The Gas Vans: A Critical Investigation - Holocaust Handbooks

SANTIAGO ALVAREZ, THE GAS VANS 131
He may have confused Saurer with Berlin Gaubschat Company
manufacturing the cargo box for these vehicles. Such minor mistakes
would therefore not cast any doubt about the truthfulness of Rauff’s affidavit.
The orthodox Holocaust literature claims that Rauff had been in
charge of deploying the “gas vans” ever since their inception (Kogon et
al. 1993, pp. 53f.). All the more surprising it is to read that Rauff apparently
didn’t know much about those vans, which becomes apparent
when he says for instance:
“In so far as I can state these vans were probably operating in
1941.”
But the “gas vans” are not said to have been “invented” before the
outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union – Kogon et al.
maintain that the gas vans were planned only in late 1941 (1993, p. 53),
and according to the Just document they had been deployed starting in
December 1941. Hence Rauff’s statement doesn’t make much sense.
Rauff also claimed that, after reading the Becker document, he had
asked Pradel “to have the technical matters, of which the letters complained,
remedied.” Note the plural “letters”! Hence Becker wasn’t just
shown one letter, although he certified only the Becker document and
doesn’t mention any other document. Fact is that the Becker document
does not contain any complaints about technical matters. Rauff’s statement
would make sense in the context of the Just document, though,
which suggests numerous technical changes. This makes me suspect
that Rauff had been shown that document as well. Why he wasn’t asked
to confirm the authenticity of the Just document as well is a mystery.
Having been shown two such documents, which, superficially seen,
seemed to mutually confirm each other, must have left an impression on
Rauff. But since the Just document was never introduced during the
IMT or the subsequent NMTs, maybe the issue of having its authenticity
confirmed never came up.
Although the Becker document implied that Rauff was one of the
main responsible persons in the deployment of the “gas vans” and as
such “responsible for nearly 100,000 deaths during the Second World
War,” 72 the U.S. troops did not transfer him to Germany for prosecution.
Some time later Rauff actually even managed to escape from a
U.S. internment camp and subsequently fled from one country to the
next. He eventually emigrated to Chile, where he was interviewed at
72 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Rauff.