In addition, the memorial sites multilanguage webpage at. To conclude, it may be said that in revisionists attempts to reframe the wannsee conference, the wannsee protocol as a historical documentary source only played a minor part. Biographies of wannsee conference participants appendix e. Wannsee protokoll schluesseldokument zur endloesung. Konferensen hade sammankallats och leddes av ssobergruppenfuhrer reinhard heydrich, chef for nazitysklands sakerhetsministerium, reichssicherheitshauptamt, och riksprotektor i bohmenmahren. The wannsee conference in the development of the final solution pdf.
Wannsee conference meeting held at a lakeside villa in wannsee, berlin, on january 20, 1942, whose purpose was to discuss and coordinate the final solution to the jewish problemthe mass extermination of all european jewry. Protocols of the wannsee conference, january 20, 1942. Introduction to the book about the men who attended the wannsee conference just published by berghahn books. Peter longerich the wannsee conference in the development of the final. Rather, the wannsee conference was the place where the final solution was formally revealed to nonnazi leaders who would help arrange for jews to be transported from all over german. Wannsee protocol article about wannsee protocol by the free. Now that the destruction of european jewry had become official german policy, the purpose of the wannsee conference, according to historian doris bergen, was to coordinate the details and establish the central role the ss. Full text of the wannsee conference in the development of the final solutionwannsee conference see other formats house of the wannsee conference educational and memorial site am grosser. Seventy years ago today, 15 men met at a lakeside villa in berlin to discuss business but this was no ordinary conference, it was the start of the. The wannsee protocol january 20, 1942 on july 31, 1941, hermann goring 18931946, acting on hitlers instructions, ordered reinhard heydrich 19041942, head of the reich security main office, to draw up a complete plan for the final solution of the jewish question. The wannsee conference, the fate of german jews, and hitlers. Wannsee conference organized by reinhard heydrich and adolf eichmann.
Wannsee protocol in the course of the final solution and under appropriate direction, the jews are to be utilized for work in the east in a suitable manner and in the process a large number of them will undoubtedly drop out by way of natural attrition. Kempner cited a few rosenberg diary excerpts in his memoir, and in 1956 a german historian published entries from 1939 and 1940. This file for which an english translation is available reproduces the german text of the only extant copy of the wannsee protocol, the 16th of 30 copies, as found in the files of the german foreign ministry in 1945. The wannsee conference was a conference in the berlin suburb of wannsee on 20 january 1942. Villa in wannsee where final solution conference was held. Wannsee conference villa in the berlin suburb of wannsee that housed the conference at which the final solution to the jewish problem was formulated on january 20, 1942. The letter accompanying the wannsee conference protocol, dated january 26, 1942. Wannsee conference and the final solution the holocaust.
Protocol of the wannsee conference, january 20, 1942 reich secret document 30 copies protocol of conference i. The surviving remnantswill have to be treated appropriately despite the euphemisms which appeared in the protocols of the meeting, the aim of the wannsee conference was clear. Wannsee 5658 d14109 berlin tel 00493080 50 01 0 fax. The wannsee protocol and a 1944 report on auschwitz by the office of strategic services new york. This conference was set up by reinhard heydrich, the chief of security police for the nazis otherwise known as the ss and was attended by many high.
One copy of the protocol with circulated minutes of the meeting survived the war. At the time of the wannsee conference, the nazis were already killing jews in enormous numbers and by a variety of methods. The wannsee conference was a highlevel meeting of german officials to discuss and implement the socalled final solution of the jewish question mass killing. Leibbrandtreich ministry for the occupied eastern territoriessecretary of state dr. Wannsee as a code for systematic murder, for bureaucratically coordinated genocide, for the holocaust in general. This english text of the german original is based on the official u. At the time of the wannsee conference, 500,000 jews, including women and children had been murdered, primarily by firing squad. But the wannsee protocol is a rather crude forgery, as shown by several revisionist researchers, in greatest detail by johannes p. Pdf hosted at the radboud repository of the radboud. After world war ii ended on may 8, 1945, the allied powers began a search for the nazi documents that they would need as evidence at the nuremberg international military tribunal which was set to begin in november 1945. The surviving wannsee protocol stands as one of the most compelling pieces.
The conference took place in berlin on 20 january 1942 and was intended to coordinate the final solution by asserting the dominance of heydrich and the ss over other governmental departments. It was held in berlin at a wannsee villa used by the reich security main office. Wannsee villa where the final solution was planned by the. The wannsee protocol and a 1944 report on auschwitz by the. The wannsee conference in historical research and holocaust. Wannsee protocol wikisource, the free online library. Hitler had made his views to exterminate the jews known in 1942. This document is in the public domain and may be freely reproduced. The wannsee protocol and a 1944 report on auschwitz by the office of strategic.
Eichmanns testimony in jerusalem about the conference appendix f. A secondary goal was to arrive at a definition of who was jewish. The wannsee protocol is an alleged protocol of the conference, allegedly written by adolf eichmann. The final solution the wannsee conference at villa. Nov 02, 2016 the conclusion of the meeting was formally put in an infamous document by adolf eichmann, known as the wannsee protocol. Heydrichs socalled special operations units einsatzgruppen had already been working for weeks to cleanse. The wannsee protocol was the record of the nazi wannsee conference, in which the final solution, or the slaughter of the jews of europe, was planned. On january 20, 1942, the villa was the site of the wannsee conference.
View of the wannsee villa the holocaust encyclopedia. Nobody at wannsee was senior enough to decide such mattersthe wannsee protocol was rather a signpost indicating that genocide had become the official policy. Wannseekonferenz was a meeting of senior government officials of nazi germany and schutzstaffel ss leaders, held in the berlin suburb of wannsee on 20 january 1942. Even though most of the copies of this document were destroyed at the end of the war, a copy was discovered by a us prosecutor during the nuremberg trails.
Ssobergruppenfuhrer reinhard heydrich chief of the rsha and reichsprotektor of. How should we understand this calm, businesslike discussion of holocaust. Revisions to the nuremberg text were made for clarification and correction. Eichmann had given strict orders that they be destroyed, yet dr.
This english text of the original germanlanguage wannsee protocol is based on the official u. Eichmann probably got straight to work on writing the protocol, referring not only to his. So the wannsee protocol was drawn up to focus famed german efficiency on the business of murder. This english text of the wannsee protocol is based on the official u. The participants of the wannsee conference introduction by. Protocol of the wannsee conference, january 20, 1942 german original note.
Explore wannsee holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. Anatomy of a fabrication stated that that a conference between high officials and party leaders took place in january 1942 in the villa am gro. The following took part in the conference on the final solution endloesung of the jewish question held on january 20, 1942, in berlin, am grossen wannsee no. Frances unoccupied territory 700,000 in the wannsee protocol, means vichy. Wannseekonferenz was a meeting of senior government. This content is available in the following languages. Reich secret document30 copiesprotocol of conferencei. Wannsee conference page 2 wannsee protocol january 24, 1942 at the beginning of the discussion chief of the security police and of the sd, ssobergruppenfuehrer heydrich, reported that the reich marshal had appointed him delegate for the preparations for the final solution of the jewish question in europe and pointed out that this. This museum tells the story of this event, however, as the history of this one day is not long, it only makes up for 1020% of the exhibition. You can cruise around the lake, walk in the forest, visit an enchanting island, tour a prussian palace and work on your tan in the strandbad wannsee, a lakeside lido with a 1kmlong sandy beach, or.
On january 20, 1942, in a grand villa on the shore of berlins lake wannsee, a conference of nazi officers produced a paper known as the wannsee protocol, which laid the groundwork for a final solution to the jewish question. Apr 25, 2018 the wannsee protocol was the record of the nazi wannsee conference, in which the final solution, or the slaughter of the jews of europe, was planned. In the afterglow of the meeting, its organizers paused for a moment for a drink before heading off to carry out the next steps in the final solution. The steno typist was seated beside me and i had to ensure that everything was recorded. Harvests were poor in germany in and and food supplies were short, as large numbers of forced labourers had confferencia brought into the country. The final solution the wannsee conference at villa marlier. At the wannsee conference, heydrich emphasised that once the deportation process was complete, the fate of the deportees would become an internal matter under the purview of the ss. Wannsee protocol article about wannsee protocol by the. The wannsee conference, the fate of german jews, and. The wannsee conference was a highlevel meeting of nazi officials that took place in berlin on january 20, 1942, to discuss the final solution of the jewish question called by reinhard heydrich, the head of the reich security main office which controlled both the gestapo and the sd, the conference was originally called for december 9, 1941, but fallout from the japanese invasion of pearl. Afterwards, the steno typist worked out the notes and then heydrich decided what was to be put into the protocol and what not. The wording of the wannsee protocolthe distributed minutes of the meetingmade it clear to participants that evacuation east was a euphemism. The conference marked a turning point in nazi policy toward the jews. The purpose of the conference, called by the director of the reich main security office ssobergruppenfuhrer reinhard heydrich, was to ensure the cooperation of administrative leaders of various.
The wannsee conference is an event that took place during world war ii on january 20 1942 in a small berlin suburb called wannsee. Another lie crushed posted on october 5, 2015 by help one of the more commonly perpetuated myths around the holocaust is that the nazis held a conference in the berlin suburb of wannsee on january 20, 1942, where the extermination of the jews was planned. The wannsee protocol and a 1944 report on auschwitz by the office of strategic services, 1982. Meeting held at a lakeside villa in wannsee, berlin, on january 20, 1942, whose purpose was to discuss and coordinate the final. An even more detailed germanlanguage article with complete references can be downloaded here. Protocol of the wannsee conference, january 20, 1942. The following summarizes the most important analyses and critiques, all of which prove conclusively that all the various versions of the protocol as well as all the versions of the letters. The wannsee conference facing history and ourselves. The mobile killing squads were already slaughtering jews in the occupied soviet union. In fine weather, its a fantastic place to leave the city bustle behind. Introduction the participants the men of the wannsee conference. Feb 14, 2017 the most notorious of those meetings was the wannsee konferenz, during which they decided to exterminate the world population of jews.
Allegedly, the purpose of the conference, which was chaired by reinhard heydrich, was to plan important parts of the holocaust. The wannsee conference was not a name its participants would have given to their meeting. What is chilling is that it took 15 men just 90 minutes to decide the fate of over 11,000,000 people. This electronic text is in the public domain and may be freely reproduced. Hitler, the participants decided on measures for the annihilation of the jews in those parts of europe under german control final solution of the jewish question. The wannsee conference in historical research and holocaust education wolf kaiser house of the wannsee conference memorial and educational site. Holocaust revisionists dispute this version and have criticized the.
The following took part in the conference on the final solution endloesung of the jewish question. This original of the protocol is at the politisches archiv des auswartigen amtes, berlin r 100857, bl. The forgery is proven by absuridities of content for example grossly exaggerated numbers of jews living in europe, as well as formal errors. Wannsee protocol, january 20, 1942 the holocaust history. The conclusion of the meeting was formally put in an infamous document by adolf eichmann, known as the wannsee protocol. No other documentation of this conference exists other than the protocol and its. Those who ultimately should possibly get by will have to be given suitable treatment.
In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger gro. The wannsee conference did not mark the beginning of the final solution. Wannsee protocol in the course of the final solution and under appropriate direction, the jews are to be. He is credited with helping reveal the existence of the wannsee protocol, the 1942 conference during which nazi officials met to coordinate the genocide against the jews, which they termed the final solution.
The wannsee protocol january 20, 1942 ghdi document. The following text is based on a paper delivered in november 2009 at the memorial site house of the wannsee conference in berlin, germany. The wannsee conference, the fate of german jews, and hitlers decision in principle to exterminate all european jews christian gerlach the journal of modern history, vol. Pdf the participants of the wannsee conference introduction by. Full text of the wannsee conference in the development of. Rather, the wannsee conference was the place where the final solution was formally revealed to nonnazi leaders who would help arrange for jews to be transported from all over germanoccupied europe to ssoperated extermination camps in poland. The minutes of the conference, which have come to be known as the wannsee protocol, constitute not a verbatim account of what was said. Death, survival and selfassertion exhibit in villa marlier where 1942 wannsee conference was held wannsee berlin germany. Not one of the men present at wannsee objected to the announced policy. The wannsee conference was organized by reinhard heydrich, heinrich. Jan 10, 2018 the wannsee conference handout includes kwl activities and the minutes from wannsee. The protocol of the conference was recorded by adolf eichmann 19061962, who concealed the planned genocide behind a series of euphemisms. German original and english translation of the wannsee conference protocol protocol of the wannsee conference, january 20, 1942 german original note. Adolf hitler did not attend, but its clear that the final solution wasnt conceived at.
892 429 1188 216 554 281 147 420 982 164 893 651 1252 1531 746 1319 237 570 900 1057 1030 812 232 1460 678 908 1123 1196 292