The Gas Vans: A Critical Investigation - Holocaust Handbooks

SANTIAGO ALVAREZ, THE GAS VANS 181
pecially transferred for this purpose (see chapters 1.2., 2.2.7. and 4.1.),
Schäfer found himself in an uncomfortable position. In this context the
court introduced the documents of 501-PS, which gave Schäfer no room
to maneuver. The verdict states:
“One day in the spring of 1942, presumably in early March
1942, a telegram of the RSHA arrived from Berlin which was
marked as ‘Secret State Matter’ and which was therefore immediately
shown to the defendant. The telegram which does no longer exists
[how convenient!], had the following content according to the defendant’s
own statement:
‘Re: Jewish Action in Serbia,
Einsatzkommando with special vehicle Saurer on route by
road with special order.’
The defendant was immediately aware of the telegram’s meaning.
He knew that this was about the killing of the Jews still present in
the camp in Belgrade, all of them Jewish women and children.” (pp.
152f.)
In fact, the defendant himself had claimed during the trial to have
become “immediately aware of the telegram’s meaning.” The court
summarized his statements as follows:
“When the telegram announcing the arrival of the special Saurer
vehicle had arrived at his office and was present to him, he knew
immediately what this was all about. He immediately recognized the
announced action against the Jewish inmates of the Semlin camp as
plain, mean, cowardly murder. He felt nauseated. But he claimed to
have been unable to do anything about it. It has been an inevitable
Führer order. [… Resistance] would have meant mortal danger. It
would also have been absolutely impossible to sabotage the announced
measures or to resist them in any way. He had no other
choice but to let the announced measures unfold.” (p. 164)
Anyone reading this has the right to feel nauseous himself. Such defendants
who obsequiously followed even the most cruel and obviously
illegal order deserve our utmost disgust.
But how could Schäfer have known what the telegram meant? There
is nothing in the alleged telegram’s claimed text hinting at any criminal
meaning. This suggests that what he told the court is knowledge in
hindsight at best. And in addition: which Führer order is he talking
about? No such order was ever found! Hence it probably never existed!