisal measures against those of our own officers who were in English camps as prisoners of war, and that I flatly refused to take any responsibility in the matter. General Nebe declared that in this instance I would not be in any way responsible as the State Police was to act entirely independently and that, after all, orders given by the Fuehrer had to be executed without protest.
Any comment seems superfluous.
This is significant of Nebe's personality. The trustworthiness of a person is an inseparable part of his entire personality. Information obtained from a person who for more than a decade was able to play such an abominable double role can lay no claim to credibility. On the other hand it is true that the real position of Keitel, however important it may have seemed to outsiders, was neither decisive nor of causal importance, either for the total sum of events or for the basic and important decisions of Hitler. The defendant Keitel is accused of having taken part in, helped and promoted the planning and preparing of and inciting to aggressive wars and in so doing of violating international treaties and assurances.