Query:

Return-Path: From:	dmanzer@wimsey.com (Doug Manzer)
Subject: Query about _The Wannsee Conference_ film

Is anyone there familiar with the grim movie _The Wannsee
Conference_ (1984) directed by Heinz Schirk? Fifteen high ranking
Nazi officials go through the motions of an interdepartmental
government conference in a calm, businesslike manner, except that
the agenda is a plan to massacre eleven million people. 

I had some trouble following the dialog, as it wasn't clear which
official each actor was playing in some cases.

This is a layout of the conference table as portrayed in the film,
showing my guess as to who was in each chair. Can anyone confirm
or correct it? The ones I'm not sure about are marked with "?".

No's (12) and (15) wear brown uniforms (Nazi party uniform?)

No. (11) apparently holds honorary SS rank and wears an SS
uniform. He seems to have the flu, and uses a handkerchief fairly
often. This is the character I'm most curious about, or at least
what department he represents. 

                               Ministerialdirektor
                           (8) Kritzinger
                           ___
SS-Sturmbannfuehrer   (7) |   | (9)  Secretary of State
Dr. Laenge                |   |      Neumann
                          |   |
SS-Oberfuehrer        (6) |   | (10) Secretary of State
Klopfer                   |   |      Dr. Freisler
                          |   |
SS-Gruppenfuehrer     (5) |   | (11) Secretary of State
Hoffman (?)               |   |      Dr. Stuckart (?)
                          |   |
SS-Obergruppenfuehrer (4) |   | (12) Gauleiter
Heydrich                  |   |      Dr. Meyer (?)
                          |   |
SS-Gruppenfuehrer     (3) |   | (13) Secretary of State
Mueller                   |   |      Dr. Bueler
                          |   |
SS-Oberfuehrer        (2) |   | (14) Under Secretary of State
Schoengarth               |   |      Dr. Luther
                          |   |
SS-Gruppenfuehrer     (1) |   | (15) Reichsamtleiter
Eichmann                  |   |      Dr. Leibbrandt (?)
                           ---
                           (16) Stenographer


Here's a more detailed list of the attendees, where the names of
the actors in the film are shown as {  }. (Information from
"EuroDocs" Web pages)


(1) SS-Obersturmbannfuehrer Eichmann    Reich Security Main Office
{Gerd Boeckmann}

(2) SS-Oberfuehrer Dr. Schoengarth      Security Police and SD
Commander of the Security Police
and the SD in the Government General
{Gerd Rigauer}

(3) SS-Gruppenfuehrer Mueller           Reich Security Main Office
{Friedrick Beckhaus}

(4) SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Heydrich      Reich Security Main Office
{Dietrich Mattausch}

(5) Secretary of State Dr. Stuckart     Reich Ministry for the Interior
{Peter Fitz}

(6) SS-Oberfuehrer Klopfer              Party Chancellery
{Guenter Spoerrle}

(7) SS-Sturmbannfuehrer Dr. Lange       Security Police and SD
Commander of the Security Police
and the SD for the General-District
Latvia, as deputy of the Commander
of the Security Police and the SD
for the Reich Commissariat "Eastland".
{Martin Luettge}

(8) Ministerialdirektor Kritzinger      Reich Chancellery
{Franz Rudnick}

(9) Secretary of State Neumann          Plenipotentiary for the
{Dieter Groest}                         Four Year Plan
                                       
(10) Secretary of State Dr. Freisler    Reich Ministry of Justice
{Rainer Steffen}

(11) SS-Gruppenfuehrer Hofmann          Race and Settlement Main Office
{Robert Artzorn}

(12) Gauleiter Dr. Meyer                Reich Ministry for the Occupied
{Harald Dietl}                          Eastern territories

(13) Secretary of State Dr. Buehler     Office of the General Government 
{Reinhard Glemnitz}                     (Poland)

(14) Under Secretary of State           Foreign Office
Dr. Luther
{Hans W. Bussinger}

(15) Reichsamtleiter                    Reich Ministry for the Occupied
Dr. Leibbrandt                          Eastern territories
{Jochen Busse}

(16) Stenographer
{Anita Mally}
     

Any help appreciated.

Regards, Doug Manzer


Response #1:

That's a tough question to answer without having one's own copy of 
the film. I suggest that he calls or writes to the US distributor 
of the film which is (or was): 

   Films Inc. 
   35 South West Street
   Mt. Vernon, New York 10550

   914 667-0800 

If they don't have any documentation maybe they can provide the 
address of the company which produced the film (Bavarian TV?) 
or its director (Schirk). There was also an historical advisor. 
With some further effort I might be able to dig up his name. 

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