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Why Am I Here? The State obviously feared last week that Christians of every stamp would be unfavorably impressed by what was sure to be said at the trial of Martin Niemoller. His seven children, as they crowded forward with their mother for the first glimpse they had had in seven months of Dr. Niemoller, were a pathetic sight to touch all hearts.
At red-haired Nazi Prosecutor Thissen, the prisoner-pastor at once shouted accusingly: "Why am 7 here under the accusation of a traitor? I have done nothing to justify such a charge!"
"You will find that out later," retorted the worried prosecutor.
Began embarrassed proceedings in which the prosecutor successively persuaded the court either to exclude altogether or swear to secrecy almost everyone who was likely to have anything to do with the trial. Application for spectators' seats by a group of English clergymen who had arrived headed by the Bishop of Chichester was promptly rejected. Soon even Dr. Niemoller's three lawyers had been sworn not to say a word about the trial to anyone outside the court. Meanwhile, the whole German press obediently printed not a line in which the German people could read anything about the trial or even that it was taking place. After the first few days, Berlin representatives of the comparatively privileged foreign press had extreme difficulty gleaning what was going on in court. Secret police swarmed in the corridors, ostentatiously eavesdropped whenever a correspondent was seen in conversation with anyone, even another correspondent.
Apparently Dr. Niemoller from the first staked everything on repeated and increasingly impassioned demands that Presiding Judge Hoepke make this a public trial. The prisoner's lawyers, who for the sake of their own careers at the German bar could not keep on making such demands indefinitely, finally were shoved into the background by Pastor Niemoller who reputedly shouted: "In religious matters I know more than the three of them put together!"
During his seven months in jail Dr. Niemoller had access to theological and legal tomes, brought to his trial twelve thick volumes of notes and defense arguments he had prepared. On the first two days 42 witnesses were called, and reputedly in Berlin there are almost an indefinite number of pious Germans, wealthy folk or members of the fighting services, ready to testify that Martin Niemoller is no traitor but a hero of the Fatherland and a martyr of the Church. If he wins acquittal it will be by the 'same indomitable, single-handed fighting methods that caused the German Supreme Court to acquit the famed Bulgarian Communist Georgi Dimitroff of complicity in the Reichstag fire (TIME, March 6, 1933, et seq.), send him to Moscow where he was acclaimed and made by Dictator Stalin the head of the Communist International.