Arthur R. Butz – The Hoax Of The Twentieth Century

Arthur R. Butz, The Hoax of the Twentieth Century
Document NO-4473 tends, in fact, like so many prosecution documents, to rejection
of the prosecution’s claims when it is properly understood. We see that in
Crematory II there were at least two cellars, a Leichenkeller and a Vergasungskeller,
and that neither was a “gas chamber.”
Now NO-4473 is included in the NMT volumes in a selection of prosecution
evidence from Case 4 (trial of concentration camp administration). One must assume
that the prosecution has selected well. Yet this is as close as it has gotten to
offering the documentary evidence that “gas chambers” existed in the crematory
buildings at Birkenau. The three “gas tight Türme” (towers) ordered from DAW
in NO-4465 247 are obviously irrelevant.
Hilberg takes a different and even less sound approach. He inexplicably passes
over NO-4473 without dealing with the problem it raises; he even quotes from the
document without quoting the phrase containing the word “Vergasungskeller.” He
simply declares that the Leichenkeller in Crematories II and III and the Badeanstalten
in Crematories IV and V were, in reality, gas chambers. Absolutely no
evidence is offered for this; the documents cited by Hilberg at this point do not
speak of gas chambers. 248 The only “evidence” for interpreting the Leichenkeller
and Badeanstalten in this manner is in the affidavits and testimony (June 27 and
28, 1947) in Case 4 of witness (not a defendant) Wolfgang Grosch, an engineer
and Waffen-SS major, who “baptized” these as “gas chambers,” the existence of
Zyklon at Auschwitz being obvious justification for such baptisms. 249 However,
Grosch was a very unsteady witness since in affidavits of February 20 and March
5, 1947, he claimed knowledge of the existence of gas chambers, and then on June
26, 1947, the day before he was to testify, he retracted all these statements during
interrogation and denied any knowledge of gas chambers. 250 None of Grosch’s
testimony is reproduced in the NMT volumes, and Hilberg does not cite his testimony
or affidavits.
There is no reason to accept, and every reason to reject, the claims regarding
the Leichenkeller and Badeanstalten. As for the Badeanstalten, we have observed
that a shower for incoming inmates was standard procedure at all German camps,
so there must have been showers at Birkenau. Now, according to Fig. 29, the
“baths” or Badeanstalten associated with Crematories IV and V are near “filtration
plants” and also near “Canada,” where the clothes of incoming inmates was
stored. 251 The “steam bath” was no doubt for disinfesting clothes, either prior to
storage or after being temporarily taken away from inmates. 252 If it was a sauna
for incoming inmates, the inmates would need a cold shower afterwards in any
case. The people remove their clothing near “Canada” and then shower. What
247
248
249
250
251
252
156
NMT, vol. 5, 622-623.
Hilberg, 566.
Grosch’s testimony is supposed to be in the Case 4 transcript, 3565-3592, but these pages were
missing in the transcript copy I consulted. Presumably he testified in agreement with his affidavit
NO-2154.
NO-2154 quoted in Rassinier (1962), 84ff, and also in Poliakov & Wulf (1955), 136. Grosch’s
precourt wavering is reported in the Ortmann memorandum attached to NO-4406.
Central Commission, 41, 43; Naumann, 194, 254; German edition of Naumann, 540.
IMT, vol. 6, 211.