. ,.•! ) ·· . Periodic Reports on THE ~liSH POSITION published by THE INSTITUTE OF JEViiSH AFFAIRS VOL. III Number 5 .May. 1962 Institute of Jewish At'faj.rs World Jewish Congress 15 East 84th Street New York 28 N. Y. ' .·' . 1 t TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. ADOLF EICHMANN IS DEAD -- WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER EICHMANNS? •••••••••••••-:-1" II. REPORT FROM MOROCCO ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 4 III. ANTI-JEWISH ACTION ••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••.••••••••••••••••••••••• 5 1. Argentina •••••••••••••• 5 7. ItalY••••••••••••••••••••••••• 8 2. Austria. • .•••••••••••••• 5 8. Mexico•••••••••••••••••••••••• 8 3. c~eohoslovakia ••••••••• 6 9. Norway•••••••••••••••••••••••• 8 4. Egypt•••••••••••••••••• 6 10. Uruguay••••••••••••••••••••••• 8 5_. Germany •••••••••••.•••• 7 11, USA ••••••• ••••••••••••••••• • • • 9 6. Great Britain •••••.••••• 7 12. USSR•••••••••••••••••••••••••• 9 'N. PROSECUTION OF WAR CRIMINAlS •••• ••••••••. •••• •••••••• ••••••••••• ••• ••••• 9 1. Austria•••••••••••••••• 9 3. Germany ••••••••••••••••••••••• lO 2. Belgium•••••••••••••••• 10 4. USSR ••••.•••••••••••••••••••• 12 V. MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS •••••••••••••••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •. • • • • • • 12 1. Algeria ••••••••••••••••• l2 18. Iraq • •• ·• •••••••.••••••.••••• • •• 22 2. Argentina ••••••••••••••• l3 19. Israel ••••••••••••••••••••••• 22 3. Belgium ••••••••••••••••• 14 20. ItalY•••••••••••••••••••••••• 22 4. Brazi1••••••••••••••••••14 21. Jamaica•••••••••••••••••••••• 22 5. Bu1garia •••••••••••••••• l4 22. Morocco•••••••••••••••••••••• 22 6. Canada •••••••••••••••••• l4 23. New Zealand •••••••••.••••••••• 22 7. Congo ••••••••••••••••••• 15 24. Poland••••••••••••••••••••••• 23 a. Cuba •••••••••••••••••••• l5 25 .• Rhodesia. ••••••••••••.••••••••• 23 9. Czeohoslovakia •••••••••• 15 26. Rumania•••••••••••••••••••••• 23 10 .. Franoe •••••••••••••••••• l5 27. Spain •••••••••••••••••••••••• 23 11. Germany ••••••••••••••••• 16 28. Sweden••••••••••••••••••••••• 24 12. Great Britain••••••••••• l9 29. Switzerland •••••••••••••••••• 24 13. Greece •••••••••••••••••• 20 30. Tunisia•••••••••••••••••••••• 24 14. Guatemala ••••••••••••••• 20 31. Turkey •••••••••••••••••••••• .• 25 15. Hol1and••••••••••••••••• 20 32. Uruguay•••••••••••••••••••••• 25 16. Hungary ••••••••••••••••• 21 33. USA •••••••••••• • •. • • • • • • • • • • • 25 17. International ••••••••••• 21 34, USSR••••••••••••••••••••••••• 28 -1- I. ADOLF EICHMP..NN IS DEAD ...... WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER EICHMA.NNS? For a long time the ease, trial and judgment of Adolf Eichmann in Israel kept the world in a state of agitation and suspense. No other trial in the history of mankind gave rise to so many disputes, reports, comments, editorial, TV and radio broadcasts, polls, etc. Probably this was in part due to the dramatic circumstance of Eichmann's apprehension in Argentina and the expansion of the news-gathering fa­ cilities in the last decade. But even discounting these outside aspects, the trial undoubtedly commanded world attention for what it disclosed before the eyes of the nations - planned systematic, ruthless annihilation of six million innocent men, women, and children by a mighty totalitarian state and its administrative apparatus, with the willing and frequently ardent cooperation of died-in-the-wool Nazis and the passive compliance of the populace. Eichmann was in the center of the web which extended practically all over Europe to hunt and destroy the Jews down to the last person. But obviously he was not alone. After the war trials were held by the Allied and former German satellites (Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria), but they came practically to an end by 1948. Thereafter a reverse trend set in whereby many of those condemned to imprisonment (if they were not executed at an earlier time) were pardoned, paroled, or had their sentences re­ duced. By now, there are practically no Nazi criminals held by any of the Allied nations in Prison. Only three top Nazis are in the Spandau prison, under the four Big-Powers control: Hess (Hitler's one-time deputy), von Schirach (youth leader), ant Speer (Minister of Armament). From time to time trials take place in Poland and the Soviet Union; on a larger scale such trials occur in the Federal Republic of Germany:; where a considerable number of investigations are being conducted and trials pre• pared. They deal with the notorious death cal!lps of Auschwitz, Belzec, Treblinka, Maidanek, Buchenwald, Mauthausen, etc.J the specia.l extermination squads; large ghet­ tos like Warsaw, Lodz, Bialystok, etc.; whole countries and regions. It is obvious that such an effort would not have been undertaken if there were not large numbers of important criminals unpunished. Since by now all crimes except murder and parti­ cipation therein have been superannuated, the accused are all in the category of pure and unadulterated murderers. Not e.ll are available for trial; some have gone underground or are missing; but frequently criminals who were considered dead but lived for many years under assumed names (sometimes even under their own) are dis­ covered in the process of investigation or by accident. This action is obviously not based on vengeance., and the trials are not "victor'2 trials; they are conducted by the Germans themselves. West Germany has come to the conclusion that the existence of large numbers of "murderers among us" is detrimental to good government and the development of democracy. A certain parallel action, al­ though on a smaller scale,. has started in Austria. These efforts to oleanse the body politic of persons guilty of murder are - as is to be expected - not pursued with equal zeal by all the authorities concerned, but nonetheless they represent a commendable effort worth assisting. It is on this basis that the WJC has been ren­ dering extensive assistance to the Central Office for the Prosecution of War Crimin­ als in Ludwigsburg, the competent public prosecutors, investigating judges, court, and police. What kind of persons are involved in these investigations and trials? Small fry are mostly left in peace, but there is a large number of big-shots still to face their judge. It is impossible in this short review to give more than a few examples. Some of Eichmann's collaborators are among those now facing trial or investigation. SS-Hauptsturmf'uehrer (Captain) Otto Hunsche, former member of the Eichmann Special Commando in Hungary, will face trial in June in Germany; Deputy Chief of Eichmann's -2- Comm~dn, Hormann Krumey, is under arrest thereJ Eichmann's Chief ~f Transportati~n, SS-Obersturmfuehrer (first lieutenant) Kurt Franz Novak, and Franz Slavik of the Hungarian Cnmmand are under arrest in Austria; SS-Sturmbannfuehrer (Major) Wilhelm Zoepf,and Erich Derpner of Eichmann's office in The Hague, are under arrest in Ger­ many. others (for instance, Alois Brunner) are in hiding. Still others (for in­ stance, the brothers Hans and Rolf Guenther, Ernst Moss) are missing. The f~te ~f the maj~rity is unknown. Vfllat about the others? Here are a few examples. Take the ease of Wilhelm Koppe. He was SS-Obergruppenfuehrer (Major General) and General of the Police and Waffen-SS and Higher SS and Police Leader in the Warthegau (western part of Poland) and, later, in the Government General of Poland. Koppe made the whole area (with the exemption of a remnant in the Lodz ghetto) judenrein and continued this activity in the Govern­ ment General. K~ppe lived under an assumed name as a director of a 0hocolate factory after the war; he was arrested quite recently, but is now free on bail, pending the investigation. SS-Obergruppenfuehrer (Major General) and General of the Waffen-SS Karl Wolff, chief of the personal staff of Rimmler and later Supreme SS and Police Chief in Italy, wh~ received "with special pleasure" the news that 5,000 Jews were to be shipped daily to Treblinka, after he had intervened to make it possible, is under investigation in Germany. Wilhelm Hahn was SS-Obersturmbannfuehrer (Lieutenant Colonel) and Commander of the Security Police and SD in the District of Warsaw since October, 1941, when about 500,000 Jews were still alive in the ghetto. He was "active' there until the liquidation of the ghetto. During the large "resettlement" in 1942, about 300,000 Jews were sent to the death camp Treblinka. Hahn prospered after the war, was arrested in Hamburg, but released because there was no danger of his es­ caping; the ease is under investigation. A worthy companion of Hahn was Heinz Auers­ wald, ghetto commissioner of Warsaw, a very brutal man. He was a law~er before the war and practiced his profession when he crune under investigation for his part in the annihilation of the Warsaw Jews. Otto Hantke, the "Jewish expert" in Warsaw is another companion. Otto Bradfisch was Chief of the Gestapo in Lodz (the second largest ghetto in Poland). Guenther Fuchs, Superior Criminal Commissioner and "Jew­ ish expert" in the ghetto of Lodz is also among those under investigation. A first-rate killer was SS-Hauptsturmfuohrer (Captain) Heinrich Hamann, former chief of the Security Police in Novy Sa.cz (Poland). He was proud of his name and preclaimed at every occasion that he would annihilate every Jew, something the bibli­ cal Hamann did not accomplish. Another killer of the same nature is Reinhold Feix, who was responsible for the murder of the Jews in the Budzyn camp and adjacent lo­ calities. He has not yet been found. Herbert Zimmerman was Comnander of the Security Police and Security Service in Bialystok. SS-Obersturmba.nnfuehrer