CARLO MATTOGNO · THE REAL CASE AUSCHWITZ

CARLO MATTOGNO · THE REAL CASE FOR AUSCHWITZ 493
be required to kill people in the gas chambers than would be required
for the purpose of delousing. […].
He [Irving] would have picked up the fundamental fallacy of the
Leuchter Report and realized that many of Leuchter’s reasons for
denying the existence of the killing chambers were invalid. For example,
Leuchter had argued that the ventilation system of the chambers
would have been wholly inadequate. But if the concentration
required was much lower than he assumed, it follows that the ventilation
requirements would be correspondingly reduced. Similarly,
Leuchter’s argument that the high concentration of cyanide required
to kill humans would have created a high risk of toxic contamination
of the sewers would be invalidated if the concentration required was
a fraction of that assumed by Leuchter.”
In the same way van Pelt’s refutation of Leuchter’s hypothesis regarding
the explosive nature of HCN in air was based upon the idea that
the concentration used in the alleged homicidal gas chambers “was
around 300 parts per million” (p. 362). Van Pelt bolsters the argument
saying (p. 388):
“Because the gas chambers were operated with a low (but lethal)
hydrocyanide concentration of 100 ppm, there was no danger of explosion.”
Finally, this low concentration would also explain the minute concentration
of cyanides found by Leuchter in the walls of the alleged
homicidal gas chamber of Crematorium III (p. 442). This conjecture by
van Pelt is also at variance with Tauber’s assertion as to the splitting of
Leichenkeller 1 of Crematorium II into two gas chambers in order to
save Zyklon B in cases of small transports. Taking an extreme case, the
gassing of a single detainee in this room would have theoretically required
only some [(499–0.06)×0.36 =] 180 grams of HCN, if we assume
van Pelt’s HCN upper concentrations (300 ppm), as against 147
grams for a group of 1,500 persons for that concentration, or [(499–
0.06)×0.12 =] about 60 grams against 49 grams for a concentration of
100 ppm. Hence, in order to save 1 kg of Zyklon B, between
[1,000÷(180–147)=] 30 and [1,000÷(60–49) =] 90 gassings would have
had to be carried out. With Zyklon B available in 1944 at a cost of 5
RM per kilogram 696 it is highly unlikely that ZBL would have built a
696 PS-1553, pp. 15-26, Invoice from Degesch concerning the supply of Zyklon B to KL
Auschwitz and Oranienburg addressed to SS-Obersturmführer Kurt Gerstein.