Deputy Goebbels, the leader of the Hitlerists in Berlin, who was accused at the time in many of the newspaper reports of having been the real initiator of the anti-Jewish excesses in Berlin on Rosh Hashanah, has twice been summoned to appear as a witness in the trial now proceeding against Count Helldorf, the leader of the Hitlerist storm troops in Berlin and other Hitlerist and Steelhelm officials on the charge of having organised and directed the excesses, and he has not appeared, the Public Prosecutor informed the court at to-day’s sitting. Deputy Goebbels was asked to appear in order to give evidence on an accusation made against him that he discussed with Count Helldorf the programme for carrying out the pogrom upon the Jewish population of Berlin, he explained.
Police Commissioner Feistel told the Court to-day that he had received reliable information from a trusted person who is one of the confidential police agents at the Hitlerist headquarters that Deputy Goebbels had explained to Count Helldorf the programme for carrying out the pogrom and that Count Helldorf had then gone to hand the programme to the leaders of the storm troopers, entrusting three of the present accused, Hell, Saversky and Hegemeister, with the actual leadership of the storm troopers engaged in the excesses.
The trial is expected to close to-day and the verdict will probably be handed down on Wednesday.
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