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Dr. Wetzel's "Gassing Apparatuses" Letter



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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.

   

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