Berlin, Feb. 8
The Rev. Martin Niemoeller, prozninent Berlin pastor charged with misuse of his pulpit for the propagation of "malicious slander" against the Nazi Party, planned to plea his Own case here to-day after his attorneys, apparently fearing Nazi retaliation, refused to re-enter his plea for a public hearing.
An earlier plea for a public hearing was rejected by the Moabit Criminal Court and the court room cleared of all but officials.
The Rev. Niemoeller to-day dis-Charged his attorneys when they refused to enter another plea for a public hearing. The court offered to appoint new attorneys, but he refused them, stating that he would plead his Own case.
The case is creating a sensation in religious circles here since the Gestapo yesterday issued orders forbidding pastors of the Evangelical confessional movement to leave or enter Berlin. The Rev. Niemoeller is charged with having opposed the Nazi campaign to force the Evangelican Church to conform with Nazi ideas.
The case is expected to be prolonged because of the vast amount of evidence said to have been collected by Nazi prosecutors, Dr. Niemoeller recently was reported to have rejected an offer from Government circles whereby the case against him would be dropped if he retired from the ministry.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.