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Partly-printed DS, in German, one page, 8 x 12.25, January 4, 1946. Document headed (translated), "The International Military Tribunal, Defendant's Application for Summons for Witness," made while preparing his defense for the Nuremberg trials. Streicher and his defense lawyer request testimony from "Fritz Herrwerth," explaining: "The witness can testify that I made it known, before the demonstration planned against the Jewish population on the night of 8/9th November 1938, that I did not wish to have anything to do with it. I considered the proposed action, particularly the burning of synagogues, as misguided, because the world Press would thus merely be given an opportunity of taking up an unfavorable attitude towards Germany…I have always been opposed to taking violent measures."
Streicher continues: "It is precisely the events of the night of 8/9th November which appear to be particularly important for the passing of judgement on the defendant Streicher…The particulars given by the witness Benno Martin in his affidavit can carry no decisive weight in face of the evidence of the witness Herrwerth, for Martin can merely repeat a statement made by the deceased S.A. Obergruppenfuehrer v. Obernitz, which might not have been true. Herrwerth, on the other hand, was present from beginning to end at the interview between v. Obernitz and Streicher, which took place at Streicher's house before the start of the demonstration and is, therefore, the only available witness from whom the truth may be discovered." Signed at the conclusion in pencil by Julius Streicher, and countersigned by his defense counsel. Backed by lightweight cardstock and in fine condition, with uniform toning. Accompanied by a contemporary English translation.
This application shows Streicher attempting to isolate Kristallnacht from the broader record of his antisemitic propaganda by insisting that he had personally opposed the violence before it began. He presents Fritz Herrwerth as the crucial eyewitness to a pre-pogrom conversation at Streicher’s home, contrasting Herrwerth’s supposed firsthand knowledge with the affidavit of Benno Martin, which Streicher dismisses as secondhand testimony derived from a now-deceased SA officer.
The defense strategy was narrow but deliberate: if Streicher could show that he objected to the burning of synagogues and other violent measures, he hoped to weaken the prosecution’s portrayal of him as an instigator of anti-Jewish persecution. The argument ultimately failed. The International Military Tribunal convicted Streicher of crimes against humanity on the strength of his long-running campaign of incitement through Der Stürmer, and he was executed at Nuremberg on October 16, 1946.
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