The International Campaign for Real History
Goebbels on Wannsee
Extract from David Irving, Goebbels. Mastermind of the Third Reich (Focal Point, London, 1996)

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Notes

  1. Because when Heydrich sent the Wannsee conference minutes to Luther at the foreign ministry on Feb 26, it was date-stamped Mar 2, 1942 (Pol. Archiv AA, Serial 1513; NA film T120, roll 780, 372023).
  2. Diary, Mar 7, 1942, pp.17f.
  3. Minutes of conference at RSHA, Mar 6, 1942, on final solution of the Jewish Problem (Pol. Archiv AA, Serial 1513; NA film T120, roll 780, 371962).- Carstensen was killed as a fighter pilot at the end of the year (diary, Dec 15, 1942: NA film T84, roll 262)
  4. Interrogations of the Reich chancellery's Gottfried Boley, Sep 14, 15, 1945 (NA film M.1270, roll 2) and Jun 10, 1947 (M.1019, roll 8); and of the Party Chancellery's Edinger Ancker, Jun 11, 1947 (M.1019, roll 3).
  5. Staatssekretär Schlegelberger sent his representative's report to Lammers of the Reich Chancellery on Mar 12, and described the decisions taken there as 'for the most part totally impracticable' (ND: 4055-PS; USA Exhibit 923; BA file R.22/52).
  6. Interrogation of Reich Chancellery's Dr Hans Ficker, Jun 11, 1947 (NA film M.1019, roll 17).
  7. Schlegelberger's undated (but spring 1942) minute on Lammer's reference to Hitler's ruling is in BA file R.22/52; although listed in their Staff Evidence Analysis sheet, this page was removed by American officials at Nuremberg from the exhibit cited above.) - And see Ficker.- At about the same time JG noted that Hitler was relentless on the Jewish question: 'The Jews must get out of Europe, if necessary by applying the most brutal means' (unpubl. diary, Mar 20, 1942, NA film T84, roll 261.)

CHAPTER: A FATE THAT BEGGARS DESCRIPTION

[...]

ON THE following day he [Goebbels] took note of an extensive report by Heydrich's office, probably on the Wannsee conference.[1] There were still eleven million Jews in Europe, he dictated, summarizing the document. 'For the time being they are to be concentrated in the east [until] later; possibly an island like Madagascar can be assigned to them after the war.' It all raised a host of 'delicate questions,' like what to do with half-Jews and people like the late Gottschalk, Aryans married to Jews. 'Undoubtedly there will be a multitude of personal tragedies,' he wrote airily, 'But this is unavoidable. The situation now is ripe for a final settlement of the Jewish question.'[2] The covering letter from Heydrich invited Goebbels to a second conference, at his headquarters in Kurfürsten Strasse on March 6. Goebbels sent two of his senior staff, Oberregierungsrat Pay Carstensen of the propaganda division, and Dr Schmidt-Burgk, of its eastern territories sub-section.[3] The conference was raw with untutored remarks. Eichmann talked crudely of 'forwarding' the Jews, like so many head of cattle; and when one civil servant objected that they could hardly proceed against law-abiding Jewish citizens, Eichmann's rough-tongued adjutant S.S. Sturmbannführer Günther remarked cynically, 'That's up to our judgement as policemen.'[4] The ministry of justice handled the report like a hot potato.[5] The Reich Chancellery referred it all to Hitler.[6] Hitler told Hans Lammers categorically that he wanted the solution of the Jewish problem postponed until after the war was over - a ruling that remarkably few historians now seem disposed to quote.[7]

 

Publication of this book in the United States by St Martin's Press and Doubleday Inc in April 1996 was halted after a campaign by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, who vilified the book (without having seen it) as "neo nazi" and "antisemitic".

 
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