Evening star., 1945-10-08
Kramer Takes Stand
Asserts Higher-Ups
Ordered Atrocities

BY the Associated Press.
| LUENEBURG, Germany, Oct. s.
Josef Kramer swore on the Bible
today that he was innocent of war
crimes and that atrocities COM
mitted at the Oswiecim and Belsen
concentration camps he COM
manded were on orders from
higher placed Nazis.
Kramer, described as the beast
of Belsen," leaped from the prison.
ers' cage like football player from
a bench and trotted to the witness
stand, where he testified in a high
pitched nasal voice.
He said he was loyal Nazi and a
member of the SIS and as such only
carried out obediently the orders
of the Hitler hierarchy.
While the other A SIS guards and
camp attendants jointly on trial
with Kramer before a British mill
tary court listened intently, he told
OF a riot in concentration camp
just a year and day ago:
Crematorium Burned Out.
There was revolt. Persons
tried to escape and there was firing
near cremtoriums one and three. I
was in the garden of my home about
4 kilometers away. My driver came
and asked if I knew crematorium
3 was in flames. When arrived, it
was burned out already. All the
prisoners who took part in the
mutiny were shot when I got there" ;"
Eyes to the floor, Kramer insisted
he did not know who ordered the
prisoners shot.
He described the polish camp at
Oswiecim as "a camp which 1 did
not wish to enter
His defense attorney, Maj. Thomas
| G. WinWood, asked him to explain
why in his first statement he said
he knew nothing of gas chambers
and in a second statement said he
knew the mass execution facilities
existed
Says He Was Bound on Oath.
I'm the first statement, I was
bound on oath to my superiors not
to reveal facts about the gas cham
ber and not even to admit their ex-
istence," Kramer testified, 'the first
statement I made in Belgium at a
time I did not know the true state
of the war. The second statement
was made at time I was no longer
honor bound not to reveal about
the gas chamber because Hitler and
Hlmmler were not alive"
He said that all orders for the
selection of victims for the gas
chamber came from persons higher
up in the political department at
Oswiecim. He admitted he was
present when the selections were
made, but added:
The doctors were the only ones
who chose for the gas chamber. No
members of my SIS staff ever took
part because the gas chamber was
not my job. thought and asked
myself If the gas chamber was right.
and I thought the person who first
signed the orders to send those per-
sons to death would answer for it."
Pictured as Puppet.
Maj. Winwood pictured Kramer as
a helpless puppet.
r Kramer was not the beast of
Belson, but the scapegoat of Bel
sem, Maj. Winwood' declared in
concluding defense pleas on behalf
of Kramer.
He was the Scapegoat of Belsen
Tor Hlmmler and for the whole Ma
tional Socialist party" Mai. Win
wood asserted. THE person at the
top gave the orders-the person be-
low obeyed them. Kramer was
member of the National Socialist
party when the alleged crimes took
place. eNsziism demanded implicit
obedience and trust"
The defense counsel emphasized
that concentration camps are not a
German copyright" He said the
British used them in the South At
r1can war and charged the most
modern one exists in Egypt.
Forty Expected to Testify.
At least 40 of the accused-includ-
ing Kramer-are expected to testify
on their own behalf. Defense coun-
sell also plans to call 40 other wit
neSSeS.
Each of the u defense LAWYERS
Will make brief opening plea for
MS own clients and another shorter
plea when his defendant enters the
box. Final defense summaries will
follow, with the prosecution making
the closing argument to the court.