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From jmorris@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca Fri Dec 15 07:32:19 PST 1995
Article: 16088 of alt.revisionism
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From: jmorris@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca (John Morris)
Newsgroups: alt.revisionism
Subject: Re: The Verdicts at Nuremberg
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 1995 00:05:06 GMT
Organization: University of Alberta
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tokrse@aol.com (TokRse) wrote:

>You've heard it before!
>The verdicts of the International Military Tribunal

>Goering - GUILTY!

[...]

>NOT GUILTY AT NUREMBERG: 
>THE GERMAN DEFENSE CASE
>By Carlos Porter

>NOW AVAILABLE ON THE WORLD-WIDE-WEB
>http://www.valleynet.com/~brsmith/

Unfortunately, I only have only volume of the IMT series mentioned by
Mr. Porter out of the library at the moment, volume VII which contains
the statement of Dr. Sigmund Mazur of the Danzig Institute on the
manufacture of soap from human fat. Mazur's statement was corroborated
by two British servicemen, particularly John Henry Witton, who worked
at the Danzig Institute as POWs. Here are the first two of three
paragraphs of Porter's *full text* on the "soap" stories:

  In 1946, it was a "proven fact" that Nazis made human soap
  (Judgement, Nuremberg Trial, IMTI 152; VII 597-600; XIX
  506; XXII 496).

  This "fact" has since become, apparently, merely "rumour" (Hilberg,
  "revised definitive" Destruction of the European Jews,
  Holmes and Meier, NY, page 966: "To this day, the origin of the soap
  making rumour has not been traced").

There are actually two soap stories, and Porter deliberately elides
the stories into one. Hilberg is referring to a large number of soap
rumors that were heard all over Europe, the most famous of which was
the rumor that soap was mass-produced and marketed by RIF. Historians
have long known, and published, that these rumors were untrue though
this effort has apparently had little effect in curbing the popular
mythology. On the other hand, the IMT heard evidence about experiments
in soap-making undertaken at the Danzig Institute. As the IMT record
makes clear no more than perhaps 25 kg of soap were manufactured
there, and it is clear that the Danzig experiments were unsuccessful
in finding a economical method for mass-producing soap from human fat.

Deniers have never refuted the statements of Mazur and Witton. Instead
they prefer to talk about the soap experiments and the soap rumors as
if they were the same thing. By eliding the stories and by providing
as little detail as possible, deniers hope to mislead people into
believing that much nonsense was entered into the IMT record and that
the Nazis convicted there were thus unjustly convicted. They also hope
that no one will check their references which time and again prove
that they have attempted to falsify the historical record by quoting
selectively and out of context.  

And Porter's final paragraph:

  The forensically untested "rumour" of Soviet origin (Exhibit USSR
  393) is in the Peace Palace of The Hague. Peace Palace
  officials show it to eager visitors and tell them it is authentic;
  but do not, apparently, answer letters from persons asking to have
  it tested.

The document is actually docketed as USSR-197, and the prosecutor
begins reading at page 393. More important than Porter's carelessness
on this point is the fact that Porter does not anywhere mention who
ever requested that the soap should be analyzed or that any such
request was ever made: we are merely expected to believe that such a
request was put forth and refused.

Porter's article is a classic example of the way in which Holocaust
deniers lie to us all. I urge others not only read Porter's article
but to go to the library and check out a volume or two of _The Trial
of the Major War Criminals before the International Military Tribunal,
Nuremburg_ and compare what is actually said to what the deniers would
have you believe was said.

--
 John Morris                               
 at University of Alberta     
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