23 Feb. 1946 Q. You are positive that he was not at any time an instructor in any of the Japanese Military schools? A. To the best of my knowledge he never was. Q. Am I to understand that he was a German military man; was in the German Army? A. Yes, he was either a Major or Lieutenant Colonel. Q. And during those days when he was in Japan, which was before you went to Germany as an officer in the Office of the Military Attache, you did not know Karl Haushofer? A. I never knew him in Japan. Q. Can you tell us anything about his activity while he was in Japan other than what you have already recited? A. I know nothing further beyond the fact that he was attached to a Kyoto Regiment. Q. I understood you to say that you met him in 1921 in Germany. Will you tell us the occasion upon which you first met him? A. It was in 1922. I happened to be in Munich with the Japanese Military Attache, and as we had heard that Haushofer was a man who had connections with Japan for some time back, we invited him to dinner. Q. I am anxious to know everything about Karl Haushofer that you know; I believe it would be helpful if you would try to recollect all of your experiences with him, and everything you know about him - and if you will recite that to us in your own way. A. As I know him, he was a man who, because of his former connections with Japan, was greatly interested in bringing about closer relations, although as far as I know he never actually acted as an intermediary. He was, as I am sure you know, a man much interested in geopolitics and was at one time a professor or instructor at the University of Munich. At this time I believe he lectured upon geopolitics as it concerned Asia and Japan in particular; he was known as an expert on Japan. I have not heard this from either Haushofer or Hess, but it is common knowledge that Hess was one of his followers and was much influenced by his teachings. With the rise of the Nazis to power he became an influential figure and eventually rose to be President der Deutschen Akademie (I believe it was called this). He wrote a good many books dealing with geopolitics and until Hess’ flight to Scotland 3 I know that these books sold very well. What influence he had actually upon German policy I do not know, but I believe that through Hess his ideas regarding Japan were at least passed on to the German Hierarchy. His books were also well read and received in Japan. Q. Do you know what sort of an Akademie this was? Was it a military academy or some other type of academy he was President of? A. I believe this is a special research, so-called, academy which was made up of various professors from various Universities. Originally, he was only an instructor at the University of Munich, I believe, but later - I believe it was after the Nazis came to power - he became a professor. Q. And after the Nazis came into power he headed this other institution that we have referred to as 3 Hess flew a modified ME 110 to Scotland in May 1941 and bailed out letting the airplane crash because it was out of gas, in an effort to seek peace with Great Britain. It was Hess to whom Hitler dictated Mein Kampf. Hess hung himself when he was 93 in 1987 having spent some 40 years in Spandau prison. It was his third attempt to kill himself. Hess remained a virulent Anti-Semite and admirer of Hitler till the end of his life. 132