Second meeting with Falk Harnack

[Gisela Schertling:] Harnack was introduced to me on a Tuesday, either February 8 or 9, in [Hans] Scholl’s apartment. Schmorell was also present on that occasion. I was present for their conversation, and it lasted more than an hour.

From Scholl’s greetings, I could tell that this was the first time he had seen him here. When Scholl greeted him, he said that he was happy to see Harnack here.

However it is possible that Harnack had been in [Hans] Scholl’s apartment before. I assume that, because Hans Scholl told me that Harnack would be coming to the apartment, and that he had already been there one morning. …

I do not remember whether Hans Scholl or Schmorell introduced me to Harnack. I could tell from their greeting that Scholl and Harnack already knew one another.

The conversation that followed was completely about politics and economics. On that occasion, Harnack was the chief spokesman. He mainly talked about general economic-political issues and particularly about questions of labor. He talked about the nationalization of industry. He thought that would create a correct social balance for the worker. …

I can no longer recall details of the conversation. I must decisively deny that Harnack was shown a leaflet in my presence, or that they talked about graffiti at the university or any place else.

If Harnack was shown a leaflet during this meeting, then it was while I was out of the room. During this conversation, I was briefly in the kitchen once on several occasions, where I prepared tea.

While I was present, Hans Scholl did in fact give Harnack a document to read that was several typewritten pages long. In that context, Scholl said that this was the speech of an English writer. The writer had given the speech on the occasion of the truce with France. But I never learned about another document or rather about a leaflet on this or any other occasion.

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Editor’s note: Although Gisela Schertling provides very good detail about these meetings, it is clear that she was not present at the February 8 meeting (banned to Sophie Scholl’s room), nor the February 11 meeting between Kurt Huber and Willi Graf.

Therefore, although she mixes information about the meetings on February 8 and 9, we have carefully separated out stories that belong to the first and second meetings to keep things straight.

Note that during the first meeting on February 8 (without Kurt Huber), they primarily discussed operational matters.

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Source: Gisela Schertling’s interrogation dated March 29, 1943