TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT NO-3963
PROSECUTION EXHIBIT 528
EXTRACTS FROM AFFIDAVIT OF KARL WILHELM FRIEDRICH TAUBOECK, 18 JUNE
1947, CONCERNING THE DEVELOPMENT OF, AND EXPERIMENTS WITH STERILIZATION
DRUGS
I, Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Tauboeck, swear, depose, and state:
1. I was born on 21 September 1904 in Josefstadt, Czechoslovakia. I have
been an Austrian citizen all my life. From 1910 to 1915 I attended the
elementary school in Leitmeritz and Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. From 1915 to
1923 I attended the gymnasium (high school) in Pilsen (Czechoslovakia),
Ljubljana (Yugoslavia) and Klosterneuburg (Austria). In June 1923 I
graduated from the Klosterneuburg high school. From 1923 to 1925 I
studied natural science at the University of Vienna, Austria,
specializing in plant physiology and chemistry. In 1925 I studied at
Kiel (Germany), where I devoted myself mainly to problems of marine
biology and bacteriology. From 1926 to 1927 I again studied the
above-mentioned natural science subjects in Vienna (Austria). In
December 1927 I was made Doctor of Philosophy with special distinction.
My thesis dealt with a problem concerning vegetable chemistry—urea in
the plant world.
2. From 1928 to 1929 I was assistant in the Institute of Plant
Physiology of the University of Vienna, Austria. In this capacity I had
to direct the practical studies of the students and was able to carry
out my own research in the field of vegetable chemistry. I also
continued my studies there in the medical faculty of that University, in
several medical subjects, especially in histology, physiology,
physiological chemistry, immunology, and pharmacology. These
above-mentioned studies made it possible for me to be able to carry out
independently tests on the efficacy of drugs in animal experiments.
3. From 1930 to 1945 I was employed as a biochemist and botanist in the
biological laboratory of the I. G. Farbenindustrie A. G. at
Ludwigshafen/Rhine. I specialized there in drugs with particular effects
on the animal and human organisms, respectively. Through this work I
invented various new remedies based on biology. In particular I studied
the question of animal poisons for many years and thus produced a new
remedy for rheumatism. I also worked on the question of the stimulant
from the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) and similar substances
effective in minimum quantities. During the war years I worked on
biochemical problems concerning agriculture and as a result of my work
produced an improved fertilizer.
The I. G. Farbenindustrie A. G. at Ludwigshafen at Rhine employed
several hundred natural scientists and technicians. Since 1937 I was the
senior specialist in vegetable chemistry there.
4. In the fall of 1942, I was instructed by the director of my
laboratory, Dr. Mueller-Cunradi, to devote my time to research on the
effective substance from the plant caladium seguinum (Schweigrohr). At
the beginning of November 1942, I was sent to Dr. Schamberger of the
Research Institute Grunewald-Berlin for the purpose of obtaining further
information. The Research Institute Grunewald was a cover name for a
camouflaged SS office. The address was Grunewald-Berlin,
Delbrueckstrasse 6. There I was told that this plant was to be used for
sterilizing mental patients. In order to obtain further information
about the progress of experiments with caladium seguinum which had
already taken place, I had to visit the firm Madaus in Dresden-Radebeul,
together with Dr. Schamberger and another SS man. This firm had already
made animal experiments with this plant and published the results in a
medical journal in 1941. I was introduced to the firm Madaus as Dr.
Weiss, so that nobody should know that I was an employee of I. G.
Farben. The senior pharmacologist of the firm Madaus asked us: You must
be a commission from SS Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl, to which the SS men
replied “yes”. The pharmacologist went on to tell us that a few days
previously Pohl himself had visited the firm Madaus together with
several other people and had mentioned the especial urgency of this
work. Furthermore, while visiting the firm Madaus, I checked all the
equipment and experiments in the course of one day. By careful
examination of sections of mice and rats and of the histological
preparations, I was convinced that the publications of the firm Madaus
were perfectly true. By this examination I, as a specialist in this
field, gained the conviction that sterilization with caladium seguinum
is no Utopia, but something which is quite within the bounds of
possibility. On the return journey from Dresden to Berlin, the SS men
revealed to me that this research was being carried out on the express
order of Reich Leader SS Himmler in order to suppress births among the
eastern nations. After this fact had been revealed to me I was sworn to
secrecy. I was furthermore informed at the Research Institute
Grunewald-Berlin that the first preparations were to be supplied as soon
as possible, as the Reich Leader SS had ordered the testing of the new
method on inmates of concentration camps to take place at once.
5. In order to point out the effectiveness and practical possibility of
using caladium seguinum as a sterilization drug, I would like first of
all to go into the subject of the history of this plant. Before doing
so, however, I would like to add that caladium seguinum is not
considered a sterilization drug in the ordinary sense of the word, but a
castration drug. This is evident from the fact that the experiments
carried out by the firm Madaus have clearly shown that a destruction of
the sexual glands of the experimental animals occurred which is
equivalent to the surgical removal of such glands. Caladium seguinum is
a plant which comes from Brazil. As I know from the literature and the
publications made by the firm Madaus, this plant has already been used
by the Brazilian natives as a means of sterilization of their enemies.
It was administered to the enemies either in food or in arrow wounds. By
this method of injection by arrows, only relatively small portions of
poison gained from caladium seguinum could have been administered, as
the wound produced by arrows may be compared with a large intramuscular
injection. From this fact, as learned from literature, results the
conclusion that this poison, if obtained by the correct process, is
effective even in very small doses. This drug is described in literature
as secret, which shows that the enemy did not know that he was being
sterilized.
6. Inspired by this experience of the Brazilian natives, the firm Madaus
carried out their experiments on animals. The results obtained by the
firm Madaus which I have seen with my own eyes confirm the effectiveness
of caladium seguinum as a means of sterilization for human beings. It
was possible to doubt whether the caladium seguinum was actually
effective according to the first rather vague reports coming from Brazil
before the experiments of the firm Madaus had been carried out. The
experiments of Madaus, however, have eliminated all doubts in this
direction.
* * * * *
11. As a result of all examples and explanations mentioned, I am of the
opinion that mass production of a castrating preparation from caladium
seguinum in Germany or in the German occupied countries is no dream, but
could easily have been put into practice. Another proof of the
harmfulness of the caladium poison is the fact that the Madaus
examinations confirmed beyond doubt the castrative effect of caladium
despite all the shortcomings already described. All this made me realize
at once the criminal character of such research and for this reason did
not carry it out as far as my specific order was concerned. The SS,
however, took a great interest in this matter. I received my orders as
an employee of the I. G. Farbenindustrie from the Chief of the Security
Police, first through the camouflaged office of the Research Institute
Grunewald-Berlin and later direct. I know, however, that the firm Madaus
placed their orders through SS Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl separately and I
am not acquainted with the development of this matter.
I have read the above statement consisting of seven pages, in German,
and declare it to be the whole truth to my best knowledge and belief. I
was given an opportunity of making alterations and amendments in the
above statement. I have made this statement of my own free will, under
no duress, without promise of reward.