Q. Will you please tell the Tribunal for what reasons you joined the Party?
A. Before the spring of 1933, I belonged to the Prussian Judges’ Association, in which organization I worked on press matters as a member of the board of directors. The Prussian Judges’ Association decided to urge its members to join the Party. I joined because, according to the situation prevailing at the time, I considered it to be the correct and proper thing to do.
Q. Mr. Lautz, at that time in 1933, did the joining of a party have the significance of 100 percent approval of the Party platform? Was it not rather like this, that since the Weimar era joining a party by no means implied that one approved of its ideology?
A. In the case of many persons who joined the Party at that time, that was so.
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Q. Through my documents in Lautz document book 1, I have already shown that the competence of the People’s Court to sentence defeatist cases was introduced only beginning in February 1943. Witness, for how long did the special penal regulations for wartime exist on which these trials against undermining of military efficiency were based?
A. This special wartime penal order is from 1938[520] which was put into effect only on 26 August 1939.
Q. Originally the Reich military court was competent for those cases of undermining of fighting force or the other military courts, is that correct?
A. Yes. That is correct, not only for members of the Wehrmacht but also for civilians.
Q. In 1940 the competency in regard to civilians was transferred to the general courts?