⚠️ Historical Documentation Notice
Historical Documentation Notice

This document is part of a historical archive and is presented for scholarly research and educational purposes.

The content reflects historical perspectives and should be understood within its historical context.

Ministry of Supply scientist Prof. Reginald Patrick Linstead asks
F.O. for evidence of gas chambers, December
1944

MINISTRY
OF SUPPLY SHELL MEX HOUSE STRAND LONDON W.C.2

SECRET

5th December, 1944.

Dear Vyvyan,

The chemical Defense Division of this Ministry is anxious to make technical enquiries on the use by the Germans of Gas
Lethal Chambers on prisoners. I am writing to ask if you know of any authenticated case of the use of such Lethal
Chambers in France or other liberated countries.

Yours sincerely, R. P. Linstead.

J.M. Vyvyan, Esq., Foreign Office, Whitehall, S .W. 1.

Copy to: Mr. Childs

FOREIGN
OFFICE
S.W.1

20TH DECEMBER, 1944

(C 17549/17549/18)

SECRET

Dear Professor Linstead,

In reply to your secret letter of the 5th December, I write to say that the Foreign Office have no record of the use by the Germans of lethal chambers for gassing human beings in France or elsewhere in Western Europe.

You refer, however, to “other liberated countries” and if this includes the part of Poland evacuated by the Germans, it was of course near Lublin that the worst known case of killings of the kind occurred. Perhaps you will let me know if you require any information about gas chambers in Eastern
Europe of a non-technical kind, such as we could supply from the published material available here.

Yours sincerely,

(J.M. Vyvyan)© Focal Point 1999

See Also