Posted Sunday, October 25, 1998

THE SKETCH above is a detail from an unflattering cartoon published in The Guardian when it reviewed David Irving's book Hitler's War. He purchased the original from artist David Smith, from whom FOCAL POINT commissioned several skilfully executed caricatures.	David Irving circulates to his supporters a private newsletter, ACTION REPORT, which runs a regular column, "Inside Right -- A Radical's Diary." We reproduce here the text of his diary entries covering his 1992 "conviction" under Germany's laws for the suppression of free speech.   [CLICK for a German account of the same hearing ]
AY 4, 1992 (Monday) Koblenz -- Munich, Germany   At Bundesarchiv [German government archives] 8:30 a.m., deposited my Sammlung [document collection] with them. I drove off at 9:45 a.m. to Munich, stopping once for a cup of tea and once for a fifteen minute snooze, arriving at Bayerischer Hof on the dot of 3:29 p.m. Alas, hotel had no sign of my 4:30 p.m. press conference; quite the contrary, manager told me he had cancelled the booking because of Ewald Althans's horrendous invitation leaflet. I was furious. I spoke at Bayerischer Hof with a couple of reporters including local Daily Telegraph. Jews demonstrated outside the Bayerischer Hof, and inside our press conf., but I handled them tactfully. Two hour conference. Althans is getting bumptious, out of control. No sign of my lawyer Klaus Goebel. That's annoying. Hope he turns up tomorrow!z   May 5, 1992 (Tuesday) Munich, Germany Althans came to the hotel for breakfast. Took two taxis to the Amtsgericht [courthouse] after loading the boxes of books; 9 at court. Many of Althans's friends were in court. I wish he had not done that, I specifically asked him and the others not to put on a display of force at the courtroom. Outside the court room later Jewish demonstrators were allowed (!!) to gather. The two Wachtmeister [police officers] made no attempt to remove them or their offensive banners. In court 9 to 12, then back in court 12:45 to 4:30 p.m. After I confirmed the statements quoted in the Strafbefehl [indictment], the judge, a nasty, pale-faced young chap wearing jeans under his gown, and pebble glasses, and stifling yawns and gazing repeatedly out of the window, said the case could end there and then with an Urteil [sentence]! My lawyers indicated they had rather more to say, and put up a brave defence. DAVID IRVING's German lawyer Hajo Herrmann (centre) was a wartime fighter pilot ace (below, decorated with the Knight's Cross for bravery; right in this January 13, 1993 Munich courthouse picture is his other attorney, Schaller. Hajo Herrmann was rather slow at getting off the mark, and lost himself in his papers a lot. Klaus Goebel was brisker. It hardly mattered. The judge, Stelzner, dismissed every single application by us for the introduction of defence evidence and witnesses including Franciszek Piper, Berndt Martin and Dipl. Chemiker Germar Rudolf, who was in court to testify. The judge withdrew four or five times, to consider the applications, but no doubt after consulting higher quarters he returned each time with refusals. Staatsanwältin [public prosecutor], a woman of about 30, also withdrew once for a recession, during which she evidently obtained orders from above too, according to my lawyers. At 3 p.m, the judge stated he intended to get a decision today. We asked for a recess, and my two lawyers then decided to make a demonstration in the only remaining way, namely by laying down their mandates and walking out. I had to remain alone, as I had Erscheinungspflicht [mandatory attendance]. We returned at 4 p.m., so did the judge. Goebel announced his withdrawal, standing; so did Herrmann, who was unhappy as he had a fine Schlussplädoyer [closing argument] ready. The public galleries applauded. The judge was very shocked, and said so. He also expressed annoyance at the applause. I announced that were it not for the Erscheinungspflicht, I would also withdraw, because it was evident that the verdict was already ready, and nothing we could do would alter or affect it. Thus when the judge now moved to the part of the trial where he asked my financial means, which the Prosecutor had declared were evidently ample, I said, "As it is obvious that nothing I state will have the slightest effect, I decline to make any statement on my circumstances." More from the prosecutor, who demanded 100 Tagessätze [daily units] assessed at 100 DM per day, i.e. DM10,000. I was then allowed a final speech, which I made without notes for 15 minutes and which Ewald Althans illicitly taped. There was a burst of applause as I finished. The judge retired, returned at 4 p.m. to announce his verdict: guilty, sentence as asked by the prosecution, DM.10,000. The increase from the original DM.7,000 fine was for my obstinacy and Uneinsichtigkeit [refusal to change my mind]. No matter. I refused to look at him while he read it out. I had managed during the day to quote Goebbels, "Das einmal Gesagte ist und bleibt auch wahr," and to say that this all reminded me very much of Goebbels's tactics. I was inclined, I said in summing up, to detect in the trial today den Hauch eines Geruchs eines Schauprozesses [the whiff of an odour of a show trial]. 5:30 p.m. phoned my London telephone answering-machine. Usual voice: "Let's hope your next plane journey will come down and you'll drop dead like Lockerbie you bloody bastard." (Common, uneducated voice.) -- Several blank calls. [--] drove me over at 8 p.m. at to the Danuben house, Möhlstrasse 21, where I addressed an appreciative and convivial audience with a witty speech about the perils of public speaking (and the "Holocaust"), well received by a packed audience of around 40, including my lawyer Goebel and a judge.    For more on this hearing go to the full-length draft brochure which Focal Point Publications are preparing:-      [175K]
© David Irving 1992.

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