An interesting archival discovery... The statement of Georgian politician Michel Kedia during his interrogation in Switzerland, where he surrendered to the Allies right after the end of the Second World War. This interrogation report of Kedia had never been used in any research before.It is an interesting interrogation report containing very striking statements when examined in depth. Kedia's taunts with Bammat are a testament to how strong unsatisfied ambitions and political jealousy are. One should not neglect that he does not miss the opportunity to denigrate Bammat at a time when he desperately needs to save himself from being convicted as a criminal of war. On the other hand, his statements about how he became a reliable man of Noe Jordania are indications of how skillful he was in political maneuvers.
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Hearing proceedings
Place; Geneva-Police Security
Date; July 4, 1945
Hour; 1500 h.
KEDIA Michel, son of Alexandre and Olga Meounarguia, born on 31.12.1902 in Zugdidi, merchant, Georgian, married, alone in Geneva, domiciled Hotel d'Angleterre in Geneva.
When questioned, he said:
I was born in Zugdidi where I lived for seven years. Then in Batum until he was sixteen and for three years in Tiflis where my father was head of the Political Police of the Georgian Republic. After the Soviet occupation of Georgia, I left my country with my father in March 1921 to go to Turkey. I lived in this country for fifteen months with my wife. I married the daughter of the head of the criminal police. From there I was sent to Germany where I studied law in Heidelberg. From this city, I joined my parents on March 1924 in Paris. Since that date, I have always lived in Paris. From 1924 to 1929 I worked in this city. With my father-in-law, we set up a cheese factory and in 1929, I was able to continue my studies. I got my law degree and continued my business. My father and father-in-law, as well as my wife and two children still live in Paris.
I have always been anti-Bolshevik and I defended my country even before the war in the newspapers. I wrote in the newspaper "The Caucasus" whose editor was Mr. Haidar Bammate. Being anti-social democratic, I was in opposition to the Georgian National Government in Paris. I have always been a Georgian nationalist who wants the freedom of my country not like the Social Democrats in the context of a great Russia. After 1918 these evolved and on May 26, 1918, declared the independence of Georgia, so we were all united on the goal of achieving complete independence for Georgia. Despite this, there was still opposition because we were looking for those responsible for the occupation of Georgia. As I told you, I started collaborating with the newspaper "The Caucasus" and I wanted to know if it was the Journal of the Movement or the newspaper of one person. I immediately realized that this diary was exclusively that of Mr. Haidar Bammate. This Journal was published in seven languages and Bammate held the funds it was to receive from Japan. Following discussions between the Georgian Caucasus group and Haidar Bammate, of whom I was the protagonist, I came to Lausanne in June 1939 to discuss with Mr Bammate.
Mr. Bammate told me that it was a plot of the former Social Democrat Akhmeteli in Berlin and he advised me to go to that city and to Prague where Akhmeteli had come after the occupation of Prague by the Germans and where he would have made a pro-social democratic policy. I went to Berlin where I saw Georgians but I could not go to Prague because I could not get the visa.
Mr. Bammate asked Berlin by telephone if I had gone to Prague and having learned that I had not been able to obtain the visa he sent one of his friends from Berlin to do the formalities for me. Immediately afterwards I obtained the visa and I learned at the beginning of 1941 that it was the Eastern Group of the German General Staff that had given me this visa. I went to Prague, then to Paris and then I came back to Lausanne to invite him to give in. Our interview did not yield results and I returned to Paris. Following the declaration of war and Germany's alliance with the Soviets, the grouping dissolved. Since the beginning of the war, I have refrained from any political activity, however, supporting the point of view of Mr. Jordania, who had officially placed himself on the side of the Allies. Mr. Jordania was the President of the Georgian Government in Paris.
On June 14 the Germans entered Paris and on July 7, 1940, I received a visit from a German officer who called himself Dr. Kramer but who was actually Dr. Marquert who came to bring me greetings from one of my compatriots from Berlin. He asked me what the Georgians wanted.
I replied: 10/ That no reprisals be exercised against the Georgians. 20/ Find work for those who did not have one. He accepted and appointed Dr. Stefan as his liaison man, who was actually Professor M. Raubach at the University of Halle. The latter asked me my wishes in writing what I did. I made it clear in that letter that we wished to remain loyal to France which had granted us asylum. The Germans did not ask us for anything in return. I encouraged my compatriots to unite behind Jordania and became his trusted man. Since then, I have been under attack from the Georgian National Socialist Group and General Kvinitadze of the Caucasus Group. I was in contact with a German Dr. Rademacher alias Dr. Weber who told me in October 1940; The salvation of Germany depends on one non-commissioned officer and ten soldiers who would shoot Hitler." It was for this reason that these anti-National Socialist Germans had contacted me and not the National Socialist Georgians. That was the basis of our collaboration. I managed to save my compatriots and Jews through this collaboration. With Dr. Stefan, I was able to get Mr. Beridze out of the Vernet camp and he returned to Paris. I continued to operate my business and Mr Beridze together with other Georgians gave me 13 million francs to support our compatriots.
This sum was given to me in several installments. So I was completely independent of the Germans from whom I never received any money. In October 1940 SS searches were carried out at the homes of all Georgian leaders and Georgian properties. After these operations, I received a visit from a young Georgian from Berlin who presented me with a letter from Mr. Akhmeteli informing me that SS Captain Engelhaupt was coming to investigate in Paris and that he would not do anything without consulting me. I protested to this young man and the next day I had an appointment with this SS captain to whom I renewed my protests. It is not up to me not to retaliate. He offered me to become Director of the Caucasian Office which I refused.
In April 1941, I learned that war was about to break out between Germany and the USSR. From that moment I told the Germans that I was with them. At the time of the declaration of war, 195 Georgians enlisted in the German army to fight against the USSR. It was through me that they were hired. We saw Germany as the liberator of all the peoples of Eastern Europe. On the first of August 1941, I was in Berlin and I obtained permission from Dr. Marquert to go to the front to visit the Russian prisoners. Among them, I found 700 Georgians in a camp who asked me for weapons to fight the Soviets. Back in Berlin, I told Dr. Marquert about this but he could not give satisfaction telling me that we could not do anything. All these Georgians died of starvation from cold or by the bullets of the Germans and I have never found a single one among these seven hundred. Dr. Marquert introduced me to Professor Mende of the Rosenberg Ministry but the latter could not do anything and advised me to return to Paris. When I arrived in this city I informed my friends and remained inactive until November 1941.
At that time I returned to Berlin where I met one of my compatriots Mr. Nicoladze friend of Rosenberg who did not want to do anything. I spoke again with the people of the General Staff and communicated Nicoladze's answer to them and returned to Paris.
Since then I have been monitored by the Gestapo and the Georgian National Socialist Group.
In April 1942, the Turks exerted pressure on von Papen to demand that the Caucasus not be occupied but liberated. M. von Papen informs M. von Ribbentrop, who is instructed by Count von Schulenburg to deal with the Georgian question. The latter invites all Caucasian leaders to come to Berlin for a conference. At that time I received a telegram from Captain Engelhaupt, deputy chief of SS intelligence, inviting me to come urgently to Berlin. I applied for my visa from the General Staff not wanting to receive anything from the SS. I first went to Dr. Marquert's house in Berlin. The latter advised me to visit Captain Engelhaupt.
Through Engelhaupt I met Dr. Graeffe, Lt. Colonel head of the intelligence group for the East who asked me to help him fight the Soviets and then with their help to save the prisoners, that is, to help our compatriots. He criticized Rosenberg's policies and party policies. Then I met Count Schulenburg with whom I had an interview and to whom I told him that Germany would be defeated if it continued this policy of oppression. Mr. von Schulenburg asked me to write him a brief, which I did. I gave duplicates to different people. The conference, which Bemmate attended, yielded no results as the Germans did not want to recognize the principle of Georgia's independence. Back in Paris, in July I learned that a Georgian council had been created in the Rosenberg Ministry, I was obviously excluded from this council. In the meantime, I obtained from Dr. Graeffe a passport valid for six months.
Since July 1942, I have always had my residence in Berlin where I fought the activity of the Georgian Nazis. I was able to stay in Berlin thanks to my German friends who were all against the policy of Rosenberg and the Georgian Committee. At the end of 1943, the Georgian council was liquidated and I formed a Caucasian group of compatriots all supporters of the independence of the Caucasus.
We sought to improve the lot of Caucasian prisoners and legionaries. It was only at the end of 1943 that we were able to intervene in the camps. We have always had to fight against the German authorities to try to help our compatriots.
During this time I was able to go to Turkey five times where I found support. I was able to pass instructions in Georgia to ask my compatriots to form a free government as soon as the Germans arrived. I also asked that they agree with the Communists so that the Germans would be faced with a fait accompli. The last time I was in Turkey was from May 18 to June 22, 1944.
In 1942, in agreement with Dr. Graeffe, I was able to go to the North Caucasus but I could not stay there because an SS General had declared that my program did not suit them. In April 1943 I was able to send an emissary to Finland and Sweden who provoked an intervention by Marshal Mannerheim with Hitler, intervention without result.
Following my last trip to Turkey I made a memorandum that I gave to Dr. Mende, I said that politically Germany had already lost the war. I proposed changes and I asked Dr. Graeffe to support my proposals, which he could not do, there is a mistake this memorandum was written after my trip to the Caucasus. Dr. Graeffe killed himself in an automobile in January 1944.
At the end of 1943, a Georgian named Schalva Odicharia put himself at the disposal of the Gestapo in Paris and formed a group of 180 people, called the Georgian Gestapo group. This group has done us a lot of damage in France.
This man in Konstanz changed his name with three operations on his face and he called himself Charles BERGER. I do not know what became of him. In July 1944, in Paris, I was summoned by the Gestapo having been denounced. I explained myself and was not worried. I left Paris with the last train to continue defending my people. Shortly afterwards the Georgian Gestapo group arrived in Berlin and I was the victim of daily denunciations. Thanks to my friends I was not worried.
In October 1944, I was summoned by the SS to submit to Vlassoff, it was Dr. Kranger, SS General who challenged me, but I refused. Since then I have been summoned several times by the SS. I have even been once to General Vlassof at the request of General Kreuger. But I refused to submit.
After an interview at my home with General Waschter, the former governor of Lemberg, I was able to win over Lt. Colonel Rapp of the SS, who has protected me ever since. That's how I was able to leave Germany. I contacted Dr. Marty, delegate of the C.I.C.R. in Berlin and we asked to come to Switzerland to the C.I.C.R. to prevent our compatriots from being handed over to the Soviets.
I am in contact with the Red Cross and ask to stay in Switzerland. I cannot return to France at the moment. I have sufficient livelihoods.
M. Kedia
Cem KUMUK
Istanbul, 18 July 2023