(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The libel suit brought by Foreign Minister Stresemann against Herr Muller, editor of an anti-Semitic newspaper, assumed a mysterious character when it was announced suddenly that the sessions of the trial which opened here on April 1, will be held in camera. The trial has aroused great interest in all circles.
The suit is based on an article published by Muller in which he stated that Stresemann was a partner of Paul Litwin, a Russian Jew, now a German citizen, who is general director of the Evaporator Company, and that due to Stresemann’s favor, Litwin, who is alleged to be a large contributor to the political funds of the Stresemann party, was able to dispose of supplies of the German army abroad to his own advantage.
The name of Herr Barmat, one of the brothers whose trial recently created a sensation in Germany, figured in today’s proceedings when it was alleged that documents relating to Barmat and Stresemann had disappeared.
When Herr Muller made his accusation against Foreign Minister it was the simple charge that Dr. Stresemann used his influence as Minister to enable the Evaporator Company, of which he was a member of the Executive Committee and a shareholder, to make illegal shipments of materials which were easily convertible into munitions from Germany into Poland at a time when the Upper Silesian question was most acute.
Now, besides the charge of these irregular business deals, the accusation is made that Dr. Stresemann was intimate with General Nollet, Chief of the Interallied Control Commission, when that organization was most hated throughout Germany and that Paul Litwin was enabled to pay a visit to Premiere Poincare of France to conclude a business deal through Dr. Stresemann’s influence.
Whether General Nollet’s wife was Herr Litwin’s sister could not be confirmed tonight.
It was learned today that Herr Stein, who was a witness, said that he edited 200 pounds of documents for the editor of Der Tag, one of the Hugenberg publications. The Nationalists purchased these documents from Herr Kranz and put them at the disposal of Hugenberg, who was awaiting the proper time to use them for furthering the ends of the reactionary parties. Herr Weiss, leader of the Nationalists, and Herr Stein said today that these papers contained no references to Dr. Stresemann, though when the time came to submit the papers to the Court it was discovered that they had been seized by the District Attorney in the Barmat case and could not be found.
Herr Kranz also that that Captain Kautter, right hand man of Captain Ebrhardt of Putsch notoriety, aided in wading through vast quantities of papers bearing on the alleged illegal business transactions and dark political affairs.
A letter sent to the Minister of Justice by Herr Knoll, who also was implicated in the document selling affair, charging Dr. Stresemann with perjury in regard to his relations with another Litwin firm, was referred to President Hindenburg. State Secretary Meissner referred the letter to the Chancellor about ten days ago, but the matter is now hidden under the same cloak of mystery which is tending to confuse not only the public but even the attorneys and Judges hearing the case.
The court will be open to the public again tomorrow, since the revelations which were considered a menace to the State’s security was concluded today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
