| Abstract |
This document is Schacht's letter to General Donovan, dated 14 November 1945. In this letter, Schacht represents himself as a cooperative witness whose official position in the Third Reich made him a privileged observer of Hitler's policies. Beyond endorsing the legitimacy of the International Military Tribunal, "the competence of which nobody can doubt," and submitting himself voluntarily to its jurisdiction, Schacht is at great pains to cultivate Donovan's sympathy; accordingly, Schacht asks Donovan to read "a brief summary of the underlying reasons and conditions of the dreadful Nazi-regime," which, he says, he prefers to submit to Donovan rather than to "any of the lawyers or defense counsels." Schacht couches this request in compliment and flattery, the rhetoric of which one might read as an index of his desperation to win Donovan's support. This document is a typewritten carbon copy on good paper. |