Evening star., 1946-02-23
'Ribbentrop Charges
Churchill Threat in
Asking Call 10 Stand
BY the Assoeioied Press

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NUREMBERG, Feb. 23.-Former
Nazi Foreign Minister Joachim Won
Ribbentrop requested today that the
International Military Tribunal
produce Winston Churchill as a
witness and declared Mr. Churchill
told him before the war that Eng
land would destroy Germany If she
should become too strong"
The former British Prime Minis
ter headed list of 38 Britons, Ger
mans and French requested by Rib
bentrop through counsel, with the
qualification that more names would
be added later.
Included were British Lords Lon
donderry, Beaverbrook and Vansit-
tart, former French Premier
Edouard Daladier and former
French Foreign Minister Georges
Bonnet.
Ribbentrop asserted that he took
the opportunity when Mr.. Churchill
visited the German Embassy in Lon
don at an unspecified date in the
l930s to talk to him about the
necessity of the creation of friendly
relations between Germany and
England"
Threat to Germany Charged.
In his request to the tribunal Rib
bentrop said he mainly told
Churchill that strong Germany
which was now about to become a
reality represented the strongest
support for England's empire" Rib
bentrops request continued:
"At that time Churchill replied to
these statements that England was
! intelligent and experienced enough
to get other powers on England's
side if Germany should become too
strong. On this occasion Churchill
stated unmistakably that England
would destroy Germany if she should
become too strong"
Contrasting with the personalities
which Ribbentrop and Hermann
Goering notified the court were
necessary to their defense, the at
torney for Rudolf Hess mentioned
only four names. including Hess
brother Alfred. The attorney said
Alfred now was in an internment
camp, but, as a former gauleiter in
charge of the foreign organization
OF the Nazi party, he could testify
whether it was used for fifth column
activities.
Treaty Violation Denied.
Supplied with a stream of notes
from Goering in the prisoners box,
Nazi defense counsel challenged
basic Allied accusation that Ger
many had violated the Versailles
treaty.
Taking up the question of crimes
committed during wartime, defense
attorneys demanded that the tri-
bunal give them an opportunity to
attempt to prove that German in
fractions were in retaliation" for
those by the Allied powers.
The defense moves drew sharp
: objections from the Soviet Chief
Prosecutor 1t. Gen Roman Ru-
denko and Acting British Chief
Prosecutor Sir David Maxwell Fyfe.
Earlier the tribunal, which is try
; ing % Nazi leaders on war crimes
charges, heard attorneys for Goer-
ing claim that the former reichs-
marshal tried up to the last minute
to avert hostilities with Britain In
1899.
While Goering alternately chuck
!, led and scowled at legal develop
ments in tense session, his attor-
ney, DR.. OFT Stahmer, outlined the
alleged pro-British activities which
the defense would attempt to prove.
Captives Sold for S4.
The Soviet prosecution charged
: yesterday that Nazi Germany
created slave markets to sell cap
tive Russians at 10 to Is marks a
: head ga to Sc at preWar exchange
; and subjected imported Polish work
erS to sterilization and prostitution.
Prosecutor N. D. Zorya presented
to the tribunal letters from German
families to menfolk at the front de-
scribing the fate of some of the
thousands of Russians moved into
the Reich from occupied territory
in the east.
The prosecution introduced sworn
tatementS from Russian girls ship
ped into Germany. One said: I'VE
had to be examined by a special
commission. In the presence of
soldiers, We were compelled to un-
dress quite naked and have our
)OGieS examined p"