Arthur R. Butz – The Hoax Of The Twentieth Century

Chapter 7: The Final Solution
resulted in Göring’s famous letter to Heydrich regarding the “final solution of the
Jewish question,” dated July 31, 1941: 368
“As supplement to the task that was entrusted to you in the decree dated
January 24, 1939, namely to solve the Jewish question by emigration and
evacuation in a way, which is the most favorable in connection with the conditions
prevailing at the time, I herewith commission you to carry out all preparations
with regard to organizational, factual, and financial viewpoints for a
total solution of the Jewish question in those territories in Europe under German
influence.
If the competency of other central organizations is touched in this connection,
these organizations are to participate.
I further commission you to submit to me as soon as possible a draft showing
the organizational, factual, and financial measures already taken for the
execution of the intended final solution of the Jewish question.”
It is customary to quote this letter with deletion of the reference to “emigration
and evacuation.” 369 The planned Jewish emigration to the eastern territories of not
only the German Jews but also the Jews in the “territories in Europe under German
influence” was a relatively extensive project and so, in accord with Göring’s
reference to the “competency of other central organizations,” Heydrich called a
special conference, the “Wannsee Conference”, which was finally held on January
20, 1942. Representatives of several branches of the German Government attended
the conference. Eichmann was the next to lowest ranked person at the conference.
The minutes of the conference, NG-2586-G, are lengthy, but the heart of
the project was expressed as follows: 370
“Meanwhile, in view of the dangers of an emigration during the war and in
view of the possibilities in the East, the Reichsführer-SS and the Chief of the
German Police had forbidden the emigrating of the Jews.
The emigration program has now been replaced by the evacuation of the
Jews to the East as a further solution possibility, in accordance with previous
authorization by the Führer.
These actions are of course to be regarded only as a temporary substitute;
nonetheless here already the solution of the Jewish problem is of great importance.
[…]
Under proper direction the Jews should now in the course of the final solution,
be brought to the East in a suitable way for use as labor. In big labor
gangs, with separation of the sexes, the Jews capable of work are brought to
these areas and employed in road-building, in which task undoubtedly a great
part will fall out through natural diminution.
The remnant that finally is able to survive all this – since this is undoubtedly
the part with the strongest resistance – must be given treatment accordingly,
since these people, representing a natural selection, are to be regarded
368
369
370
NMT, vol. 13, 169-170.
E.g. Shirer (1960), 964.
NMT, vol. 13, 212-213. Poliakov & Wulf (1955), 119-126.
259