TREBLINKA: - Holocaust Handbooks

198 Carlo Mattogno, Jürgen Graf: Treblinka
“Presented to Herr Reichskommissar [Lohse] with the request that he
take note of the report of the City Commissioner in Minsk concerning the
evacuation of reportedly 50,000 Jews from Germany to Minsk.
If not ordered otherwise by Herr Reichskommissar, the order of November
28 remains in force, according to which no objections are to be
raised against any kind of transports from the Reich.”
On January 5, 1942, the City Commissioner of Minsk, Janetzke, who opposed
the deportations into this city, turned directly to Rosenberg. He wrote
the latter a letter in re “Evacuation of Jews from Germany to Minsk,” in which
he explained that he had heard that the central authorities had the intention
“of bringing approximately 50,000 more Jews from Germany to Minsk
in the next weeks and months.”
About 100,000 civilians lived in that city, which literally lay in ruins, and
also “about 7,000 Jews from Germany” as well as “roughly from 15,000 to
18,000 Russian Jews” as prisoners. Thus, no possibility existed of accommodating
any more people. To these difficulties, “the very serious problem of
feeding the population (including the Jews)” was added. For these reasons,
Janetzke asked for the cessation of the Jewish transports to Minsk. 565
District Court Judge Wetzel responded on behalf of Rosenberg in a letter
dated January 16, 1942, which was directed to Reich Commissioner Lohse: 566
“Re: Evacuation of Jews from Germany to Minsk.
The letter of January 5, 1942, from the Herr City Commissioner of
Minsk, copy enclosed, of which I ask you to take note, was sent to me.
According to a communication of the Reich Security Headquarters imparted
to me, it was planned to send 25,000 Jews from the Reich to Minsk,
who were supposed to be accommodated in the ghetto there. Of these, 7-
8,000 Jews have reached Minsk. The rest who remained behind cannot be
transferred to Minsk at this time due to transportation difficulties. As soon
as these difficulties are removed, however, the arrival of these Jews in
Minsk must be reckoned with. I ask to instruct the City Commissioner of
Minsk in this regard and I further request him to contact the Senior Police
Chief in charge with regard to the question of accommodating and feeding
the Jews. I ask to suggest to him further that he adhere to the chain of
command in future.”
However, on February 6, 1942, in a letter to Lohse, the Generalkommissar
for White Russia, William Kube, supported Janetzke’s request. He pointed out
how impossible it was in a city like Minsk, 80 percent of which lay in ruins, to
565 GARF, 7445-2-145, pp. 65f.
566 GARF, 7445-2-145, p. 68.