THE STORY: TAKING SIDES takes place in the American Zone of occupied Berlin, in 1946. It is here the American portion of the De-Nazification Tribunal has convened to take over the questioning of Wilhelm Furtwauml;ngler, one of the outstanding conductors of his time. Furtwauml;ngler was at the height of his career in 1933, eclipsing all other conductors, just as Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. As the terrors of Nazism spread, many of Furtwauml;ngler's colleagues fled the country, whether out of protest or persecution, but Furtwauml;ngler mysteriously chose to stay. Did he stay to do as much good as possible in the face of evil, as so many believe, or did he stay to serve Hitler, of which he was later accused? The Tribunal's evidence has been prepared firstly by the British, and then taken over by two groups of Americans: one in Wiesbaden which assisted in Furtwauml;ngler's defense, the other in Berlin which helped build the case against him. Little is known of the motives and methods of this group, which is the focus of TAKING SIDES. What is known is that Furtwauml;ngler was humiliated, pursued and, even after his acquittal, disinformation followed him. This may or may not have been justified-it all depends on the side you take.