The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-13

ginning OF these proceedings l, as an
i accused, sent a letter to the Pre-
siding Judge. In this letter I ex-
I pressed my regrets that my utter
/ ances had led to a conflict but that
l objected to the reproach leveled
against me that I am taking advan-
tage of my right to put questions
and make statements in the court
for propaganda purposes. But since
have been innocently accused I am
striving by all the means at my dis
9osal to defend myself. 1t is possible
5hat I am not sufficiently familiar
with German laws and that is why
there may be misunderstanding If
1 knew these laws perhaps these mis-
understandings might have been
avoided.
mentioned several lawyers Dini-
troff names severn, but all my pro-
posalS were rejected. I have no par
ticular mistrust of Teichert. Under
the present circumstances in Ger
many I cannot have sufficient con-
ffdence in Teichert's defense. asked
that the lawyer Willard be permitted
to participate in my defense, adding
that should this request be turned
down, I would endeavor to defend
myself to the best OF my ability.
UNDERTOOK HIS
OWN DEFENSE
After this request was rejected
decided to undertake my own de-
tense. I do not wish to profit or lose
by anyone else's defense. I do not
feel myself in any way bound by the
speech of defense-lawyer Teichert.
Only that which I will say myself
here before the court can be con-
sidered decisive. I do not wish to
insult my Party comrade Torgler-he
has already been sufficiently insulted
by his defense, in my opinion-but 1
should prefer to be innocently con-
demned to death by German Court
as the Reichstag incendiary than to
take advantage of a defense such as
the closing speech Of D.. Sack (Eere
the Presiding Judge interviewed to re-
mark that he weu'5 not permit de-
PENDANT Dinlit.o3 to engage in
criticisIn.l
/ speak harshly and severely, but
my struggle and my life have been
very severe. I am not lawyer
whose profession it is to defend. j
am defending my political and
revolutionary honor, my CommH-
mist outlook, my ideas, the whole
meaning and content of my life.
Therefore every sentence which I
utter in this court is my blood,
every sentence is the truth, every
word / say here is the expression
of the deepest indignation against
an unjust accusation-the burning
of the Reichstag of which the
Communists are accused.
HIS SUPREME COURT
is THE CONTINTERN
1t is true indeed that for me as a
i Communist the supreme law is the
Program of the Communist Interna-
tional. 1t is true for me that as a
Communist the supreme court is the
Control Commission Of the Commu-
mist international. Nevertheless, as
a defendant here I shall treat this
court with the utmost seriousness,
not because it is comprised of par
ticularly qualified judges, but be-
Cause this court is an important Or
gan of the German state system, it's
supreme body.
I speak before the court in all seri-
nousness and with the utmost regard
( flor the truth. With clear con-
AcnfnTPo- T fIo+ f-O,,
5day Of the trial until the last 1 have
said nothing that was not strictly
true. I have invariably spoken seri-
ously and moreover, truly.
/ have been reproached that my
questions here were put for propa-
ganda purposes. This is not so. OF
course, my utteranceS had a certain
propaganda value but that was not
my main object. My aim was to dis
prove the charge that Dimitroff,
Torgler, Popoff and Taneff had any
thing to do with the fire.
TELLS OF AROUSED
WORLD INDIGNATION
I know that no one in Bulgaria
will believe that we participated in
burning the Reichstag. know that
few people abroad believe it either.
But in Germany conditions are diff
ferent; here strange things may be
believed. That is why I wanted to
prove that the Communist Party did
not and could not have taken any
part in this crime.
As far as propaganda is concern
cd many utterances made kere were
of this nature. The speeches of
Goebbeis and Goering had also
propaganda value but no one can
make them responsible for the fact
that their utterances had a propa-
ganda value. Qaugher).
In connection with the charge
against me the newspapers attacked
the Bulgarian people, referring to me
as Bulgarian barbarian" "a low
type CT Balkan native" and wild
Bulgarian must emphatically pro-
test againts this. Yes, the Bulgarian
nation has not attained such a high
material level as certain other ma
tons, but our political struggle, our
political aspirations, our people are
not of a lower order than others.
Il definitely protest against the as
sumption that our masses are spirit
Iually and politically on lower level
GOT development than the masses of
other countries.
WHAT FASCISTS ARE
NOT SAVAGES?
Bulgarian fascists are savages and
farbarlanS. What faSOStS are not?"
A nation which for 500 years lived
under foreign yoke, a nation
whose working class and peasantry