Evening star., 1948-07-30
IS Farben Directors
Sentenced 10 Jail on
War Crimes CHARGES
BY the Assoeioisd Press

wv 1lAI tCCIi 0lICCtOIS vi tIlC
giant I. G. Farben chemical
trust were sentenced today to
serve Jail terms ranging from 1S
months to eight years on charges
Of misusing slave labor and
plundering occupied countries.
Nine of the directors were con-
victed yesterday on the charge of
plundering occupied countries. The
convictions on the slave labor charge
were read today. All % defendants
were acquitted yesterday of the
stif1est charge in the indictment
plotting and waging aggressive war.
The penalties against the 13 men
convicted were the mildest ever i'm
posed In a war crimes trial here.
They meant that actually only seven
of the "a Farben directors who went
to trial II months ago will stay
behind bars for any length of time.
All get credit for time already
served. One defendant was severed
from the case because of illness.
Board Head Gets 6 Years.
Carl Krauch, chairman of the
board of the once-great billion
dollar firm, was sentenced to serve
six years for misuse of slave labor.
Hermann Schmitz, 67-year-old
private counselor to the Farben
Board of Directors. got a four-year
sentence for plundering occupied
countries.
misusing slave labor:
Fritz Ter Meer seven years.
Otto Ambros, eight years.
Heinrich Buetefisch, six years.
Walter Duerrfeld, eight years.
On the charge of plundering and
despoiling countries occupied by the
Nazis the following sentences were
imposed:
Georg Won Schnitzler, five years.
Ernest Buergin, two years.
Paul Haefliger, two years.
Max Ilgner, three years.
Frederick Jaehne, 1S months,
Heinrich Oster, two years.
Hans Kugler, l8 months.
Ter Nicer was the only one con-
victed on both counts.
All the defendants were given
credit for time already served, which
means that Ilgner. Jaehne, Oster,
Buergin and Kugler will go free at
once. Ter Nicer and Duerneld were
linked closely to the Farben syn
thetic rubber plant at Auschwitz
(Oswiecim) concentration camp.
One of the four American judges
on the tribunal which tried the
case promptly filed dissent, con-
tending that the decision of the
majority was too lenient. He was
Judge Paul M. Hebert Of Baton
Rouge, La, who declared that he
felt 20 OF the % defendants should
have been convicted of mistreating
slave labor.
Members Of the court, in addition
to Hebert, were Presiding Judge
Curtis G. Shake of Vincennes, Ind;
James Morris of Bismarck, N. OAK,
land Clarence F. Merrell TO Indiana
polls. - - =
.. The. court aoeaaitted@.on all counts
Fritz Gajewski, Heinrich Hoerlein,
August Won Knieriem, Christian
Schneider, Hans Kuenne, Carl Lau-
tenschlaeger, Wilhelm Mann, Karl
Wurster. Heinrich Gattineau and
Erich Won der Heyde. e
Max Brueggermann was the de-
fendant severed from the case be-
cause of illness.
Court Scores Defendants.
Winding up its opinion with the
slave labor charge, the tribunal
scored the Farmen directorate for
shutting its eyes on the treatment
Of forced labor victims.
Ambros, Buetefisch and Duerr-
field were especial targets The
court said they were mainly respon-
sible for the construction and oper-
alton of Farben's synthetic rubber
plant at AuSchwitZ. Less than five
miles away, 100000 persons were
gassed to death in the AuSchWitz
tOswiecim) concentration camp.
This kind of slave labor was used
in the Farben plant.
The tribunal declared that the
availability Of such labor was the
real reason why Farben chose that
sites for its plant.
Farben-made gas was used In
the Auschwitz death chamber. The
court said, however, the evidence
did not prove that the Farben di-
rectors knew to what use its
products were being put by the s. S.
Broadened Slave Program.
The opinion brushed aside the
contention of the Farben defense
that one used slave labor under
Hitler or perished. The court said
the industrialists embraced the
program and to some degree even
"broadened" it.
The verdicts wound up an
ll-month trial for directors of
giant industrial trust which at
the height of its power controlled
400 firms in Germany and 500
throughout the world.
Another court is expected to hand
down a judgment tomorrow in the
case against the directors Of the
great Krupp gun-making works.
They already have been acquitted
of a charge that they plotted ag-
gressive war. count which Ameri-
can prosecutors have failed to make
stick against any industrialist.