West German Foreign Minister Heinrich von Brentano suspended today the head of the East European desk of his Foreign Ministry, Dr. Otto Braeutigam, pending an investigation into the role he played in the annihilation of Latvian Jewry.
Von Brentano acted after a Social Democratic delegation had called to his attention three letters implicating him in the liquidation of the Jewish community of Libau. The letters were contained in a documentary volume, “The Third Reich and the Jews,” published in Berlin several months ago by two Jewish historians, Leon Poliakov and Joseph Wulf.
Although the documents have only been widely circulated recently, as a result of the Poliakov-Wulf book, they were previously published in the printed record of the Nuremberg International War Crimes Tribunal eight years ago. In 1950 Dr. Braeutigam was indicted as an “accessory to murder in numerous cases,” on the basis of these charges, but was never tried.
The letters reveal that 15 years ago Dr. Braeutigam instructed a subordinate to halt his attempts to prevent the liquidation of the Jews of Libau as had been ordered by Alfred Rosenberg, Nazi Minister for the “Occupied Eastern Territories.” His subordinate had fought the annihilation policy on the grounds that the Jews were needed to assist in the Nazi war effort.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
