Ben Wilson

He says, I myself cannot plead guilty.

I confess to the deed, but I cannot plead guilty to high treason because there is no high treason against the traitors of 1918.

I do not feel that I am a traitor, but the best German who wanted the best for his people.

Okay, rousing stuff, really great speech.

And think about what he's doing here.

He's completely inverted the judicial relationship.

He is putting the government on trial, right?

He says, I did it, but they are the guilty ones.

The men who signed the armistice, who accepted the Versailles terms, who presided over Germany's humiliation, over our economic devastation.

They are the traitors.

I'm simply the man who tried to stop them.

And to that, yes, I am guilty.

Okay.

It's a good argument.

It's a very good argument.

And going into the proceedings...

people are calling it the Lutendorf trial, right?

Lutendorf is the nationally famous person.

He is the one who is expected to be the head of this government.

And so everyone's saying, okay, Lutendorf tried to do this.