Today in History

May 11th 1960 Adolf Eichmann in captured in Argentina.

"He (Eichmann) said to me on the occasion of our last meeting in February 1945, at which time we were discussing our fates upon losing the war: "I laugh when I jump into the grave because of the feeling that I have killed 5,000,000 * Jews. That gives me great satisfaction and gratification." -Affidavit of Dieter Wisliceny

The Sassen Tapes: Eichmann’s Hidden Admission

In 1957, three years before his capture by the Mossad, Adolf Eichmann sat for a series of interviews in Buenos Aires with Willem Sassen, a Dutch journalist and former SS volunteer. These recordings, known as the Sassen Tapes, provide a chilling counter-narrative to the banality of evil defense Eichmann later used in Jerusalem. While he would eventually claim to be a mere clerk caught in a bureaucracy, these tapes capture him in a state of pride, openly discussing his hands-on role in the Holocaust.

In this specific exchange, Eichmann moves past the logistics of train schedules and admits to coordinating directly with death camp officials to ensure the efficiency of the genocide.

Transcript

Eichmann: Suppose, for example, that I needed to organize 50 trains in the next two months. I heard they had to go to Auschwitz. I received an order, for example, to get a certain city judenfrei—cleansed of jews. I asked Pohl to supply me with the final destination. That was my main task.

Then, in this instance, I went to Auschwitz. I told those in charge, "These are the orders I received from the Head Office." I had to know, "How many can you take in per day?"

Sassen: So you weren’t just responsible for the trains? But you always had to add that they were designated for Sonderbehandlung?

Eichmann: Yes. That’s an important point. I had to announce it. Naturally. You know, it was routine. It was always the same. Always the same.

The terminology used here reveals the calculated nature of their bureaucracy. Judenfrei (free of jews) was the goal of the deportations, while Sonderbehandlung (Special Treatment) served as the standard SS euphemism for mass murder.

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Adolf Eichmann was a significant architect of the Holocaust and SS officer. He directed the section IV B (Jewish Affairs) in the RSHA. This gave him authority to play out his role; the deportation of over 1.5 million Jews from all over Europe to killing centres and killing sites in occupied Poland and in parts of the occupied Soviet Union.

Adolf Eichmann was also closely associated with and subordinate to Heinrich Himmler (The Reichsfuhrer-SS/Head of the of SS) and Reinhard Heydrich (One of the most feared men in the Nazi Regime and Heinrich Himmler's deputy). He was also cooperated with Heinrich Mueller (The Head of The Gestapo near the end of WW2), who was also subordinate to the men above when it came to the concentration camp system.

Adolf Eichmann had a group referred to as 'Eichmann-Manner' (Eichmann's men).