Katharina gives Leaflet III to Traute

Question: Where is the leaflet, or rather what did you later do with it?

Answer: I gave the leaflet to Lafrenz, since she asked for it back from me. I gave the leaflet back to Lafrenz on the occasion of Lafrenz’s visit to me at my residence after the long break in November 1942.

I no longer know how Lafrenz knew that I had a copy of the leaflet “White Rose”. It is possible that she herself was there when Scholl gave me the leaflet. But it is also possible that either Hans Scholl or I told her about it. I actually do not know why Lafrenz wanted the leaflet back from me. I didn’t give it a second thought.

I only noticed that when Lafrenz got the leaflet from me, she said something to the effect of, That was what I was looking for. I did not discuss the contents of the leaflet any further with Lafrenz.

Otherwise, my statements during the first interrogation were true. Now as then I must resolutely deny that I had knowledge or even the slightest consideration of the machinations [intrigues] of the Scholl siblings and their accomplices. …

Remonstrance: According to your own statements, you recognized that the content of the leaflet “White Rose” was a seditious product. The whole connections and circumstances doubtless aroused a strong suspicion in you that Scholl was somehow connected to these leaflets. I absolutely guarantee

Answer: I absolutely guarantee that I did not have [Note 1] the slightest idea that Scholl was connected to this leaflet in any way. As unbelievable as my statement may sound, I cannot say anything else no matter how hard I try.

Question: You recognized the leaflet as seditious. Yet rather than hand it over to the police, or at least destroying it, you gave it to Lafrenz. Therefore you distributed the leaflet and committed a crime by following the instructions in the leaflet to pass it along. What can you say in your defense?

Answer: I would have burned the leaflet without a second thought in the winter. I have to write it off to my stupidity and political inexperience that I did not bring the leaflet immediately to the police at that time. I did not immediately destroy it after I was convinced that the content was seditious because I did not have an appropriate time to do so.

I had stowed the leaflet in my room in such a manner that a stranger would never have been able to see it. Even when Lafrenz asked me for the leaflet, I had to look for it for a long time.

I certainly did not see giving the leaflet to Lafrenz as distribution of the leaflet, because Lafrenz had asked me for the leaflet. From the way Lafrenz talked, I assumed she already knew the leaflet. In no case did I feel that the leaflet represented my political point of view.

I never had the slightest thought of giving the leaflet to a third party. At the time, I did notice the conclusion of the leaflet where it stated: “Please duplicate and distribute”, but I did not fulfill this demand in any fashion. I also did not receive an oral demand along those lines from anyone in the Scholl circle.

If I committed a crime through my conduct, by not handing the leaflet over to the police, and by giving it to Lafrenz, then I did so out of pure ignorance. There were certainly no political motives for my conduct.

Question: Did you talk to additional persons at all about the leaflet?

Answer: I certainly did not show the leaflet to third parties except for Lafrenz. I also never discussed the leaflet with third parties.

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Note 1: Word was inserted by hand.

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Source: Second interrogation of Katharina Schüddekopf, March 24, 1943