Adolf Eichmann was personally responsible for installation of the gas chambers in which millions of European Jews were slaughtered, according to two documents prepared by the Center of Contemporary Jewish Documentation published here today.
One of the documents revealed that an SS officer named Guentner, one of Eichmann’s personal assistants, ordered the start of experiments in June 1942, with prussic acid, to “liquidate” Jews.
Eichmarn personally proposed this system to his superiors, and designated camps in the Riga and Minsk areas for the initial experiments. The first one was performed in Chelmo, where ten gas chambers were set up in 1941, according to the documents.
The French newspaper, Figaro, began publication today of a series of articles on the background of the forthcoming trial of Eichmann in Israel, including the new documents. L’Aurore, a mass circulation newspaper, also began a similar series.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.