The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-29
.DimitrOff Demands
ThaelmannBeCalled
to Testify at Trial
Continued from Page -

MS Jnfee cO-QeIenddnGS pOntlcally,
including ten detectives and 25 po-
litical prisoners brought for the pur-
pose from concentration camps A
real understanding of the political
situation before the fire, he insisted,
requires more witnesses.
IF this is political trial." Dimi-
troff stated, "then it must be a po-
litical trial to the real end! If you
have once begun it, do it properly A
Ia guerre CONNIE Ia guerre Of this
is war, then fight it out like warD"
Judge Warns Dimitroff
The judge warned Dimitroff at this
point, but Dimitroff immediately
launched a critical examination of
Heller's compilations, asking whether
they contained document describing
the authorities measures against
armed instruction. "All documents
quoted by Heller" he insisted, Sup
port my thesis that no armed insur-
rection was threatened in January and
February, and that the fire had no.
thing at all to do with the Commu-
mist Party!"
Heller answered evasively that the
police kept an alarm in readiness day
and night on account of the "Com-
munist Party terror" Special troops,
he claimed, were held in readiness for
Communist Party insurrection.
Reveals Nazi Threats
Dimitroff pointed out the actual po-
lifiro1 cif1ta tioY1 IN Taahr.,n~,, 1noo r5o
asked whether it was not true that
st the end of 1882 and the beginning
of 1888 the German governments, fl
nelly the Schleicher government, were
threatened by armed Nazi insurrec-
ton, and if such threat was told to
Hindenburg accompanied by a de-
mand to give power to Hitler. The
presiding judge ruled not to permit
these questions, but the public pro-
secutor said that it should be al
lowed. definitely stating that other
wise the impression would be given
that Dinitroff's assertions were true.
D;mitroff asked: did the danger
exist in the beginning of 1888 Of an
armed Nazi insurrection, or the dan
ger of an armed conflict betwoan the
adherentS of Schleicher and Hitler?"
The senate Withdrew to discuss the
admissability of Dimitroff's question,
obviously fearing that the inyestiga-
ton would confirm the truth of what
Dimitroff said. 1t decided, therefore,
not to allow the question.
Demands Thaelmann's Presence
Dimitroff demanded not only rank
and file Communist Party members
be called to testify, but also Ernst
Thaelnann, to explain the Party's po-
liticsl activities. He demanded court
testimony of witnesses who are most
familiar with the political situation
before the fire, arh who know who
needed the fire most"
When the Judge sharply reprimand-
ed Dimitroff, he Immediately coun-
tered with:
Call on Schleicher, Hugenberg, Won
Papen and Brueningl They certainly
would be able to state if an armed
instruction threatened, and from
whom"
Detective Will from Hamburg was
forced to admit that he had no knowl-
edge of actual instruction prepara-
tons In Hamburg" Dimitroff asked
il the conflicts described by Will were
not the self-defense measures Of
Communists against Nazi attacks on
the Communists
The presiding Judge stated that he
ruled such questions we're provoca-
tive.
Detective Holman Koenigsberg
described similar conditions in East
Prussia, admitting that he had heard
nothing OF Redfrontists' special
alarm before the fire.
Naxis Lose Memory"
Torgler asked whether Hohmann
had been informed of the open muir
der of two well-known Communist
leaders on the street in November,
1882, and if he knew that a total of
TO Communists were murdered in East
Prussia at that time by political op-
ponents, causing Won Papen, then
Chancellor, to commission the pres
ent head Of the Berlin police, Diehl,
to begin a special inquiry. Hohmann
stated that he. did not remember.
Torgler answered by emphstically
stating that he should rememberl
Dimitroff followed Torgler by ask
ing whether Hohmann remembered
the Naai bomb outrages in East Prus-
STA, receiving a warning from the pre-
siding Judge for the question. Hob
mann however insisted that he
knew nothing" of the Nazi bombing.
Dimitroff remarked about the Nazi
witnesses remarkably bad memories
in cases where Nazis we're guilty. AZ
ter this observation the Judge warned
him again.
Further witnesses for the Nazis,
leading detectives from different
parts Of Germany, reported increas-
ing Communist disruptive efforts in
the Reichswehr before the fire. The
witnesses attempted to represent the
numerous Nazi raids as having been
provoked by the Communists. The
provocatory Storm Troopers march
through the workers quarters OF Al
tona was misrepresented by them as
a Communist provocation.
Dimitroff reminded them that four
Altoona Communists had been execut-
ed, while the NaziS who shot more
Communists in the conflict than the
number of Nazis killed were permitted
to 60 free.
Tow; WOrkorc TTninu