On April 11, 2002 in Germany, an interrogation of Herman Schaper (age 90) took place. Schaper is a witness in the investigation into the murdering of Jewish inhabitants of the township Jedwabne on July 10, 1941. The investigation is conducted by the prosecutor Radosław Ignatiew from the Branch Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation in Białystok. Ignatiew took part in the interrogation by a German prosecutor. 

A few months ago when asked by the Institute of National Remembrance, the German Prosecution Office as well as the Central Research Office of Nationalist and Socialist Crimes in Ludwigsburg instigated the search for Herman Schaper. This led to finding Schaper's current place of stay and to his interrogation. Before that, it was believed that Schaper was dead. Therefore, particular steps taken to find Schaper by the German authorities are highly appreciated. This action enabled the Institute to receive legal assistance in the matter.Herman Schaper, a Gestapo officer from Ciechanów, was seen by the witness Chaja Finkelstein on July 7, 1941 in Radziłów. The witness recognized Schaper on the photographs and testified that he was the man who had been standing in the market place in Radziłów on the day of the of murdering the Jewish inhabitants of Jedwabne and had commanded other Gestapo officers and the Poles co-operating withthe Gestapo. The witness added that Schaper 'made an impression of a person in charge'. However, German prosecutors in 1965 dismissed the case against Schaper, in which he would be charged with the participation in the mass murders of Jews in summer 1941 in Łomża province, on the basis of the lack of proof. The interrogation of Schaper, which took place last week, was based on the list of questions that had been submitted earlier to the German Prosecution Office by the prosecutor from the Institute of National Remembrance.

In response to questions during the interrogation Herman Schaper said that:

• in summer 1941 he commanded a Gestapo unit of 10-15 people which were driving passenger cars and motorcycles (he added that they did not use lorries);
• the task of the unit was to search for Russian agents and to secure documents;
• in that period he once witnessed an execution of Jews performed by a firing squad.

Schaper denied the written testimony of Isak Fehler which was given by him in the early 1960s. In that testimony Fehler recognized Schaper and said: 'I believe that he is the officer, who was in charge of the operation in Tykocin' (murdering Jews in that township). Schaper denied Fehler's testimony that at that time he had been wearing a uniform and a round cap with the 'death's head' on it and that he had commanded people in Tykocin. 'I did not give any commands, and I did not wear a round cap' said Schaper. Answering the next question Schaper said that his Gestapo superior's name had been Pulmer. He also mentioned the name Baumann, who was one of the Gestapo officers, with whom Herman Schaper served in 1941. Schaper, when asked whether his unit had other tasks, apart from searching for agents and documents, answered that 'they had no further tasks'. When asked what he knew about 'the mass murders of Jews in June-September 1941 in the vicinity of Łomża', he answered that 'there were various actions of the local people and some units'. He added that he 'did not know what units they were'. Schaper was indignated by the interrogation and presented the prosecutor with many documents certifying his disability to testify. The interrogation was stopped and a doctor stated that further questioning may cause a heart attack or cerebralhemorrhage. The next day, Schaper was medically examined and found unable to take part in the investigation, with an emphasis that no improvement of his present state could be expected.The interrogation lasted an hour an a half and was videotaped. The protocol was forwarded by the German Prosecution Office to the Head Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation today around noon. The subject-matter evaluation of Schaper's testimony will be made by prosecutor Radosław Ignatiew, who is in charge of the investigation.

April 14, 2002