7183 - Walther Funk Document Signed at Nuremberg, Seeking Testimony from an Economist Implicated in the 'Nazi Gold' Scandal

Walther Funk Document Signed at Nuremberg, Seeking Testimony from an Economist Implicated in the 'Nazi Gold' Scandal Partly-printed DS, in German, one page, 8 x 12.25, January 10, 1946. Document headed (translated), "The International Military Tribunal, Defendant's Application for Summons for Witness," made while preparing his defense for the Nuremberg trials. Funk and his defense lawyer, Fritz Sauter, request testimony from "Emil Puhl, formerly vice-chairman of the Reichsbank in Berlin," citing his knowledge of the following facts: "That the accused Funk stood out constantly, throughout the whole duration of the war, against the devaluation of currencies in the occupied countries...that Funk always adopted the standpoint, in relation to German foreign exchange debts to other countries, that these debts should be cleared by deliveries of goods...that Funk was constantly striving to stabilize the exchange rates of occupied territories...that Funk tried to cover German occupation costs as quickly as possible by trade." Signed at the conclusion in pencil by Walther Funk, and countersigned by his defense counsel, Fritz Sauter. Backed by a lightweight cardstock sheet and in fine condition. Funk’s attempt to enlist Puhl as a favorable witness ultimately backfired. Rather than exonerating his former superior, Puhl testified—and submitted an affidavit—that Funk had personally arranged with Heinrich Himmler for the Reichsbank to receive valuables looted from concentration camp victims, and had instructed Puhl to accept and process the gold, jewelry, and other property without inquiring into its origin. The tribunal cited Puhl’s evidence in finding Funk guilty on multiple counts and sentencing him to life imprisonment. Puhl himself had served as a director and vice-president of the Reichsbank during the war and played a central role in handling Nazi gold, including assets looted from occupied countries and concentration camp victims. He was later tried in the separate Ministries Trial at Nuremberg, convicted of war crimes, and sentenced to five years in prison.