Hans Scholl re Alexander Schmorell

It is a little different with Alexander Schmorell. This person has been – shall we say – my friend for many years.

Nevertheless, I did not initiate him into my plan until the end of January 1943. At first I only asked him for money without telling him what I needed it for. At the end of January and during the first half of February 1943, Schmorell gave me money on 3 occasions, for an amount totaling around 500 Marks [$4,000.00]. I did not give him a receipt for the money. I also avoided asking Schmorell to help me produce the leaflets.

At the end of January 1943, I told Schmorell that I had printed leaflets and that I wished to mail these leaflets to various cities in the Reich. Even then, I only hinted at the contents of the leaflet, i.e., I did not allow him to read one. When he expressed the wish to let him read a leaflet, I told him that I would rather keep the matter to myself. He said he was satisfied with my answer.

We then went to the Deutsches Museum together and copied out addresses from out-of-town cities such as Salzburg, Linz on the Danube, Vienna, Frankfurt/Main, Augsburg, and Stuttgart. We then typed these addresses on envelopes. All of this took place in my apartment, where we 2 could be alone.

When we completed our work (1500-2000 copies), Schmorell traveled to Vienna via Salzburg at his own expense, so he could mail the letters along the way and then finally in Vienna. Schmorell packed these letters in his suitcase.

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Ed. Note: Instead of putting this entry with the various “dates” associated with the information (friendship with Alexander Schmorell, when Schmorell learned about the leaflets, etc.), it is all going to the Salzburg-Vienna trip. Hans Scholl had already told mostly-the-truth in his second interrogation, so it’s odd that he now backtracks and starts trying to cover for his friend.

Second, note the odd wording regarding Alexander Schmorell. “This person has been – shall we say – my friend (Freund) for many years.” Odd on two levels. The “shall we say” (puzzling), and “for many years”. Hans Scholl had known Alexander Schmorell for less than three years, so this was not a long-term friendship by most standards.

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Source: Third interrogation of Hans Scholl, February 20, 1943