|
|
 |
Dr. Wetzel's "Gassing Apparatuses" Letter
First page Second page
Letter from Dr. Erhard Wetzel to Reichskommissar Lohse, October 25, 1941.
In this letter, Dr. Wetzel -- whose formal position was that of
"Advisor for Jewish Affairs" -- discusses the initial implementation
of the Nazi plan to kill Jews "unfit for work" with poison gas, while
preserving the "fit" Jews for the slave labor plan. In this document
and others, the need to separate Jewish men and women, in order to
prevent any possibility of reproduction, is stressed.
The text follows. It is quoted from "Hitler and the Final Solution",
G. Fleming, University of California
Press, 1984, p. 70. We gratefully acknowledge the help of the Institute
for Contemporary History in obtaining a copy of this document.
With regard to my letter of 18 October 1941, please be informed that
Oberdiensleiter [Chief Executive Officer] Brack from the Fuehrer's
Chancellory has stated his readiness to assist in the construction of
the necessary accommodations and gassing apparatuses, so they must
first be constructed. Brack's view is that, since construction of the
apparatuses within the Reich would present far greater difficulties
than on-site production, the most expedient course of action is to
send his people directly to Riga, in particular his chemist Dr.
Kallmeyer, who will take the necessary steps from there.
Oberdiensleiter Brack further points out that the procedure in
question is not without its hazards, and that therefore special safety
precautions are needed. Under these circumstances, I ask you to
contact Oberdiensleiter Brack in the Fuehrer's Chancellory through
your higher SS and Police leader. Please request from him the
dispatching of the chemist Dr. Kallmeyer and any further assistants
that are needed. I might further point out that Sturmbannfuehrer
Eichmann, the adviser on Jewish affairs in the Reich main security
office, is in complete accord with this procedure. According to the
information received here from Sturmbannfuehrer Eichmann, camps for
Jews will be set up in Riga and Minsk, where Jews from the Altreich
[Germany proper] might also be sent. Jews are currently being
evacuated from the Altreich to Lodz and other camps, from which those
fit for work will be transferred to work forces in the east. Given the
present situation, Jews who are not fit for work can be eliminated
without qualms through use of the Brack device. Incidents such as
those that took place during the shootings of Jews in Vilna, according
to a report I have on my desk, can hardly be sanctioned, keeping in
mind that the executions were undertaken openly, and the new
procedures assure that such incidents will no longer be possible. Jews
fit for work, on the other hand, will be transported to work forces in
the east. That the men and women in this latter group must be kept
apart from each other goes without saying. Please keep me informed as
to any further measures you take.
|
