Franz Von Papen

Born Oct. 29, 1879, in Werl, Westphalia; died May 2, 1969, in Obersasbach, Baden. A major war criminal of fascist Germany.

Papen was the son of a big landowner. He was an officer on the General Staff before the start of World War I (1914–18). He was a military attaché in the USA from 1913 to 1915 but was deported for espionage and subversive activity. Between 1921 and 1932 he was a deputy to the Prussian Landtag from the Catholic Center Party and a member of its extreme right wing. From July to November 1932, Papen headed the government whose policies contributed to the strengthening of the position of the Nazis. He was active in the establishment of the fascist dictatorship in January 1933 and joined Hitler’s government as vice-chancellor. As ambassador to Austria from July 1934 to March 1938, Papen played a role in the Anschluss —the forcible seizure of Austria by fascist Germany. As ambassador to Turkey from 1939 to 1944, he tried to draw Turkey into an alliance with fascist Germany. In 1946, Papen was a defendant at the International War Tribunal in Nuremberg, but he was acquitted because of disagreements among the members of the tribunal.