“..privilege of opening ..first trial in history for crimes against ..peace of ..world imposes a grave responsibility. ..wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated ..so malignant ..so devastating ..that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored because it cannot survive their being repeated. That 4 great nations flushed with victory and stung with injury stay ..hand of vengeance and voluntarily submit their captive enemies to ..judgment of law is one of ..most significant tributes that Power has ever paid to Reason.” Robert Jackson.
In this, I bear reference only to penalty’s which should be equated with the atrocious detail of The Holocaust. We might argue over who amongst those indicted, in any of the trials ordered, should have been more appropriately convicted. Those, who are not the guilty are not presented in those trials, despite what acquittal might suggest. Even then we might agree who may not be the wholly innocent. In assessing those indicted at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials of the Major War Criminals, all were none the less guilty of promoting Hitler’s World View. Hitler’s Weltanschauung ran alongside The Final Solution of The Jewish Question and was promoted beyond what inhumanity would recognise.
“..I will go to Nuremberg. I feel ..crushing responsibility that I bear on this journey. I pray that ..vanished souls of ..martyrs will manifest themselves through my words. I want to speak in Yiddish ..any other language is out of ..question. I spoke about this with Ehrenburg ..prosecutor Smirnov ..and all ..others. I wish to speak in ..language of ..People whom ..accused attempted to exterminate. I wish to speak our mameloshn. May it ring out and may Alfred Rosenberg crumble. May my language triumph at Nuremberg as a symbol of perdurance.” Avrom Sutzkever.
For all of those facilitating Hitler’s charge toward infamy, or those charged with crushing Jewish existence, both are equally guilty. The differences occur though, which fully manage to contort our own view of what justice must represent. What I would suggest however is that for all of those who should be criminally charged, we ignore this demand at our own peril. We must also consider those, who brought about these Crimes Against Peace, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity are the most heinous of beings of the human race. We must also recognise that the norms of civilised society can only be retained in favour of a leniency these criminals denied to the 6,000,000 Jews they dispatched without conscience.
“..I do not feel guilty of any War Crimes ..I have only done my duty as an intelligence organ ..and I refuse to serve as an ersatz for Himmler.” Ernst Kaltenbrunner.
It is with a deep concern that the many, like Kaltenbrunner, who are giving of no apology for what they themselves conducted, escaped all manner of conscience. Nor is it to be neglected, even if these acted in accord with Fuhrer orders, that their moral probity was left outside of the Death Camp gates or above the abyss of the Killing Ravines and other sites. What is significant though, and more so in the case of der Einsatzgruppe, those who admitted to no guilt whatsoever were treated the more leniently and invariably escaped the death sentence they so clearly deserved. Regardless of their indictment and subsequent conviction as War Criminals and for their Crimes Against Humanity, evidence was not deemed a substantial enough proof to warrant their execution alongside their fellow mass murderers.
“..conspiracy or common plan to exterminate ..Jew ..largely has succeeded. Only remnants of ..European Jewish population remain in Germany ..in ..countries which Germany occupied ..and in those which were her satellites or collaborators.” Robert H. Jackson.
All the while there is a continuing debate over what must constitute Justice and what is then presented as its essential requirement. In that certainty, we know the corrct element of justice did not exist for the Slaughtered Jews, as it was proposed to represent. When we are even expected to focus upon the Death Penalty, as other than a vengeful response, there is a disparity of issuing. So as to deliver Justice away from revenge, we must consider the crimes are proportionate to the sentence enacted. For those being hanged, the likes of
Wilhelm Frick,
“..sixth man to leave his prison cell and walk with handcuffed wrists to ..death house was 69 year old Wilhelm Frick. He entered ..execution chamber at 2.05 am ..six minutes after Rosenberg had been pronounced dead. He seemed ..least steady of any so far and stumbled on ..13th step of ..gallows. His only words were ..Long live ..Germany ..before he was hooded and dropped through ..trap.” Joseph Kingsbury-Smith.
Alfred Jodl,
“..Fuhrer exercised ..strongest influence. ..who formed an opinion whether ..expenditure of time and materiel was justified by ..tactical value and by which he decided which of ..various constructions proposed should be undertaken. .. selection of terrain was left by ..Fuhrer to ..local staffs in ..West ..but he himself decided on. ..plan was brought up to date every four weeks.” Alfred Jodl.
Wilhelm Keitel,
“..Efficient and enduring terrorization can be achieved only either by capital punishment or by measures to keep ..relatives of ..criminal and ..population in ..dark as to ..fate of ..criminal. This aim is achieved by transferring ..criminal to Germany.” Wilhelm Keitel.
and Alfred Rosenberg,
“..Prosecution contends that it is a matter of a premeditated plan for ..plundering of ..cultural treasures of other states. In reality ..following was true We were dealing with an unforeseen situation. A colleague of mine had accompanied a press delegation when ..German troops marched into Paris and noticed that ..Parisians were returning almost completely with ..exception of ..Jewish population ..so that all organizations and institutions in that category of ownership were left behind empty ..as well as ..residences ..and mansions of these leading personalities ..so to say ..ownerless. He suggested that research into property ..archives ..and correspondence should be made. I reported ..matter to ..Fuhrer and asked whether he approved of ..carrying out of this suggestion. This letter of mine to ..Fuhrer was submitted to me in ..preliminary interrogation but was not submitted to ..Tribunal by ..Prosecution. Thus ..even though ..documentary proof of ..reason for this entire transaction is at hand ..Prosecution have ..maintained ..charge of a premeditated plan. ..order of ..Fuhrer ..issued at ..beginning of July 1940 ..and since a large number of art objects ..in addition to ..archives ..was found in a dangerous position in many mansions ..safekeeping and ..transporting of these objects of art into ..German Reich was decreed by ..Fuhrer.” Alfred Rosenberg.
are their crimes any the more atrocious than that of those, also guilty, who were only given prison sentences or even reprieves.
“..I regard this trial as a god willed world court ..destined to examine and put to an end ..terrible era of suffering under Adolf Hitler ” Hans Frank.
Are these others, the likes of Karl Doenitz, Walther Funk, Erich Reader and Fritz Sauckel, are they any lesser the criminal for their crimes. We can pick over the levels of what they were involved in, War Crimes as opposed to Crimes Against Humanity, but each constitutes a level of atrocity that has been the common denominator in the acquiescence to Hitler’s demands. Some others of these too, Hans Frank, Ernst Kaltenbrunner or Julius Streicher are at the bottom of what is a lowly regard within humanity’s reach. Should all of this not be argued over in relation and with regard to the immensity of the overall catastrophe for 6,000,000 Slaughtered Jews. All the hanging’s, which took place on October 16th. 1946 barely afford the necessity that recognises the gravest wrongs ever perpetrated in History.
“..I must reject an indictment for conspiracy. ..antisemitic movement was only protective.” Alfred Rosenberg.
Are any of these few then, the imprisoned and the sanctioned War Criminals any less evil than those who also promoted the mass Slaughter of the Jews. The real truth then of the Nuremberg Trials is for me what is clearly written in terms of serving what must be more than just a composite form of justice, is clearly just enacted in tokenism. One also has to question too the efficacy of any sought out justice while some witnesses were as guilty as the accused. Following are a group of the most self serving individuals who appear as witnesses at the First Nuremberg War Crimes Trial, and for the prosecution.
There was the Higher SS Police Leader Eric von dem Bach-Zelewski, odious and guilty but only, and eventually warranting a life sentence.
“..I am ..only living witness but I must say ..truth. Contrary to ..opinion of ..National Socialists ..that ..Jews were a highly organized group ..appalling fact was that they had no organization whatsoever. ..mass of ..Jewish people were taken complete by surprise. They did not know at all what to do ..they had no directives or slogans as to how they should act. This is ..greatest lie of antisemitism because it gives ..lie to that old slogan that ..Jews are conspiring to dominate ..world and that they are so highly organized. In reality ..they had no organization of their own at all ..not even an information service. If they had had some sort of organization ..these people could have been saved by ..millions ..but instead ..they were taken completely by surprise. Never before has a people gone as unsuspectingly to its disaster. Nothing was prepared. Absolutely nothing. It was not so ..as ..antisemites say ..that they were friendly to ..Soviets. That is ..most appalling misconception of all. ..Jews in ..old Poland ..who were never communistic in their sympathies ..were ..throughout ..area of ..Bug eastward ..more afraid of Bolshevism than of ..Nazis. This was insanity. They could have been saved. There were people among them who had much to lose ..business people ..they didn’t want to leave. In addition there was love of home and their experience with pogroms in Russia. After ..first anti-Jewish actions of ..Germans ..they thought now ..wave was over and so they walked back to their undoing.” Erich von dem Bach Zelewski.
An SS Panzer Army commander, Josef (Sepp) Dietrich who directed all manner of brutality’s and retributions. There was atrocity upon atrocity as an ideological element to the following and Dietrich led his forces, those like Peiper, toward Malmedy and other atrocities.
“..I recognize that after …battle of Normandy my unit was composed mainly of young ..fanatical soldiers. A good deal of them had lost their parents ..their sisters and brothers during ..bombing. They had seen for themselves in Cologne thousands of mangled corpses after a terror raid had passed. Their hatred for ..enemy was such ..I swear it ..I could not always keep it under control.” SS Standartenfuhrer Jochen Peiper.
There was a Death Camp Commandant, Rudolf Hoess who varied his testimony from having Slaughtering 4,000,000 Jews to the lesser offense of butchering 2,500,000 Jews within Birkenau. Hoess was hanged in Auschwitz for he knew he could, would and did achieve in Hitler’s charge for The Final Solution of the Jewish Question.
“..I commanded Auschwitz until December 1943 and estimate that at least 2,500,000 victims were executed and exterminated there by gassing and burning ..while at least another 500,000 succumbed to starvation and disease ..making a total dead of about 3,000,000.” Rudolf Hoess.
There was an Einsatzgruppe D Commander, Otto Ohlendorf, who by his own admission had commanded the force which Slaughtered 90,000 Jews enroute toward Crimea.
“..I didn’t shoot them. Firing squads did that. I didn’t approve of it.” Otto Ohlendorf.
There was the man charged with the plunder from 6,000,000 Jewish lives, Oswald Pohl. Hanged June 8th. 1951.
“..Hoess ..was commandant at Auschwitz ..employed by ..Reichsfuhrer SS in the final solution of the Jewish question. ..the extermination of Jewry. ..Jews brought to Auschwitz ..were gassed there. ..I ..estimate ..I have talked to Gluecks ..we estimated ..about 3,000,000.” SS Gruppenfuhrer Oswald Pohl.
There was a Jewish expert on The Final Solution, Dieter Wisliceny of the RSHA Office AMT IV A 4 who led Eichmann’s effort in Slovakia.
“..There were 3 distinct periods of activity affecting ..Jews. ..first period covered ..time from 1937 when ..Jewish Section was founded till 1940 ..during which ..policy was to accelerate and compel Jewish emigration from Germany and Austria. Because of this ..Central Office for Jewish Emigration was founded in Vienna and later on a corresponding institution in Prague. After ..victory over France ..Madagascar was contemplated ..but never used ..as a site for ..emigration. ..second period during 1940 and 1941 covered ..concentration of Jews in Poland and eastern territories ..in Ghettos and concentration camps. ..last period ..from beginning 1942 to October 1944 ..covered ..evacuation of Jews from all Germany and German controlled territories to concentration camps and their biological annihilation.” Dieter Wisliceny.
All of whom could be witnesses to the immense atrocity they were a party to and given the voice to add to evidence what the Jewish Survivor could more readily complete. While I constantly point to my own work as a reference point, and my 2nd. Book is an objective disciple; it will inform you of all you need to know. Perhaps too though, and from within their pages, there will be much that will prove distasteful and such is the evidence that there may not be the room to avoid wanting to know about such cruel, brutal and criminal atrocity. The levels of atrocity, such has never been equalled will appear in a bold type script of words to provoke the revulsion such accusation can maintain. Here then is presented a human trash that is der Einsatzgruppe and the Destruction of European Jewry in appalling recognition. Their role is written into an inglorious page, which I define as that unique passage of terror fully inflicted upon the Jews of Europe.
“..It is with sorrow ..with hope that we ..disclose ..deliberate slaughter of more than 1,000,000 innocent ..defenceless men ..women ..children. ..tragic fulfilment of a program of intolerance and arrogance. Vengeance is not our goal ..nor do we seek merely a just retribution. We ask this Court to affirm by international penal action man’s right to live in peace and dignity regardless of his race or creed. case we present is a plea of humanity to law.” Benjamin Berell Ferencz.
My 3rd. Book will inform you on Babi-Yar, a Jewish Catastrophe of the most immense atrocity and why in its wake any leniency is a misguided concept. Here too, and in relation to the interconnection to this singular atrocity detailing 33,771 Jews and Paul Blobel, those of his ilke are many and they forged a presence upon the Jews, so as to deliver them to destruction. All of this surely warrants all manner of rebuke, reproach and the devices of death that should have been applied to them. Now, while we are engaged in retracing the Jewish lost presence, we clearly identify all of those who created this demand. Here, and for me, there can never be any such contention over investigating them at the Nuremberg SS Einsatzgruppen Trial.
“..inspected ..executions ..by EK 11b under ..SS Obersturmbannfuhrer Dr. Werner Braune ..executions by SK 11a under SS Standartenfuhrer Paul Zapp in Nikolaiev ..a smaller execution by SK 10b under ..SS Standartenfuhrer Alois Persterer in Ananev. ..not possible to inspect all mass executions. ..Schubert inspected ..execution ..EK 11b under Braune’s direction ..December 1941 ..Simferopol. ..I ..assigned ..Schubert ..Willi Seibert ..Hans Gabel.” Otto Ohlendorf.
With commanders of individual Einsatzgruppe like Erich Naumann or Otto Ohlendorf, there were adequate Death sentences while Heinz Jost served barely his 10 year sentence. Then there are the individual Einsatz and SonderKommando, those like Paul Blobel and Werner Braune whose Death sentences did not benefit from any reprieve. But, when we recognise that those like Walter Blume, Walter Haensch, Gustav Nosske, Heinz Schubert, Willy Seibert, Franz Six and Eugene Steimle were given jail sentences, or worse still, were reprieved. So many of the very guilty were not even indicted let alone tried and convicted for the most systematic Slaughter ever envisaged by a civilised society and against a People purely because they were a Jewish People.
“..June ..Heydrich ..and Streckenbach ..lectured on ..duties of ..Einsatzgruppe. ..we were already being instructed about ..tasks of exterminating ..Jews. ..Eastern Jewry was ..intellectual reservoir of Bolshevism and ..must be exterminated. ..speech ..given before a ..select audience. ..individuals present ..Einsatzgruppe ..chiefs were present. ..I heard another speech by Heydrich in ..Prinz Albrecht Palace in Berlin ..he again emphasized these points.” Walter Blume.
Here, justice does appear to be somewhat slanted as all of these criminals were excessively engaged in the same ritual Slaughter that was applied to as many as 2,000,000 East European Jews. That this resolve was an assured and efficient aktionen, it does not wrest well with any lenient clemency that secured a future life for them. That they consistently denied a life to those Jews who fell under their murderous rage does not expect other than their complete destruction. Who then amongst these is the most guilty or more likely to have been the least innocent. In their sentencing to death or the lack of their leniency toward so many Jews, their own right to a so called clemency was most certainly undeserved. I end here with the words of the Judge Musmanno whose own conviction was a moving away from the Death Penalty.
“..Nuremberg might well have been the home of ..Nazis ..but it was also its grave.” Michael Angelo Musmanno.
