This film is based on minutes from a meeting
which has gone down in history as the Wannsee Conference.
The so-called statesmen of the enemy spoke.
They could allow themselves to be silent, because their cannons spoke.
And their soldiers won victories on a tremendous scale,
which is unparalleled in history.
It is a pleasure for us as Berliners to express our warm gratitude
to you, my Führer, on behalf of the entire German people.
I think I speak for the whole people when I say, my Führer:
We stood by your side when they were silent, in difficult and in happy moments,
and we will stand with you through all disasters
till the proud hour of our victory...
Berlin, war winter 1942.
The persecution and murder of Europe's Jewish population began a long time ago.
On January 20, the highest representatives of the SS meet,
The NSDAP and the ministerial bureaucracy
at a conference in a villa at Großer Wannsee.
The person who invited to this breakfast meeting is Reinhard Heydrich,
the head of the National Security Agency, RSHA.
On the agenda is "the final solution to the Jewish question".
- Hail Hitler. - Good morning.
- Has Obergruppenführer Heydrich landed? - No.
Notify me when he does. Who is here?
Dr. Freisler, Secretary of State Neumann and Herr Luther of the State Department.
I can't keep them waiting...
- Where is Obersturmbannführer Eichmann? - In the meeting room.
Please go ahead.
Entertain the gentlemen with some civilized conversation.
Tell stories from the East.
The Secretary of State may find them distasteful.
You can handle it.
- Comrade Eichmann. - Good morning, Gruppenführer.
- It looks orderly. - We are almost done.
Heydrich at the end of the table?
You to his right, Gruppenführer Hofmann to his left.
Then Hofmann will be happy. And here next to him?
Ministry of the East:
Gauleiter Meyer, Dr Leibbrandt and Dr Bühler from the General Government.
- We place Meyer a little further away. - I thought that as a Gauleiter...
Otherwise he feels too important. Further.
Dr Schöngarth and Dr Lange.
Fine.
- And the desktop riders opposite? - Yes.
And you?
I will sit down with Fräulein Werlemann, so that we can resolve matters of protocol directly.
At the side table, I see.
- I'm glad you're here. - Me too, Gruppenführer.
It's different.
For my part, we can hold all conferences here.
- You don't like Herr Eichmann's office? - I didn't say that.
Do something about the work environment, Eichmann. A trip to the zoo.
I will investigate the possibilities.
- Did your trip to Theresienstadt go well? - Very good. I came home last night.
- Was everything as expected? - It's not as crowded as people say.
- That's what I said. - The new bunk beds work perfectly.
The inmates are allowed to huddle together.
First Mölder's plane crash and now Field Marshal Reichenau.
I left the coat at the laundry, and now we already have the next state funeral.
- A terrible loss, especially now. - Yes.
- Apparently a stroke. - Deep in the Ukrainian forests.
- What was he doing in the forest? - Run.
- In minus 40 degrees, like every morning. - You're kidding.
A Reichenau is not stopped by freezing temperatures. A tough devil.
40 degrees below zero, good god. And our men outside Moscow...
It is not warmer for the Russians. Moscow falls on Easter at the latest.
Right, Dr Schöngarth?
Of course.
Excuse me.
- It was a surprise! - Dr. Schöngarth?
- I thought you were in Latvia? - That's me.
I am here in place of Dr. Stahlecker.
- You are climbing in the career. - Well...
- I'm not happy with conferences. - You get used to it.
- Where do you live? - Here. My room is up there.
You should have told me! This is the wish.
I only arrived last night.
- Lots of work at your place? - Yes.
You are hardly finished with your Jews until more arrive. 900 more yesterday, Czech.
Where do you place them? The ghetto in Riga?
Hardly. We take a walk in the forest, and that's it.
- Mr. Kritzinger. - Dr. Klopfer.
I never thought I would make it!
Be careful what you say. The Gestapo is watching us.
As far as I know, we have nothing on you, Dr. Klopfer.
It was a relief.
- Minister Kritzinger... - Gruppenführer.
I didn't know your agency operates a branch out here.
- A former factory villa. - Aryanized?
Not in this case.
Gentlemen.
Obergruppenführer Heydrich has just landed.
We start at twelve o'clock as planned. Notify the kitchen.
Yes, Obersturmbannführer.
We expect 90 minutes. Prepare snacks in the saloon when the doors close.
- Gauleiter. - Gruppenführer.
Dr. Buhler.
- Dr. Leibbrandt. - Gruppenführer.
Where have you kidnapped us to, Müller? It looks downright feudal.
It is a guest house that belongs to RSHA.
The East Ministry should also have a guesthouse at Wannsee.
I agree.
Are you doing just as well in Kraków, Dr. Bühler?
The General Government has other concerns: two million Polish Jews.
- You can say that again. - We wait in vain for reinforcements.
- That is why we are here today. - Governor-General Frank wants results.
Gentlemen.
Gruppenführer Müller.
Dr. Stuckart. Let me congratulate you on the addition.
As well informed as always.
Why are we honored to be here? Repainting on Prinz-Albrecht-Straße?
We wanted to give a little change.
You want to impress us, but don't get your hopes up.
The house has central heating.
- For God's sake! - Can you orient me?
Gauleiter Meyer. You must know him. Ministry of the East.
- He hasn't introduced himself. - It will. He thinks he is important.
Leibbrandt works for him. He speaks seven languages.
And next to him?
Dr. Buhler. I have to constantly spar with him in Kraków.
- The General Government. Civil administration. - And the other costume elves?
Doubters in service. Secretary of State and stuff like that. Göring's office for the four-year plan.
The Ministry of Justice, the National Chancellery and the Party Chancellery.
Luther, he's nice. Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- I hope I don't have to remember them all. - But you must remember him.
Stucco art. He will be interior minister one day.
- Yes, this will be fun. - It's like a friends night out.
In the end, it's about who wears the hat, albeit without beer.
That was unfortunate.
- I was wondering if you would come by bicycle. - I considered it.
Do you live here by the lake?
Two kilometers. A beautiful house. A wonderful family.
Who is the young man?
- A Sturmbannführer if I see correctly. - In this party?
- They probably both belong to the rough crew. - Heydrich's "fighting administration".
I don't want to know what our soldiers in the east have to experience.
- Hail Hitler. - Gruppenführer Hofmann.
- A pleasure. - It is my pleasure. And in the east?
- Too many Jews, but we are working on it. - That is why we are here today.
According to the invitation, Mr. Heydrich is to draw up an overall plan
to solve the Jewish question. Do you know more about the matter?
He seems serious. Otherwise he wouldn't have invited us here.
Göring himself entrusted him with it.
Yes, Heydrich's path to Reich Marshal has been short.
- He is an ambitious man. - That's what I want to say!
An incredible career, and he's not even a graduate.
- He has success. That is the important thing. - He is welcome to have that.
But I dislike poachers in my area of ​​responsibility.
Let me introduce Sturmbannführer Lange.
- And you represent...? - Brigadeführer Stahlecker.
I know him. Welcome.
Hail Hitler.
- Welcome to Berlin. - How are you?
- Very good thanks. Did the flight go well? - Yes.
- Are all the others here? - Yes, we are full.
An excellent idea to invite to a second breakfast. Now at least they are punctual.
- How is the mood? - Dr. Stuckart is as combative as ever.
Dr. Bühler complains about the Jews in the General Government.
As usual, that is.
Make sure you are well taken care of in the kitchen, Hauptsturmführer.
- Do you have the numbers I asked for? - They are ready in the study.
I have noted that the accuracy varies.
An impression of correctness is enough.
- Gauleiter. - Obergruppenführer.
Good morning. Sorry I am late. My departure in Prague was delayed.
We have a lot to do. I'll be there in a minute.
Mr. Luther. Dr. Lange.
Excuse me.
Please close the door.
Mr. Luther, surely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has its own ideas about the Jewish question?
That's right.
I hope they are in line with what we discussed.
- I don't want to start from scratch. - Everything is as we have discussed.
On the whole, it's about
that we must have full access to all Jews of all nationalities,
provided they are within our sphere of interest.
The time for international considerations is over.
So true.
The United States and England have taken decisions against us. The Jews can no longer be used as hostages.
They should have been taken from us while it was possible.
It fits well with our thoughts. I like the last paragraph best:
"The measures are carried out in agreement with the state secret police."
Our collaboration with Herr Eichmann has been extremely constructive.
Maybe it's because I've also worked in transport.
I can only imagine the work that the current measures require.
I am glad to hear.
Our tactics in the Jewish question are too rapid for the delicate sensibilities abroad.
I like to do a proper job.
- Can you excuse us for a moment? - Of course.
- Recorder? - Fräulein Werlemann from Eichmann's office.
- Reliable? - One hundred percent.
- Day officer? - Handpicked people.
Dr. Lange, come closer. You don't have to hide.
I only hear good things from the Baltics.
The commander of Task Force A, Brigadeführer Stahlecker,
as well as Higher SS and Police Commander in the East, Obergruppenführer Jeckeln,
has authorized me to inform you: Estonia is free of Jews.
Lithuania and Latvia, apart from a few remaining working Jews, are also free.
What can I say? Good news.
May I?
What is this?
We have prepared a small sketch with the quotas achieved so far.
Task group A is now at 220,000.
Together with the others, it will be half a million.
- It is making progress. - You've worked hard on this one!
The drawings were made by a comrade. We have someone who can do that.
Only 42,000 in Belarus?
Unfortunately. It is a large area, and there is a lack of vehicles and gasoline.
And the ground is frozen. We can't dig holes.
Arquebusing is still possible, but disposal has stalled.
- How do you remedy that? - Stacks, until it thaws again.
We will soon get rid of those kinds of bottlenecks.
The promised gas wagons are soon on their way to you too.
- Have the loading problems been solved? - Problem?
A comrade from Kulmhof told me. The Jews do not voluntarily go on the wagons.
- It often gets restless in the hold. - Yes, it takes a little fingertip feeling.
Afterwards they have to go out again. The comrade says that it is more disgusting than the arquebusing.
It is still more efficient,
especially with a full load of nine to ten units per square meter.
The wagons are still only a transitional solution.
Later you will learn more about the scope of our current plans.
I'm looking forward to it.
Eichmann.
The transport yesterday from Theresienstadt?
Completed last night. I almost missed my flight.
- Thank you, Sturmbannführer. - An order is an order.
You and your comrades are doing a duty to people and fatherland that few are capable of.
The future will honor the heroism of your men.
- If I can, I'll say hello to them. - Do so.
Some of the gentlemen you will meet are not made of the same wood as us.
We have inherited remnants of the previous administration and government.
The ones Herr Müller calls them "Christmas Santas".
Dr. Schöngarth has warned me. I will be discreet.
It's not necessary. They should be told what they are participating in. That closes the ranks.
I understand. A question of dosage.
Right. A question of dosage.
But shouldn't my place be here?
- Here, Gauleiter. - Would you be so kind?
- Here we are again talking about the Jews. - It looks like that.
An extremely unpleasant topic.
Thanks.
- Dr. Stuckart. - Undersecretary of State Luther.
Did your audience end well?
You should not be jealous. I heard that you yourself were a guest in Prague.
I represented the interests of the Home Office, not the RSHA.
- Water? - Thank you, please.
Herr Gauleiter, Secretary of State, Comrades of the SS.
I am pleased that you accepted my invitation at such short notice.
We preferred it to a dusty office,
so that we are not disturbed by telephones and the running of the advisers.
And if your agencies would like to enjoy the convenience here, one night costs…
Eichmann, help me.
Five reiksmark per night and person.
- What an offer! - So that's why we're here.
RSHA is looking for new sources of funding.
Anything helps, Mister Gauleiter. Joking aside.
Regarding the reason for our gathering, I would like to draw your attention
to the letter from Reich Marshal Göring which is attached to my invitation.
There, the Reich Marshal tasks me to:
"Make preparations in organizational, factual and material terms
for a comprehensive solution to Europe's Jewish question."
I am instructed to involve all concerned central authorities
to produce an overall draft. So that's you, gentlemen.
- That is why we are here today. - Add a copy to the minutes.
- May I ask... - Already, Dr. Freisler?
Just a trifle.
The assignment is dated to July last year. Why is it only happening now?
As you know, for a few months I have been dividing my time between Berlin and Prague.
My duties as Deputy National Protector occupy much of my time.
The Czechs offer stubborn resistance.
It was expected. The slaves are recalcitrant.
A meeting in December was made impossible by the military developments:
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,
The Führer's declaration of war against the United States and the Russian counter-offensive in the East.
After all, the Russians have decided to offer resistance.
It won't help him.
I have been asked to present an overall draft regarding,
and I quote the Reich Marshal again:
"The Implementation of the Final Solution to the Jewish Question."
The overall solution to the Jewish question is just that:
The final solution to the Jewish question.
Our preparations have thus been extensive and complicated,
which has caused some delays.
- Thanks for the information. I understand. - Have I understood the matter correctly?
So we are no longer just talking about the national Jews?
- Do the new plans apply to all of Europe? - That's right.
The Jewish question can only be considered solved after a total biological cleansing
of all Jewry up to the Ural Mountains.
That is the goal, the task that fate has set before us.
All over Europe...
It's a whole new perspective.
The goal has been around for a long time. The new thing is that we are now dealing with it.
It is not unexpected. I was at the Führer's house a few weeks ago.
Then he said clearly that he wanted the Jewish question resolved.
As he predicted in the Riksdag:
"If international Jewry once again plunges the people into a world war,
then the result will not be a Bolshevization of the world,
without an annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe."
This is the falsification of prophecy. The Jews want war and will have it.
The destiny of Judaism is fulfilled, which is hard but deserved.
Pity or remorse is thus completely inappropriate.
We don't need any presentations. Most people here are familiar with each other.
Except our Sturmbannführer here.
Dr. Stuckart?
I just wanted to point out that I am not personally familiar with him.
- Dr. Lange, would you be so kind? - Sturmbannführer, Dr. Rudolf Lange.
Head of the security police and intelligence service in Latvia.
I represent Dr. Stahlecker, who sends greetings to all of you.
Then it was settled.
- Isn't Latvia our territory? - That's right.
Our operational area is in the Rikskommissariat Ostland.
- And yet we haven't met? - We haven't been given the opportunity.
Then it's time. We want to know who moves in our area of ​​responsibility.
I will arrange it as soon as possible.
This might interest the gentlemen:
Thanks to the combined efforts of the Ministry of the East and the task forces
can Estonia be considered Jew-free.
Dr. Lange has already notified me.
You will soon be able to read a report on the situation for the task forces.
You are welcome to take a look at it later.
- If I may ask a question... - Is it a short question?
- It applies to Dr. Lange's area of ​​responsibility. - You are welcome.
As you write in your invitation have
Jewish transport increased in recent months,
both from the kingdom and from the protectorate, this according to your report IV B4
and your Jewish expert Obersturmbannführer Eichmann.
That's right.
There appear to have been irregularities during these transports.
The Rikskansliet holds documents from November, from Riga.
Can you get to the point?
At efforts in the Rigattot
to prepare a certain relief,
a transport of Jews from Berlin was included in an ongoing special treatment.
We know that. What else?
The incident has also been discussed at the Ministry of the Interior,
with a certain inability to understand.
I beg you. Judaism has forced this war on us.
One must recognize the world-historical necessity of fighting back.
One cannot anxiously ask whether individual Jews bear personal guilt.
You see, gentlemen... We are warm and cozy here.
But in the East it is often less orderly.
It is not possible to get an up-to-date order from Berlin for each individual decision.
I know. I was a soldier in World War.
Then you know that our units are sometimes forced to improvise at the front.
Here we are talking about a thousand people, from Berlin.
What would we do? We couldn't throw them out into the snow and let them freeze to death.
I have great confidence in the judgment of your men.
They solve things in the spirit of the Führer.
Let's be honest:
What was forbidden in November is allowed in December, so please.
The Germans don't care if Ukrainian or Latvian Jews die.
But each of these thousand Reich Jews has relatives, acquaintances and friends in Berlin.
It leads to irritation and questions.
And the Rikskansliet cannot always provide correct information.
We also feel that way at the Ministry of Justice.
The rumors have also led to suicides among German Jews,
which leads to great concern among the population.
I am not worried about Jewish suicides.
It has happened that non-Jews have been deported,
or Jews who fought on Germany's side in the World War, some highly decorated.
The Gestapo in particular doesn't seem to be following their own guidelines.
Regrettable initial mishaps.
That is precisely why we have gathered here today, to hear all your concerns.
Reichsmarschalk Göring, who I speak for here, recently criticized
that Jewish skilled workers are transported from factories important for rearmament.
It cannot, especially at this critical stage of the war, be in our interest.
I understand. The Marshal criticizes one aspect of what he otherwise welcomes.
- Regarding the current transports... - Dr. Bühler, can it wait?
The Führer promised Governor General Frank several months ago
that the General Government would be Jew-free in the foreseeable future.
- But our ghettos are still full of explosives. - Show me someone who is better off.
We also run the risk of not being able to feed all the Jews.
One wonders if the most humane thing would not be for non-working Jews
eliminated with a fast-acting agent.
It's more pleasant than starving to death.
Financially speaking, absolutely right. It is war.
Why waste precious resources on the Jews?
We in the General Government are certainly capable of solving the problem ourselves.
We have already taken steps in the direction of Mr. Brack's euthanasia actions.
There are procedures, although not completely harmless.
That's why you should let us handle it.
We are already working with Mr. Brack.
His people provide knowledge and equipment.
In the Litzmannstadt ghetto, it has already provided noticeable relief.
We hope to hear more about these measures today. At least that's what we were promised.
I realize that we live in turbulent times.
In recent months, we have begun tremendous development on many levels,
and sometimes progress is faster than we have anticipated,
not least because areas of responsibility often overlap.
Welcome to Berlin, where everyone seems to think they are responsible for everything.
That is the German thoroughness. We should consider it a virtue.
Sure, but so that our virtue doesn't become an obstacle
a faster decision-making process is required.
We have to make sure we follow parallel lines, so to speak.
I state, also with regard to Reich Marshal Göring's letter,
that from now on lies the leadership of the final solution of the Jewish question,
regardless of geographical boundaries, with Reichsführer-SS, Heinrich Himmler
and with his authorization the head of the National Security Board,
that is, my little person.
So can I inform the Minister of the Interior that the RSHA is now making the Jewish laws themselves?
- It would be easier. - Don't worry, Dr. Stuckart.
- You will participate in the decision-making process. - Or be informed about decisions already made?
Don't you want to listen to our Obergruppenführer's plans first?
before you feel excluded?
What I feel does not belong here.
I am asking based on a responsibility for my ministry's areas of competence.
I'm surprised I'm the only one. You then, Mr. Luther?
- Or the gentlemen from the Ministry of the East. - How so?
You have complained that Berlin interferes in your Jewish affairs, and now you are silent.
- Right now you are getting involved in our Jewish affairs. - Dr. Bühler, do you see the same in Kraków?
If the final solution means that we finally get rid of our Jews
am I ready to follow our Obergruppenführer's lead.
And that's exactly how it should be. We will solve your Jewish problems for you!
After today, you will all agree that only the National Security Supervisory Board
is capable of solving the Jewish question, organizationally as well as practically.
We have the resources, methods, organization and experience required
and people with enough determination.
If you do not agree after today, I will gladly hand over the task.
It's not that we don't have enough work.
- So if you let me continue... - Of course.
A brief retrospective: Since 1933, we have waged a battle against Judaism
and succeeded in repressing the Jews from German society.
The Jewish race is recognized as foreign to the body of the German people,
thanks, among other things, to the actions of the Central Agency for Race and Settlement.
The Jewish laws have made the harmful influence of the Jews on our community
practically impossible.
With legislation such as Dr. Stuckart's Nuremberg Laws...
I was just a co-author.
With the goal of clearing the Jews out of German social life by legal means
we have had a large number of Jews emigrate.
- Obersturmbannführer. - So far it is around 537,000.
Not least thanks to Obersturmbannführer Eichmann's organizational efforts.
My agency is also only part of Gruppenführer Müller's Gestapo department.
It was nothing.
In principle, the acceleration of the Jewish exodus was not a bad idea.
Let them exert their harmful influence elsewhere.
But emigration is no longer an option.
They don't want them abroad either.
And we must not increase the enemy's forces in time of war.
What happened to the idea of ​​sending them to Madagascar? Then the world had let them go.
Shelved, as long as England has dominion over the seas.
- The same applies to the marshlands of Siberia. - At least as long as the Russians stand in the way.
Therefore, Reichsführer-SS and Chief of the German Police, Heinrich Himmler, forbade
the exodus of Jews in October.
And now we turn our attention to what I like to call "the opportunities in the East".
In the east, thanks to the work of our task forces, we have
about half a million Jews who have received special treatment.
We have gained experience that will be important for the final solution.
So instead of emigration, another possible solution has emerged.
Let us call it the evacuation of the Jews to the East,
to bring them to the final solution with the methods of the East.
- Sorry, Obergruppenführer. - Dr. Lange?
- So we're going to accept more Jews? - No.
You deal with the Eastern Jews who are added when the front is moved forward.
The major measures that are planned go through the Higher SS and Police Chief.
And how big are the big measures?
The spaces of the final solution will also relieve the task forces.
"Evacuation to the Premises of the Final Solution",
Does that mean special treatment for all European Jews?
Listen now, but then forget it immediately. That's exactly right.
May I ask where these spaces are located?
- Not with us. That was not the case. - With us, in the General Government.
At least I assume so.
It is built in the area around Lublin under Brigadeführer Globocnik.
Thus we get rid of some of the Jews who have gathered in the General Government,
around Bełżec and Sobibór.
The capacity is also to be expanded in eastern Upper Silesia,
near the village of Auschwitz. More on that later.
Dr. Bühler, didn't the Governor-General desperately want to get rid of the Jews?
- And now he gets more? - Why do our Jews interest you right now?
- You receive the news with great calmness. - The Obergruppenführer has explained:
We don't have to deal with the Jews in the final solution. They don't stop.
It's real. Do not worry. You will practically not notice it.
But you spoke of all the Jews of Europe.
- A good knitting line. - Obersturmbannführer...
The map shows the current political and military situation in Europe.
Here in the east, the current front line.
The red is the kingdom's territory at the outbreak of war.
The pink are incorporated areas:
Formerly Western Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria.
Further east in white, the eastern territories under German civil administration:
Ostland, Ukraine and the General Government.
Vertically dashed in red are territories that we have occupied militarily:
Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium,
northern France, Serbia and Greece.
And dashed horizontally, countries that are allies or where we have influence:
Italy, the Vichy regime, Hungary, Romania,
Bulgaria, Albania, Croatia and Slovakia.
- We practically have Europe in our hands. - And we have only just begun.
- And the black dots are... - Jews.
The density seems to indicate the concentration of the Jewish population.
That's right.
The further east we look, the more compact the Jewish resistance becomes,
above all in former Poland and areas that belonged to the Soviet Union.
After all, they have been spreading there for centuries.
Behind the front lines in the fog of war, we have already reduced concentration significantly.
- But there is still much to do. - The task appears to be too ambitious.
I consider myself an expert in the field, but I cannot overview
how many Jews are we talking about.
We are talking about eleven million.
This list shows how Judaism is distributed between individual countries.
Within the Reich we still have 130,000 Jews.
Numerically manageable, but politically complicated.
The largest items: the General Government with 2.3 million.
The Soviet Union has the most, around five million.
In the Balkans, I quickly count around 1.6 million,
and almost a million more throughout France.
The numbers are higher than expected.
Non-occupied countries such as England and Switzerland are also listed here.
Of course. The figures already paint the coming new order of Europe.
Very good. We must look beyond the horizon.
- And where do the numbers come from? - From our archives.
And from representatives of the Jews in Vienna and Berlin.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also contributed.
- Are the numbers reliable? - They should roughly match.
- These are incredible numbers. - May I quickly put it into perspective?
Gladly. Keep it short, please.
We have to consider the numbers in a larger context.
The final solution to the Jewish question is only one of the building blocks
in the planned reorganization of Europe.
In the longer term, we are talking about the removal of all lower races in our sphere of interest.
The movement of people in the eastern territories must give way
for the Germanization of the conquered living space in the East through German colonization.
In the end, we are talking about a Europe characterized by our Germanic culture,
in which non-Germanic peoples are at most tolerated as labor slaves.
Reading and writing at primary school level. Counting up to one hundred.
We don't need them anymore.
Europe's new order and racial elevation
requiring the repopulation of hundreds of millions.
In comparison, a final solution for eleven million Jews is downright negligible.
How are you going to control all these Jews? How will that happen?
I wonder that too.
The transports have just started, and already we have delays and obstacles.
What will it look like when eleven million get moving.
They do not move. They are set in motion by us.
I don't want to trivialize it:
We are facing an organizational task that is unprecedented in world history.
It will proceed as follows:
We plan to comb Europe from west to east.
The evacuated Jews are first taken to so-called transit ghettos,
and then transported eastward train by train.
- So from west to east? - It's true.
I have to hope that the General Government leads the way.
When the facilities are in place, shall we first work by our Jews?
- We shall see. - You must excuse...
We cannot be expected to stand and watch as trains are full of French Jews
rolling into our territory while our own country is being choked by Jews.
Do you think it is different with us?
The territory of the German Reich naturally comes first,
not least because of the housing shortage after the bombings.
Bohemia-Moravia also takes precedence, and not because it's my home ground.
Too many Czechs still think they can get rid of us.
The Jewish-controlled backbone of the resistance must be quickly broken.
- It is about military necessity. - I understand them, but still:
A plan with no reduction of our Jews at the beginning of the Final Solution,
and for the record, will not be favorably received by the Governor-General.
It wasn't said that way. We were promised relief in our ghettos at the beginning.
We'll see.
If we cannot agree on the order,
then I take the liberty of asking for a decision from the Führer.
The assets after these eleven million Jews should be a larger sum.
You have to assume that.
So far, Aryanized assets have gone to the representatives of the four-year plan.
Shall I inform Reich Marshal Göring that it will continue like this?
Wait now. The Eastern Ministry still has access to the assets of the Eastern Jews.
Yes. Our Jews, our money.
First, the money will finance the transports.
Unfortunately, we have to pay the Reichsbahn for every Jew.
Now we must not sell the skin before the bear is shot.
Where do we get transport capacity from?
Good question. The upgrade is already taking up a lot of the railway and roads.
- Should we have eleven million Jews on the trail? - And don't forget the military.
The troops must also be moved, as well as equipment.
We already have supply problems without the Jewish transports.
If the transports would impede the war effort,
then the party will advocate dealing with the Jewish question after the war.
The fight against the Jews is part of the war effort.
It is not a luxury we indulge in beyond the military endeavours.
War and race are one and the same.
Where we fight against the Jews, we fight for the kingdom.
- But we mustn't take on too much. - Exactly. First victory, and then the Jews.
Gentlemen, while I respect your concerns
is this the wrong time to chastise the Führer's visions like a potted plant.
Only ten years ago the Jews lived everywhere among us, almost invisible,
as if they were part of our community of people.
And look where we are today, how far we've come.
How the possibilities are constantly expanding.
Thinking small now because of false fears would be a fatal mistake.
Right now, we must have the courage to take big steps and have big visions.
We are at a critical stage of the war.
Russia in the east, the USA in the west and England at sea.
The war is not an obstacle, but an opportunity.
War opens up opportunities that do not exist in peacetime.
Despite all the personal tragedies, war also provides an opportunity to create realities.
Make a radical intervention in society and shape it with a big plan.
When a farmer wants to cultivate his field, he must first drive the spade into the soil.
Perhaps you will get the best answers to your questions about transport and personnel
when Herr Eichmann informs us of the concrete process.
As Jewish adviser at agency IV B4
I am responsible for the registration and transportation of Jews to be deported.
First:
The transport of Jews is to take place piecemeal, depending on the military developments.
When the Jew is registered with the police, reported and separated
he is detained at the reference time.
He hands in his house key, signs over his assets to the kingdom
and sets off with a small suitcase and a maximum of 50 reiksmark to the collection point,
usually a distant siding, where he is placed on the wagon.
Why write over the assets? According to the 11th Ordinance
Jews lose both citizenship and property when they cross the border.
- The border crossing is not entirely voluntary. - Bureaucratic formality seems reassuring.
An orderly process, as the Jews board the trains with a sense of order.
I understand.
The transport is carried out after coordination with the Ministry of Transport,
the transport management at the Ordnungspolizei and the Reichsbahn timetable.
For reasons of efficiency and to give accompanying staff a better overview
transport takes place primarily with freight wagons. But in the beginning and up to the border of the kingdom
also used by passenger trains, for optical reasons.
I guess we are informed about the numbers. We want to know exactly how many people are coming.
Of course. The transports are coordinated with the respective reception capacity
at the target areas in the east,
whether ghettos, labor camps, transit camps or direct action.
- How large will our staffing be? - Personnel is not a problem.
We manage the entire company with a handful of men.
- Is it true? - Yes.
A train with ten carriages can easily be guarded by a dozen men.
And how do you avoid the bottlenecks in transport that we just pointed out?
We don't expect any bottlenecks.
We use goods wagons that previously transported Russian workers to the kingdom.
They would otherwise roll back empty. We are practically trading Jews for Russians.
- So we optimize an existing process? - Yes. This way we avoid empty trains.
- I like that. - I'll be damned.
If I'd had a freight forwarder like Eichmann, I'd also have a villa like this now.
- Then these questions are also answered. - In the protocol?
Yes, Obergruppenführer. Allow me a comment:
If through transport we lose Jewish professionals in the war industry,
and in exchange receive untrained foreign labor, then there is no profit.
It won't be like that. Those that we benefit from will remain for the time being.
Overall, utility and workability will play a greater role.
But if this is not the case, our patience has run out.
This was done in the insane asylums and institutions for the disabled.
- We can't afford surprise guests. - A moment.
It was said that the Jews in the Final Solution would receive special treatment.
And now you say they should work for us?
We get to decide, if only for planning reasons.
- Workers must be fed and housed. - Our plans include both things.
Able-bodied Jews are put to suitable work in the East under suitable leadership.
They will be led there in work columns to, for example, build roads.
There they will work for us. Quarrying stone, draining swamps and so on.
I recommend gender segregation so as not to exacerbate the Jewish problem.
- That's exactly how it's planned. - Fine. There is plenty of work.
In deed. The Germanization of our newly won territories in the East
requires roads, factories, agriculture and housing for German settlers.
The Reichsführer-SS is also planning major construction projects to secure the areas.
- So we have to agree. - But hard manual labor for Jews?
I know from experience that we shouldn't expect much here.
A majority of Jews work in commerce or in private occupations.
- Not directly with wall construction. - We will not spare them. Count on it.
A large part will fall away due to natural causes.
- It is carefully planned for. - And the ones that don't fall away?
These accumulated residues will ultimately be properly processed.
They are arguably the most resilient.
"Properly handled" means...?
Ask first best Jew. He knows the answer.
- Just so we're talking about the same thing. - I see no alternatives.
The most resistant must receive special treatment.
They can become the seed of a new Jewish structure.
History should be a warning to us.
The Romans expelled the Jews throughout the world, and saw the problem as solved.
- Did they think, yes. - Now we have to pay the price.
Anyone who wants a healthy public body must not shy away from eradicating harmful bacteria.
The Jew is the eternal parasite, spreading under favorable conditions.
A rotten mold that grows on the cultures of healthy people.
It is a basic imperative for ethnic, national and social hygiene
to completely eradicate the disease.
We intend to be thorough and without exception.
You have only spoken of able-bodied Jews. What is the plan for those who are not?
Good question. Considering the conditions in our ghettos, it should be half.
- If not more. - We are gradually getting rid of them.
The necessary capacity is currently being built.
Then the goal of the journey is the same for all Jews, able-bodied or not.
Exactly.
The solution to this problem will involve many personal tragedies,
but it is inevitable. This is the right time for a final solution to the Jewish question.
Later generations will lack the power of action and the awakened instinct.
What for us is a burden becomes for our descendants an advantage and a happiness.
- I already see a problem. - About what?
Special treatment for non-working Jews means old, right?
And precisely among them are the Jews who fought for Germany in the World War.
- Side by side with those of us who were there. - I don't remember fighting with Jews.
- No distinction was made then. - You probably didn't even notice it.
Considering this problem, we have found a simple but effective method.
Eichmann.
Citizens over the age of 65,
Jews who were badly wounded during the war or those who were decorated
are not evacuated directly, but transferred to ghettos for the elderly.
With this solution, many interventions are eliminated in one fell swoop.
And where will this ghetto for old people be located? Does it also fall on us?
Don't worry, you don't have to do it all alone.
The intended is Theresienstadt in my area.
I don't want to be blamed later for not contributing
I would never suggest that.
Eichmann last visited Theresienstadt yesterday. The rebuilding is already underway.
Soon, several tens of thousands of Jews will be accommodated there.
As it is a former fortress, it is easy to achieve maximum security.
The site consists of compact, well-built houses.
It is quite possible that we can make it a show ghetto.
Incidentally, this solution can be very reassuring for the population.
Magnificent! We give the Jewish controlled cruelty propaganda abroad
a concrete counter-evidence: the invitation to Theresienstadt.
Come and see how the Germans deal with the Jews.
Won't it be expensive? Housing for tens of thousands of people?
It is being investigated whether it is possible to charge the residents for the accommodation,
as well as the Jews we had to emigrate themselves paid for the transport.
God forbid we pay for the Jews.
But then we still have tens of thousands of Jews left.
Old Jews, Gruppenführer. Propagation is unlikely.
The problem resolves itself biologically.
The old in the ghetto are, of course, ultimately transferred to the Final Solution.
Then I shouldn't have said anything.
Then my people will make Theresienstadt a fantastic German colony.
Then it was settled too. I suggest a short break.
You have got an idea of ​​the basic features of our plan,
but two points await us which are more ministerial matters.
You can stock up in the salon, and we'll continue in ten minutes.
There is much that awaits us.
- All the Jews of Europe. Who expected that? - In accordance with the Führer's vision.
You will be able to tell your grandchildren that you witnessed world history.
Helped shape, I would say.
Am I seeing right? Salmon slices?
Availability at RSHA appears to be good.
Very friendly. Thanks.
- No one should complain about our working environment anymore. - No the opposite.
- Just think about our last music night. - How could I forget?
I would say we have a lot of fun. We laugh more than in other departments.
I am glad to hear.
It's starting to move. Heydrich has a firm grip on the helm.
He makes it look like the chaos of the last few months
was part of a great plan that is now being initiated.
Don't you think so?
I would say one third plan, two thirds chaos.
And the chaos is now plainly declared to have been part of the plan.
The pressure rises. Everyone wants to get rid of their Jews, but no one wants them.
Nobody wants to be a Jew today either.
- Gauleiter. - Dr. Freisler.
You said earlier that you were at the Führer's house.
In December, at a meeting with national and party district leaders.
- Interesting? - What, exactly?
It may sound incredible, but I have never met our Führer in person.
- Thus. - Oh really?
Do you think you could put in a good word for me,
for a meeting with the Führer? Anywhere.
Of course. I would love to.
- Shall I bring you something? - No thanks.
They seem to have swallowed the bitterest pills.
That we decide on the timing and extent of the evacuations.
We're not done yet. Don't underestimate Dr. Stuckart.
We haven't gotten to his favorite subject.
- I must admit that you surprised me. - Then my visit here is already worthwhile.
You are told that you will get millions of new Jews and keep the mask.
It was an agreement. You approve of his leadership,
and he gives you the promise to begin the final solution at your doorstep.
- I hope Heydrich keeps it. - What do you mean?
- It is an honor that it happens with us. - I know.
The Jewish question is the Führer's pet child. Everyone wants to keep it.
I know Frank. He will eat you if you return to Kraków without promises.
Governor-General Frank is happy to receive ten thousand Jews
if we get rid of twenty thousand in the same breath.
- A deep breath. - We were promised large-scale measures.
I heard that.
I am not authorized to speak about it.
Peacefully.
Very.
Heinz Rühmann lives here somewhere.
Speer too.
Down there is Max Liebermann's villa.
- The painter. - I know. Jewish Impressionist.
- You are an educated man. - And it surprises you.
- Considering my duties in the East. - You often hear that.
Occasionally.
Could you have dreamed it? That you would suddenly change your desk in Berlin
against service in Poland?
You get to experience what is decided behind the desk. What is wrong with that?
What is happening in the east...
One hears that it is degenerating. Brutality. Arquebusing pits.
I see it as a craft. You learn and then you can.
Some better, others worse.
How are your men doing?
Every day these promotions. Entire villages.
We emphasize the necessity of the mission.
The rest is done through habit and an extra ration of brandy.
The brandy blurs the impressions from the day.
You must intervene only when they bellow during work. They shoot wrong.
Then the half-dead fight their way out of the pits during the night,
and you have to shoot them again the next morning.
- I didn't mean to offend you. - You were in the trenches yourself, weren't you?
We shot at soldiers, not at women and children.
I have a husband who prefers to shoot children,
since they wouldn't survive without their parents anyway.
He thinks he is doing the children a favor.
It makes sense, doesn't it?
The conference continues.
I hope you feel empowered. We now come to a central question,
namely the determination of which groups are suitable for evacuation.
Which ones are current for our transports and which are not?
Clarification is needed here regarding Jews living abroad,
Jews of mixed race and intermarriage.
I cannot agree.
Jews of mixed race and intermarriage are regulated by our Jewish laws.
- Our perceptions differ. - But now I'm talking about laws.
For the sake of simplicity, we start with Jews abroad.
Under Secretary of State Luther, please brief us.
Foreign Jews.
About 40,000 Jews with foreign passports are on German soil.
- Oh dear! What are some? - They must know that they are not welcome.
It's mainly about Hungarian, Czech and maybe Slovak Jews, isn't it?
That's right. We got most of them at the union with Austria.
Tell us we can change that!
We can, at least when it comes to citizens of enemy countries.
But for Jews from friendly countries or countries under our influence
do we see it as polite to at least ask the governments
if we may include their Jewish citizens in our companies.
Who would turn down an offer like that?
It's like asking a neighbor if you can shovel his manure too.
Slovakia and Croatia have agreed. Romania and Bulgaria are well on their way.
Do they give us free access to their citizens?
They have no objections. Only Hungary opposes it,
and Slovakia claims the assets of the Jews.
- Why doesn't it surprise me? - Money doesn't smell.
- Maybe we can do them that service. - The office of the four-year plan?
If it speeds up deportation, we must not be petty.
- It is likely not large sums. - Thank you for your courtesy.
You heard. Apart from the Hungarians, we can get rid of all foreign Jews.
- How is the situation in France? - Herr Eichmann apparently knows something new here.
The Wehrmacht has accepted the necessity of our measures of force.
Jews who fled the kingdom have been interned, and transports will soon begin.
With the French Jews we should wait a little.
So, Eichmann now works at the Foreign Ministry?
It is called interministerial cooperation.
Let's stick to the topic. Belgium? Holland?
Throughout Western and Southeastern Europe, we can act freely.
- Fine. We will do what is necessary. - It's been noted.
But I see difficulties in the north. Denmark, Norway and Finland.
Why right there?
For some reason, it is difficult to convince the population of the danger of the Jews.
What do you suggest?
Ignore for now. The numbers are dropping.
We don't usually put things off,
but as long as we are busy with Jews from other countries, it will be fine.
What shall we do with Hungary?
It is time to force on the government one of our chosen advisers on Jewish matters.
Perhaps one of your staff, Obersturmbannführer? Can you spare someone?
Maybe I can help?
The Central Bureau of Race and Settlement may send an assistant to the police attache there.
Sure, why not? So we do.
Excuse. Should our foreign policy now be shaped by Herr Hofmann's staff?
Don't get excited. We are talking about an advisor, not a new ambassador.
An adviser with no diplomatic experience.
But he has experience with Jewish affairs. Surely that must also count?
I am irritated by the liberality with which some agencies sacrifice their expertise.
It's no big deal to me. The main thing is that it gets decided.
It would be nice if something went easily.
I don't call the gardener when I need a roofer.
I refuse that. We have a lot of people with international experience.
So you see it. I do not consider all equally suitable.
If you're going to talk about responsibilities, please stick to yours.
Let Undersecretary Luther do his thing.
We do as we are told. Are the Jews abroad finished?
It can be relatively easy to present a Jew-free Serbia to the Führer.
- Interesting. Continue. - Maybe later in a smaller group?
Better now in a smaller group. Müller. Eichmann.
- How many are we talking about? - 6,000-8,000. Only women and children.
- Why no male Jews? - Already shot as a hostage.
- A hundred dead for one dead German. - I remember. An effective measure, Eichmann.
Thank you, Obergruppenführer.
- Serbian government? - We don't have to think about it.
Who do we give the command to?
Maybe Schäfer. He who blew up the radio mast in Gliwice.
- Yes, a good fellow. - He gets the gas wagons going to Riga.
- Mr. Lange will not like that. - Lange can improvise. We do so.
- Understood. - I make sure it happens.
We have one last item left on the agenda:
The treatment of mixed race Jews and intermarriage.
Here, Dr. Stuckart, your opinion is not only requested, but necessary.
As said, the processing is best regulated by the applicable laws.
Of course. After all, it's your laws.
They will form the basis of our conversation.
This is binding legislation, not a basis for discussion.
Even laws become outdated and need to be re-evaluated.
Like re-wallpapering when you get tired of the color?
We should recognize that today the people and the race must be categories in our action.
The people need a reliable legal system, which I defend.
Right is what is useful to people.
What does it mean if it contradicts the common sense of the people?
Exactly. Let's not make things more complicated than they already are.
Sure, but not easier either. Where do you see a need for action?
According to the Nuremberg Laws, half-Jews were exempted from evacuation and special treatment.
Will there be a change to that?
There have been discussions between us, the party and individual ministries.
I have asked the party office to summarize these conversations.
Dr. Klopfer.
The party's line is clear.
Jews, half-Jews and quarter-Jews are ultimately seen as Jews.
They cannot be tolerated in the commonwealth.
The distinction between good and bad Jews, full- and half-Jews,
no longer serves any purpose.
I agree, and then I speak for the entire SS,
for public hygiene and consolidation of the race's territory.
We know that. And what do you think?
A working document has been prepared. I would like to read it.
You are welcome:
First: First degree mixed race Jews
equated with Jews with respect to the Final Solution.
- Rejected. - Listen first, for God's sake!
It already violates existing laws.
They are not equated with Jews. They have German blood.
- But the aim is to change that. - It's not that simple.
We cannot sit here and decide that half-Jews should have the yellow star,
that they may not walk in German forests or have a canary.
- And certainly not evacuated to the East. - A working document, as I said.
- And there are exceptions in the draft. - Right.
Exceptions are mixed race Jews of the first degree married to German blood.
- I assume that. - As long as they have children, that is, quarter Jews.
So generous.
In other ways, our proposal meets your requirements.
Second-degree mixed-race Jews, quarter Jews, are counted as having German blood.
Wait a minute... Why?
Unless they are the children of two Jews of mixed race,
has an unfavorably Jewish appearance
or prove by their behavior that they should be considered Jews.
- I'm starting to lose track. - I see the proposal as fully feasible.
May I ask for your spontaneous opinion?
From a foreign policy point of view, it does not matter whether they stay or leave.
The Marshal certainly has no objections,
as long as we don't lose professionals in the war industry.
- That must be taken into account. - I also see a half-Jew as a Jew.
It is possible, legally speaking, to expand the definition of a Jew,
but why worry about Jewish laws when there will soon be no Jews?
Interesting stance from the Ministry of Justice.
In the East, we still cannot make such fine distinctions.
We often don't even see if someone is Jewish, let alone half- or quarter-Jewish.
But now we are the German Reich, and here the law still applies.
You have to admit that the Ministry of the Interior is clearly isolated on the matter.
What do you hope to achieve with the changes?
Simplification, as always. Clear, quick decisions.
You accomplish the exact opposite. Returning to individual trial…
We are talking about tens of thousands of cases.
- How many half-Jews are there in the kingdom? - Around 70,000.
Then add quarters, and our officials have been busy for years.
If you had written better laws, we would have escaped the problem.
I didn't write them myself, and that's not true anyway.
A half-Jew who behaves like a Jew, that is, follows the Mosaic faith
or is married to a non-Jewish person, is treated as a non-Jewish person according to existing law.
Nothing prevents evacuation.
- How many of these are there in the kingdom? - About 8,000.
Eight trains. Then we have over 60,000 left.
The majority of these half-Jews see themselves as part of German society.
- They renounce the faith even internally. - To protect yourself.
Thousands of them have proven themselves in our armed forces.
- How many? - Around 10,000.
I still want to get rid of another 60,000.
Don't forget the SS comrades who were found to have Jewish blood during racial testing.
- Tragic cases, indeed. - But not a significant number.
But in the mixed races the German blood predominates.
Should they be included in the final solution?
- We can make exceptions in special cases. - Yes, but let's think further.
According to you, a half-Jew who has children with a German wife should not be evacuated.
- Good God! - I do not follow.
A half-Jew with a German wife and children? True, he is not evacuated.
Now let's imagine that this half-Jew has a brother, who is of course also half-Jew,
but he is not married and has no children. Should he be evacuated according to your suggestion?
- Yes. - How do you explain it to the family?
To the Aryan sister-in-law? The Aryan relatives?
- Everything can be dramatized. - No, I'm just thinking it through.
We cannot treat quarter-Jews as of German blood
but evacuate their half-Jewish family to the East.
How do you explain to the quarterback on leave from the front
that his half-Jewish family on the platform opposite being sent east in a cattle car?
All are individual cases.
I have to agree with Dr. Stuckart.
Even the Führer believes that it is of the utmost importance not to worry the population.
I want to remind you about the euthanasia program. It caused a stir.
- Dr. Stuckart complicates matters. - It's complicated.
The Führer knows this and has therefore given no other instructions on the matter.
But maybe you are smarter than the Führer on this point?
The Führer wants the final solution. Everything Jewish must be driven out of the body of the people.
Your proposal creates intolerable situations.
In extreme cases, it leads to chaos, and out of chaos grows resistance.
We don't want mixed race Jews as enemies.
The half-Jew is a more dangerous enemy, with his high-value Germanic heritage.
High-ranking half-Jews?
- Do you also have a constructive suggestion? - Very good question.
My suggestion is to do nothing.
We should do nothing at all.
- You've got to be kidding. - Half-Jews can only marry Germans.
Purely biologically, the Jewish part decreases with each generation.
- Children of half-Jews are already quarter-Jews. - But then we won't be finished for a hundred years.
Half Jew. Quarter seventh.
If I don't like the nose, it's Jewish enough.
A bit coarse, isn't it?
In any case, no one can understand that I like Jews.
I know you are accomplishing a lot in the East.
But don't think I'm doing less here just because I'm not wading in Jewish blood.
Without us and our laws, the German Reich would not be where it is today.
No one doubts your commitment, Dr. Stuckart.
That said, we try to simplify things as much as possible.
In that case, I suggest sterilization.
Sterilization? How should I understand it?
Forced sterilization of all mixed-race Jews, without exception.
Cheaper than deportation and absolutely sufficient from a racial hygiene point of view.
An interesting suggestion, Dr. Stuckart.
All biologically dangerous elements would be prevented from procreating.
The risk of breed deterioration is eliminated.
Is it technically feasible on such a large scale?
It needs to be evaluated. Faced with the choice to be evacuated or sterilized
a Jew of mixed race will undoubtedly prefer sterilization.
Their blood will die out, but we keep them as labor.
A tailor-made solution.
Forced divorces would also be conceivable.
You wanted to simplify things. There you have it.
Here are some more suggestions regarding intermarriage,
that is, between German-blooded and all-Jews.
We're taking a break.
Dr. Stuckart.
In the lounge there is freshly brewed coffee, desserts and cognac.
We'll continue in a few minutes.
The Working Paper on Mixed Race Jews. Add it to the record.
You have good arguments and know how to present them.
Yet you insist on the matter.
Sometimes, if I'm being honest...
Sometimes I wonder if you oppose our proposals because of your good arguments
or because it is precisely your laws that we are discussing here.
I wish you didn't see us lawyers just as brake pads on your train.
- My authority is full of lawyers. - Of a different kind.
Like Dr. Schöngarth and Dr. Lange.
I value dedication and willingness to trade.
I have less use for lawyers who complicate and sow doubt.
Thinking is good, but acting is better.
Action without thought accomplishes nothing. Then you throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Forced sterilization?
Do you mean it? Or are you suggesting it because it takes months to evaluate?
Like you, I see myself as devoted to the Führer's cause.
I am not speaking against your final solution,
but only for an orderly deprivation of rights.
I have the greatest respect for what you have done at the National Security Board.
An ideologically stable, combative administration
prepared for radical intervention. But don't forget that all of Germany is not like that.
People need rules and norms, clarity and orientation.
The knowledge that everything has its order.
Thanks so much. We will investigate the matter.
Thanks.
Apart from that, of course you are right. I have written a huge set of laws.
If you take it away from me, I might as well go to the office without pants.
Of course, we must prevent that at all costs.
Has your wife made herself at home?
Last time I got the impression that she didn't like Prague.
It was over a long time ago. The other day she said:
"I am a princess who lives in a castle."
I am glad to hear.
- And you? When will the increase come? - There are a few weeks left.
- Come visit us. - As soon as it can be arranged.
Are you planning to move your family here after the war? The house suits you.
- Possibly. - Then we would become neighbors.
Our children can swim together in the Wannsee.
A beautiful thought.
The Reichsführer-SS and the Governor General had a clear agreement.
It is my right to insist that it be observed.
You heard Obergruppenführer Heydrich. I can't do more.
We have no interest in being responsible for the misery of another million Jews.
I can't come up with it.
I'm going to have a cup of coffee. Do you also want?
I thought we were going to work here.
Gentlemen, we proceed.
Let's stay here. We'll be done soon. We can move on to the informal.
- My documents, please. - If it is okay.
Dr. Stuckart and I had a fruitful exchange.
Do you have any questions?
I feel I have to ask again about the progress of the final solution,
and I must repeat how necessary it is
to initiate the relief measures with us in the General Government.
Why not with us?
We cannot stand for the largest space and become the kingdom's garbage dump,
where everyone sends their Jews, gypsies and misfits,
while we are left with our own Jews. Diseases, black trade, crime...
Sure, Dr. Bühler. So that you don't stir things up again: Polish Jews first.
- Excuse me? - You have my promise.
We start in the General Government. Say hello to Governor General Frank.
May I take it that this agreement is on the record?
- Obersturmbannführer? - It is recorded.
May I assume that the Governor-General will not get in the way of our plans any more?
That we lead the final solution?
- No more questions. - Thankfully.
But I have a question. I don't want to spoil the cheerful mood,
but since the beginning of the meeting I have asked myself a fundamental question.
- Just ask. - Thanks.
You said a lot about the final solution, but not much about concrete solutions.
I guess the RSHA know what they are doing.
I'm just wondering if we're talking about a statement of intent or realistic goals.
I assure you that we are not building castles in the air.
If you will allow me...
I have made calculations based on reports from the response teams.
Take, for example, the special treatment of Ukrainian Jews in late September,
conducted by Task Force C under Obergruppenführer Jeckeln.
- One of our best. - I mean the measures against the Jews in Kiev.
The Jewish population cooperated thanks to appeasement measures,
and a natural gully could be used for disposal.
So there was no need to dig pits.
I heard about it, Babij Jar Ravine.
- 6th Army participated, under von Reichenau. - May he rest in peace.
That's what I want to get to. You could say it was ideal conditions.
Nevertheless, the special treatment took 33,771 Jews
36 hours to complete.
A thousand an hour. What is wrong with that?
938 to be exact.
If one then counts on Obersturmbannführer Eichmann's figure of eleven million,
it will be 11,720 hours,
or 488 days.
Where do you want to go?
Our men would have to do what was done in Babij Jar for 488 days,
day and night without interruption.
Shoot Jews for 488 days.
Old, women and children. 938 per hour.
Please, your calculation is quite hypothetical.
The work rests on many axes in different places.
But we are talking about eleven million cartridges.
Only if every shot hits.
We agree that we cannot achieve it by arquebusing.
For that reason, we now build facilities whose sole purpose is
to tackle this numerical problem.
Maybe it's because I'm older than most here - or a priest's son,
but for me it is also a moral issue.
Sorry, but I don't have to listen to that. "Poor Jews. Women and children."
We're doing our duty, and you shouldn't throw crap at us.
- You misunderstand me. - I understand very well.
You gave in to Comrade Lange with your nonsense about humanity.
I must firmly defend the comrades.
The punishment of the Jews may seem barbaric, but they deserved it.
I'm surprised we're talking about this again. It's about self-defense.
Otherwise the Jews will destroy us.
Please, I don't worry about the Jews.
I know that the end of history is written for the Jewish race.
I only worry about our soldiers
and the psychological burden that the Final Solution places on them.
For the Wehrmacht, SS and Ordnungspolizei?
It is about young people who are not yet fully developed.
We were like that once too.
Experiences like the special treatment in Kyiv,
a mountain with over 33,000 people,
that inevitably leads to rudeness.
Sadism. Mental illness and alcoholism.
I can speak for my men and say we know our craft.
We shoot from behind with bayonets on when they are on their knees. We rarely miss.
Imagine an orderly process.
So be it, but we want them to return as healthy German men.
Real husbands for German wives. Fathers of German children.
In our military hospitals the number of cases of nervous diseases is very much increasing,
triggered by the difficult experiences in the East.
It cannot be denied. I was told that some of the men who attended
were in worse condition than those who had been shot.
"Crudeness". "Sadism".
Although one must be merciless to the Jew in his service
is he still a decent German.
I can confirm that. There is certainly a rough tone,
but no one steals, swears, fights, or behaves dishonorably.
No one doubts your decency.
But I thank the Ministerial Council for his question. It is important to consider.
Some who have just enthusiastically advocated the final solution
become completely silent when they actually see the final solution.
The Reichsführer-SS, if I may interject, witnessed an arquebusing himself
and immediately gave orders to find a more humane method.
More humane? For our men, then?
Of course.
I promised that after our meeting you would understand
that we can answer any questions associated with the final solution.
Obersturmbannführer.
Behind the front line or where rail transport would be too expensive
we can't do without arquebusing.
But for the final solution, the method is too ineffective
and also negatively affects the effectiveness of our men.
- The effectiveness of my men is... - Dr. Schöngarth, I beg you.
The other methods, which are more effective and less mentally taxing
is based on findings from the euthanasia program at Zentraldienststelle T4.
- "Operation mercy killing"? - It had to be canceled when people protested.
And the churches. They politely stay out of the way regarding the Jewish transports,
but there was much shouting about the lunatics.
But they still managed about 70,000.
When it shut down they started working for us.
Excuse. When we talk about Brack's methods, are we talking about gas?
- That's right. - What other means can give such high quotas?
Those of us who participated in the World War have experienced what it means.
Gas. Poison gas. When lying in the trenches.
I don't know what you think, but to me the idea is hideous.
It was over 20 years ago. A lot has happened.
Last month I inspected the Kulmhof camp,
and the Bełżec camp, under Hauptsturmführer Wirth.
Both use carbon monoxide.
In Kulmhof, special wagons with airtight superstructures are used.
In Bełżec, there are rooms where gas is piped from cylinders or armored car engines.
We also have new discoveries from Obersturmbannführer Höss.
Who?
Commandant of a camp for Russian prisoners of war in eastern Upper Silesia.
The Obergruppenführer mentioned it. Auschwitz.
Höss's staff has achieved promising results
with an agent used for pest control, Zyklon B.
Pest control? Interesting.
Cargo holds on ships, silos... Large-scale disinfection.
- Appropriate. - And to contaminated uniforms.
The active substance is hydrocyanic acid bound in granules.
On contact with air, a fast-acting gas is released.
An accidental discovery. There were accidents due to improper use.
So the comrades came up with it.
And so we make the wrong practice the right practice.
Right.
We receive the granules in practical containers, pre-portioned.
The manufacturer can also provide it without adding warning substances.
When you notice the gas, it's too late.
According to Höss, last year's gassing of 900 Russian prisoners of war was extremely successful.
What will it be then? Carbon monoxide or hydrocyanic acid.
Höss is convinced of his method.
It is still a thought experiment, but it would be possible to transform Auschwitz,
from Russians to Jews.
I intend to propose to the Reichsführer-SS that we move forward on all tracks.
Competition stimulates business.
How can we imagine these processes in detail?
As I said, the Jews come to the facilities by train.
They are then sorted according to work ability and hand over their possessions.
Under the guise of disinfection, they are then led to airtight gas chambers.
The active substance is supplied from outside.
The process itself, if performed correctly, is completed in ten to fifteen minutes.
This is followed by ventilation of the chamber, removal and disposal.
We plan combustion in highly efficient furnaces.
In Auschwitz, models are already being built by Topf & Söhne,
although of course we have to expand capacity significantly.
From train to gas? So there is no need for housing?
Extremely effective!
But don't these facilities risk causing concern among the population in the area?
Just what I need - riot.
We value geographical distance.
The facilities require facades and undeveloped areas in the direction of the wind
to avoid disturbing odors.
- How many facilities are there? - Kulmhof is already relieving Litzmannstadt.
Bełżec will soon be ready for operation.
In the camp in Sobibór, construction will begin soon. An area near Treblinka is being considered,
and Auschwitz is, as I said, a possibility.
- Do we have enough people for that many? - The operation is not personnel-intensive.
Especially if we use Jews and labor from outside.
Our men are mainly to keep order and release the necessary gas.
But the sight of all the corpses, the transport to the ovens...
It is carried out by working Jews, who later also receive special treatment.
Elegant.
And is the facility's capacity sufficient for the task?
We are in the planning phase. We must find and optimize the processes.
But there are no technical obstacles to building airtight chambers for a thousand people.
In Auschwitz there is room for several chambers,
so that we can always manage a fully loaded train in one round.
The process can of course be repeated several times a day.
The Council of Ministers looks skeptical.
This might solve our math problems,
but how exactly is it better than arquebusing?
I have witnessed executions in the East and the use of the special carriages in Kulmhof,
and I'm not ashamed to say that both make me sick.
But the stationary facilities enable a structured division of labor.
The person concerned and the person carrying out the process barely come into contact.
No closeness and nothing to arouse pity.
I and all the experts involved are convinced:
This enables a pleasant technical, efficient and anonymous process.
Our men can do it in an extremely detached manner.
- Very impressive. - The whole thing sounds well thought out.
- In deed. - We are convinced of that.
- Do you share that assessment? - Well, yes...
If it really spares us the carnage of arquebusing
and our men are spared, then it is a great relief to me.
The knowledge that we have all done all we could,
although I would have preferred if the Jews just went up in smoke.
Who wouldn't rather live in peace?
But fate has chosen our generation to complete this task.
We can't refuse just because it's disgusting.
We are the doctors of the German people.
No doctor likes sawing off the leg of his patient,
but what if it is the only way to save the patient's life.
Gentlemen, with that we are done.
If there are no more questions, I suggest that you as authority representatives
continue the conversations with your advisors.
My advisor IV B4 will contact your subdivisions.
- Are we getting a protocol? - Also through us.
Then I thank you for coming and pray once more
about your continued support to implement the final solution.
That is all.
- My notes, Obersturmbannführer. - We summarize it in the minutes.
- Can you give them to me this afternoon? - I'll put a white paper on your desk.
I'll call a car that can drive you to town.
- Good job, Eichmann. - Thank you, Gruppenführer.
- Interesting day. - Some things should be left to the younger ones to handle.
We'll see what happens with the big plans.
I hope you didn't take offense to my working document.
We are civil servants and have a duty to our agencies.
I have spent so many years of my life with Jewish laws
that I would like to avoid.
- You're not giving up, are you? - Not without a fight.
I say goodbye. I have another meeting in four hours.
Restructuring of the Ministry of Posts.
- You are certainly persistent. - We all have to make sacrifices.
It wasn't that dangerous.
My need for conferences is satisfied for the time being.
- You did well. - Well, yes...
I know of some fine establishments in Berlin
where you can recover in the most pleasant way.
It sounds interesting.
- Do you want one too? - I won't say no to that.
Thanks.
A brandy, Obergruppenführer?
I have more meetings, but don't let me stop you.
I hope you are satisfied.
Consent in the highest circles, and no one doubts our leadership.
A successful event.
- The protocol as usual? - First to me.
- Thirty copies? - Sent as classified.
Use formal language as usual. We don't want to scare anyone.
But the gentlemen should be able to read what they have been involved in.
- No one should be able to say he didn't know. - Understood.
Good. Today's goal achieved. It was worth returning to Berlin.
I wish you a nice afternoon.
The same, Obergruppenführer. And a pleasant journey home.
Six million Jews were killed during the National Socialist regime.
Subtitles: Patrick Svensson www.firstlightmedia.com