I attended the elementary school at Schweinfurt and the secondary school.

Only Communists and Social Democrats who acted against the state were incarcerated. Most of the Communists and Social Democrats I had known became Nazis later. Only those who were doing anything against the state were thrown in concentration camps.

As regards personal relationships I cannot say that I had any particularly personal intercourse with anyone.

My connection with the Reich Ministers was of a purely official nature and was very infrequent.

I was never informed in advance about the start of the war or about foreign political developments.

Although as a sailor I despised politics - for I loved my sailor's life and still love it today - conditions forced me to take up a definite attitude towards political problems.

It so happened that I was on a German sailing vessel on the way to Australia when the ship was captured, and on the high seas I was made prisoner by the French.