Whatever labels may be attached to the fifteen charges brought against me, they all arise from my having been a member of the Communist Party and from my activities as a member.

I wish you to inform the Court that my absence though deliberate is not intended in any way to be disrespectful. In 1963 Bram and Molly were driving to Cape Town for their daughter's 21st birthday. After the verdict Bram Fischer visited the Rivonia trial prisoners on Robben Island to discuss the question of an appeal in their case.