(5) Extermination of German Jews. Early in 1939 Hitler and the other Nazi conspirators decided to arrive at a "final solution of the Jewish problem." In connection with preparations for

[Page 306]

aggressive war, further consolidation of controls and removal of elements not belonging to the Volksgemeinschaft (racial community) were deemed necessary. The conspirators also anticipated the conquest of territories in Eastern Europe inhabitated by large numbers of Jews and the impossibility of forcing large-scale emigration in war-time. Hence, other and more drastic measures became necessary. The emphasis in this period shifted from legislative acts to police measures.

On 24 January 1939 Heydrich was charged with the mission of "arriving at a solution of the Jewish problem." (710-PS)

On 1 January 1939 Rosenberg stated in a speech at Detmold:

"For Germany the Jewish problem will be solved only when the last Jew has left Germany."

On 7 February 1939, Rosenberg appealed to foreign nations to forget "ideological differences" and unite against the "real enemy," the Jew. He advocated the creation of a "reservation" where the Jews of all countries should be concentrated (2843-PS). In his Reichstag speech on 30 January 1939, Hitler made the following prophecy:

"The result [of war] will be *** the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe." (2663-PS)

Thus the direction was given for a policy which was carried out a soon as the conquest of foreign territories created the material conditions. (For the carrying out and results of the program of the Nazi conspirators against Jewry, see Chapter XII.)

In the final period of the anti-Jewish crusade very few legislative measures were passed. The Jews were delivered to the SS and various extermination staffs. The last law dealing with the Jews in Germany, signed by Frick, Bormann, Schwerin, V. Krosigk, and Thierach, put them entirely outside the law and ordered the confiscation by the State of the property of dead Jews (1422-PS). This law was a weak reflection of a factual situation already in existence. Dr. Wilhelm Stuckart, assistant to Frick, stated at that time:

"The aim of the racial legislation may be regarded as already achieved and consequently the racial legislation as essentially closed. It led to the temporary solution of the Jewish problem and at the same time prepared the final solution. Many regulations will lose their practical importance as Germany approaches the achievement of the final goal in the Jewish problem." (Stuckart and Schiedermair: Rassen und Erbpflege in der Gesetzgebung des Reiches (The care for Race and Heredity in the Legislation of the Reich), Leipzig, 1943, p. 14.)

The original plaintext version of part one or part two of this file is available via ftp.

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