The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - ELTE BTK Történelem Szakos Portál

(„Münchner Abkommen”) and the imminent outbreak of World War II it was
getting more and more difficult for Jewish refugees to get abroad, because most
of the states closed their doors for them. 61
In October 1939 Eichmann was transferred to Berlin and SS-
Sturmbannführer Hans Günther took over the office in Prague, which for
Heydrich was of secondary importance, because for him the expulsion from the
Jews of the old Reich („Altreich”) had top priority. For this purpose he already
had readily plans available. 62
These plans, and here my work finally connects to our unifying topic, the
Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, originated on the assumption to be, after the
conquest and division of Poland which was sealed by this pact, in possession of
territories, Central European Jews could be forcibly send to. The domination of
the polish territories meant a sharp rise of Jews, living under direct German
rule. Their number increased nearly sixfold to over 2 million. 63
This plans, which would soon go under the name „Nisko project”, were
from the very beginning on plans that were about the expulsion of Jews, and
not about a settlement program of Eichmann, as it is often be said. Safrian
speaks generally assumed that the invasion of Poland was accompanied by an
increase in racist politics. This was also reflected in the demand of Hitler to
carry out an expulsion and liquidation program („Vertreibungs- und
Liquidierungsprogramm”) in the occupied territories of Poland. A so-called
„völkisch-politsche Flurbereinigung” („ethnic-political clearing-up of land”),
which was, according to Heydrich directed against the „Judaism, Intelligence,
Clergy and Nobility” of Poland. 64
Up to Hitler’s intention Poland should also have been divided into three
stripes 65 . All Jews should be held in the territory between Vistula and Bug 66 ,
and in this way a „Jewish reservation” should arise according to the ideas of
Hitler, Himmler, Heydrich and also Eichmann. 67 Such a „Jewish reservation”
in the so-called „Generalgouvernement” could at this stage, according to
Safrian, have been understood as the „Endziel” („ultimate goal”).
In the SD-Main Office, however, deportations of Jews into the
„Geralgouvernement” and a further „removal” across the German-Soviet
border were approved by Hitler on the 21 st of September 1939, in the presence
61
YĀḤÎL, Lenî: Die Shoa. Überlebenskampf und Vernichtung der europäischen Juden.
München, 1988. 176-179.
62
KNOPP: Helfer. 39. LEGENSTEIN, Roland: Adolf Eichmann - der Schreibtischtäter.
Koordinator der „Endlösung”. Dipl.-Arb., Wien, 2002. 43-46.
63
RIPPER, Torsten: Vom Vorurteil zur Vernichtung. Hitler und die „Endlösung der
Judenfrage”. Schwalbach/Ts., 2001. 40.
64
SAFRIAN, Hans: Eichmann’s Men. 48.
65
After Poland had been split on the 28th of September 1939 between the Soviet Union and
Hitler’s Germany, they agreed on the relocation of ethnic Germans from the Soviet-occupied zone.
66
DIETRICH, Adam Uwe: Judenpolitik im Dritten Reich. Düsseldorf, 1972. 249.
67
IRMTRUD, Wojak: Eichmanns Memoiren. Ein kritischer Essay. Frankfurt/M. 2001. 104-107.
88