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INSTITUTE OF NATIONAL REMEMBRANCE
Information on the Interrogation
of Herman Schaper
www.ipn.gov.pl
18 04 2002
On April 11th in Germany an
interrogation of Herman Schaper (age 90) took place.
Schaper is a witness in the investigation on murdering
Jewish inhabitants of a township Jedwabne on July 10th,
1941. The investigation is conducted by a prosecutor
Rados3aw Ignatiew from the Branch Commission for the
Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation in Bia3ystok,
who took part in the interrogation by a German prosecutor.
When asked, a few months ago,
by the Institute of National Remembrance - Commission
for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation,
the German Prosecution Office as well as the Central
Research Office of Nationalist and Socialist Crimes
in Ludwigsburg instigated the search for Herman Schaper.
This led to finding out Schaper's current place of stay
and to his interrogation. Before that it was believed
that H. Schaper was dead. Thus, the particular steps
taken to find Schaper by the German authorities are
highly appreciated. This action enabled the Institute
of National Remembrance to receive legal assistance
in this matter.
Herman Schaper - a Gestapo officer
from Ciechanów - was seen by a witness Chaja Finkelstein
on July 7th, 1941 in Radzi3ów. The witness recognized
Schaper on the photographs and testified that he was
the man who was standing in the market place in Radzi3ów
on the day of murdering the Jewish inhabitants of Jedwabne
and commanded other Gestapo officers and the Poles co-operating
with Gestapo. The witness added that Schaper "made
an impression of a person in charge". However,
German prosecutors in 1965 dismissed the case against
Schaper, in which he would be charged with the participation
in the mass murders of Jews in summer 1941 in the Lom?a
voivodship, on the basis of the lack of proofs which
disabled them to lay a charge against him.
The interrogation of H. Schaper,
which took place last week, was based on the list of
questions that had been earlier submitted to the German
Prosecution Office by the prosecutor from the Institute
of National Remembrance - Commission for the Prosecution
of Crimes against the Polish Nation. Thus, it was conducted
taking advantage of the accumulated knowledge about
his activities in the Lom?a voivodship in summer 1941.
In response to questions during
the interrogation Herman Schaper said that:
- in summer 1941 he commanded a Gestapo unit of 10
- 15 people which were driving passenger cars and
motorcycles (he added that they did not use lorries);
- the task of the unit was to search for Russian agents
and to secure documents;
- in that period he was once present when Jews were
executed by a firing squad.
Schaper denied the written testimony
of Isak Fehler which was given by him in the early 1960s.
In that testimony Fehler recognized Schaper and said:
"I believe that he is an officer, who was in charge
of the action in Tykocin" (the action of murdering
Jews in that township). Schaper denied that he was wearing
a uniform at that time and a round cap with the death's
head on it and that he commanded people in Tykocin,
as was confessed by Fehler. "I did not give any
commands, and I did not wear a round cap" said
Schaper. Answering the next question Schaper said that
his Gestapo superior's name was Pulmer. He also mentioned
Baumann, who was one of the Gestapo officers, with whom
Herman Schaper served in 1941.
Schaper, when asked whether his
unit had other tasks, apart from searching for agents
and documents, answered that "they had no further
tasks". When asked what he knew about "the
mass murders of Jews in June-September 1941 in the vicinity
of Lom?a", he answered that "there were wild
actions of the local people and some units". He
added that he "did not know what units they were".
Simultaneously Schaper showed
indignation and presented the investigating prosecutor
with many certificates, among others with the medical
one certifying his disability to testify. The interrogation
was stopped and a doctor stated that further questioning
may cause a danger of a heart attack or cerebral hemorrhage.
Next day Schaper was medically
examined and found unable to take part in the investigation,
with an emphasis, that no improvement of his present
state can be expected.
The interrogation lasted an hour
an a half and was videotaped. The protocol was forwarded
by the German Prosecution Office to the Head Commission
for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation
today around the noon, which enabled the delivery of
this communiqué.
The subject-matter evaluation
of H. Schaper's testimony will be made by prosecutor
Rados3aw Ignatiew who is in charge of the investigation
and delivered in the final provision.
18.04.02
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