Acting (NSB) mayor (1944–1945)
Izaak Antonie de Moor, born on May 31, 1905, in Goedereede, was appointed mayor of Breskens in 1939. In 1941, he joined the N.S.B. there. After ‘Dolle Dinsdag‘ (Mad Tuesday), he fled to Aalten, where he took over the mayoral duties from September 18, 1944, during the period when Mayor Monnik was in hiding. When things became too difficult for him a few days before the liberation, he fled to Grijpskerk, where he was arrested upon liberation. After 1½ years of internment, he was provisionally released.
On March 10, 1947, De Moor stood trial before the war tribunal in Groenlo. The charges were as follows: group leader and sub-district leader of the N.S.B., neighborhood head of the N.V.D., member of the N.A.F. during his term in Breskens; taking the oath of allegiance to Mussert; organizing N.V.D. training afternoons; threatening the municipal messenger J.J. Bliek; applying for a weapons permit from the Representative of the Reich Commissioner; stating, when returning Dutch soldiers to Germany as prisoners of war: “They deserve no better; they have done nothing but sabotage”; distributing the publications Volk en Vaderland and De Zeeuwsche Stroom; cooperating with the labor deployment for coastal defense works; and providing a training course for mayors in Goes.
The term of office in Aalten
The summons regarding his term of office in Aalten included the following charges: cooperating with the O.T. labor deployment in Zevenaar and Bocholt; calling in the assistance of the Landwacht to check for people in hiding, for the requisitioning of bicycles, and for the arrest of a person in hiding at Te Giffel. Furthermore, the accused dismissed all municipal officials who were in hiding and informed the Sicherheitspolizei in Doetinchem of the arrest of three individuals, including B.H. Wikkerink, for engaging in illegal activities. Finally, he called in the assistance of the Grüne Polizei stationed in Aalten in connection with the arrest of the Baruch family, a Jewish family in hiding.
The accused explained that by accepting the office of mayor in Aalten, he had intended to be of as much service as possible to the population. The president: “You have given all your strength to the German, and thus enemy, cause for the destruction of both the Dutch material and spiritual resistance. When you saw in Breskens who and what the Germans were, you should no longer have acted as mayor in Aalten.” The accused: “I had to choose between being a member of the Landwacht or a mayor. I had no desire for the Landwacht.” The president: “You could also have chosen another path: neither.”
The discussion then turned to why the accused had been present on October 10, 1944, when the S.S. had conducted a raid in Aalten and the detained persons were brought to the community center. The accused: “The S.S. intended to cordone off the churches. I knew this would cause much unrest in Aalten, so I tried to make amends where possible. In some cases, I was able to do something in favor of those detained.” The accused denied having ordered the arrest of the six hostages. “In the report to Doetinchem,” the accused stated, “I did declare it. The late Mr. v.d. Glas, the Landwacht commander, gave the order to arrest the hostages. As mayor, I was required to report it.”
The president: “Why did you attempt to compile a new population register, when you knew that the old one had been deliberately disappeared? You were in every respect a mindless tool in the hands of the Germans.” Furthermore, the speaker pointed out how dangerous it was to inform Vossers that the municipal secretary, Bijlsma, had made off with the municipal papers and documents, and to tell the aforementioned Vossers where B. was likely located. President: “You were a convinced and fierce member of the N.S.B.” The accused: “Not fierce, I was an idealist. I considered it my calling and task to do something for the Dutch people.”
After the various points of the indictment during his term in Breskens were addressed, the arrest of the Baruch family, who were in hiding in Aalten, was finally discussed. The accused admitted to having acted incautiously. He had mentioned it in a conversation with the Grüne Polizei. The president: “You knew yourself what kind of beasts the G.P. were.” The accused: “It did not sink in at that moment. I was able to prevent the Oberleutnant from having the three Jews in question shot. At my insistence, they were to be transported to Doetinchem. As the liberation approached, they were able to remain in Aalten. And upon my departure, I told Tilbusscher that the Jews could be released immediately, which is what happened.”
Verdict
The accused, who had no defense counsel, said in his closing statement that he is now back in the workforce. He appealed for the clemency of the Tribunal. “I have had a lesson for life. Moreover, my house in Breskens was bombed, and my 17 years of pension are gone. I was a civil servant heart and soul; I admit to having been completely wrong. Give me the opportunity now to care for my family again,” he exclaimed.
After deliberation, the president stated that it would be fair to impose an internment longer than the pre-trial detention. However, the Tribunal wished to take into account the circumstances in which the accused currently finds himself. The following measures were imposed upon him: internment equal to the pre-trial detention; disqualification from holding any public or semi-public office; deprivation of both voting rights; and confiscation of his radio.
De Moor passed away on February 17, 1984, at the age of 78, in Warnsveld.
