Willi Graf recruits Heinz Bollinger
Question: During the conversation between yourself, Scholl, and Dr. Huber at the latter’s residence at the beginning of January 1943, you volunteered to use your connections to the Rhineland to distribute the leaflets in question. It is therefore likely, if not completely certain, that your trip to Bonn, Freiburg i.Br., and Ulm served that primary purpose. I therefore ask you: Which persons from your circle of friends in the above-named places did you approach about the distribution of leaflets?
Answer: I admit that at the suggestion of Hans Scholl I undertook this trip to Bonn and Freiburg for the purpose of seeking out people from among my circle of friends who would possibly participate in the distribution of our leaflets. I covered these expenses out of my own pocket.
However, I can assure you that I never discussed – not even one word – about our leaflet propaganda with my acquaintances in Bonn. I did not do so, because I could not bring myself to burden these people with that matter. However, I must admit that I did talk to Dr. Heinz Bollinger, whom I visited sought in Freiburg and met up with in Ulm, about the matter and asked him to participate in the distribution of leaflets. Since Bollinger refused to be involved in the matter due to his fundamental attitudes, I did not even show him one of the leaflets (I had three copies of it with me).
I wanted to try to talk Bollinger into participating in this operation that I was implementing and that opposes the current regime. I told him that not only I, but other persons in Munich collaborated in this operation. I told him that it involved propaganda that would be set in motion simultaneously in several cities across Southern Germany, and that that was the reason that he – Bollinger – should take over the distribution of leaflets that we would deliver to him. Before I could even finish my speech, Bollinger told me that he fundamentally did not wish to have anything to do with such a matter. Therefore I was not able to give him additional reasons for our activities.
==========
White Rose History: January 1933 - October 1943 