Trial of the Major War Criminals before International Military Tribunal ...

"With regard to Iraq, which came into the picture shortly
before my flight to Scotland, the Fiihrer only remarked that
this country should not be left in the lurch. Mo're definite
observations were not made to me in this respect by him."
J: Darf ich eins dabei einfugen, ich glaube beim ersten Punkt
miisste es heimn -
i3r.G: I don't quite know- what 'left i;-,the lurch' means, but it is
rather interesting to know, it's a remark made by the Fuhrer
apparently; do I get the idea right, that since Germany had
urged Rashid Ali to revolt and had promised him German
help, that Germany under these terms should not leave Iraq
without German support? May I just repeat, I didn't quite
understand the sentence about the Nhrer and Iraq; you say
there, before you left Germany, the fihrer, - I don't know
your expression in German - said that Iraq must not be
left in the lurch, and I was asking what that meant, did it
mean, I am asking, did it mean that since Germany had
promised her help to Rashid Ali and had encouraged him to
revolt against British influence, that in the peace settlement
Germany must see that Iraq had German support?
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J: Zu diesem Punkt kann ich tatsachlich kQne naheren Angaben
machen, wie gesagt, es war kurz vor meinem Abflug,
der Fiihrer bat nur gesagt, man darf den Iraq nicht im
Stiche lassen. Was darunter zu verstehen ist, das kann ich
nicht sagen; also,zu diesem Punkt muss ich nahere Erklarungen
ausschalten. Der miisste auf anderem Wege ma1 geklart
werden.
Dr.G: I wanted to know what is that supposed to mean?
J: Can't explain. ,Im Stiche lassen' heisst auf Deutsch, man
darf nicht einfach dariiber hinweg gehen- ohne Riicksicht
auf den Iraq. Des Fiihrers Gedanke ist beim Punkt l.vor
allem, dass das die Voraussetzung ware, urn fiir alle Zeiten
einen neuen Krieg zwischen Deutschland und England zu
verhindern.
Dr.G: I think I ha'd better ask you, please, Herr Hess, if you will
explain these conditions a little more. You have had constant
conversations with Herr Hitler about them, and I am
sure the conversations couldn't be written down on two half
sheets of paper; it must have been much longer than that.
J: Ich wtirde Sie bitten, dann nach detaillierte Fragen zu
stellen, urn weiter darauf zu kornrnen.