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| INTRODUCTION |
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The trial of 23 officials of the I.G. Farben concern was commonly
referred to as the Farben case and is officially designated as United States of
America vs. Carl Krauch, et at. (Case 6). The Farben case was the third largest
of all the Nuernberg trials, the record being surpassed in length only by the
IMT case (Trial of the Major War Criminals, vols. I-XLII, Nuremberg, 1947) and
the Ministries case (vols. XII-XIV, this series).
The Farben case was
the second of the so-called industrialist cases, the indictment being filed
after the indictment in the Flick case (vol. VI, this series) and before the
indictment in the Krupp case (vol. IX, this series). Each of these three
industrialist cases contained counts alleging spoliation of property in invaded
countries and participation in Germany's slave labor program, and under these
counts some of the defendants were found guilty in each of these cases. The
indictments in both the Farben and the Krupp cases contained counts alleging
crimes against peace, and in both cases the Tribunals found all defendants
charged to be not guilty under these counts. The Tribunal in the Krupp case
made its finding of not guilty at the conclusion of the prosecution's case in
chief upon a defense motion, whereas the Farben Tribunal did not make its
finding until final judgment. In a trial under Control Council Law No. 10 in
the French Zone of Occupation, the German industrialist Hermann Roechling was
found guilty of crimes against peace by a military tribunal of international
composition, but this conviction was reversed upon appeal to the General
Tribunal of the Military Government of the French Zone of Occupation in
Germany. (The indictment, judgment, and judgment on appeal in the Roechling
case are reproduced as Appendix B, vol. XIV, this series.)
Each of the
23* defendants in the Farben trial was an official of the I.G. Farben concern
for varying periods of time: the first-named defendant, Krauch, was a member of
Farben's managing board (Vorstand) from 1934 until 1940 and thereafter, until
1945, the chairman of Farben's supervisory board (Aufsichtsrat) |
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* The Farben indictment named
24 defendants. The case as to defendant Brueggemann was severed early in the
trial by reason of Brueggemann's ill health and inability to stand trial with
the other defendants, see section XX C, vol. XV, this series.
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