June 23, 1989

Storm over 'evil' book

By BERNARD JOSEPHS

A storm of protest has blown up over the publication in London of a book claiming that mass gassings did not take place in Nazi death camps.

The book -- written by a consultant designer of death row gas chambers for the American prison service -- is being launched by Focal Point, the publishing company run by the Right-wing revisionist historian, Mr David Irving.

Mr Irving, who claims that Hitler knew nothing of the Holocaust, has written a foreword to the book, "The Leuchter Report," in which he says: "The infamous gas chambers of Auschwitz, Treblinka and Majdanek did not exist."

He told the "Jewish Chronicle" on Wednesday that the author, Mr Fred Leuchter, who is said to be an engineer, had visited the sites of death camps and found no residue of poison gas.

"The Jewish community have to examine their consciences. They have been propagating something that isn't true," Mr Irving said.

More than 100 MPs have signed a parliamentary motion condemning the book and its "evil calumny." Several Government Ministers have expressed disgust at the publication.

Members of the Union of Jewish Students and anti-fascist groups are to demonstrate outside Focal Point's West End headquarters when the book is launched today (Friday).

[ Jewish Chronicle's Report on Press Conference launching Leuchter Report ]