All language subtitles for The Conference 2_English

This film is based on
minutes from a meeting

which has gone down in history
as the Wannsee Conference.

The so-called statesmen of the enemy spoke.

They could allow themselves to be
silent, because their cannons spoke.

And their soldiers won
victories on a tremendous scale,

which is unparalleled in history.

It is a pleasure for us as Berliners
to express our warm gratitude

to you, my Führer, on behalf
of the entire German people.

I think I speak for the whole
people when I say, my Führer:

We stood by your side when they were
silent, in difficult and in happy moments,

and we will stand with
you through all disasters

till the proud hour of our victory...

Berlin, war winter 1942.

The persecution and murder of Europe's
Jewish population began a long time ago.

On January 20, the highest
representatives of the SS meet,

The NSDAP and the ministerial bureaucracy

at a conference in a
villa at Großer Wannsee.

The person who invited to this
breakfast meeting is Reinhard Heydrich,

the head of the National
Security Agency, RSHA.

On the agenda is "the final
solution to the Jewish question".

- Hail Hitler. - Good morning.

- Has Obergruppenführer Heydrich landed?
- No.

Notify me when he does. Who is here?

Dr. Freisler, Secretary of State Neumann
and Herr Luther of the State Department.

I can't keep them waiting...

- Where is Obersturmbannführer Eichmann?
- In the meeting room.

Please go ahead.

Entertain the gentlemen with
some civilized conversation.

Tell stories from the East.

The Secretary of State may find them distasteful.

You can handle it.

- Comrade Eichmann.
- Good morning, Gruppenführer.

- It looks orderly.
- We are almost done.

Heydrich at the end of the table?

You to his right, Gruppenführer
Hofmann to his left.

Then Hofmann will be
happy. And here next to him?

Ministry of the East:

Gauleiter Meyer, Dr Leibbrandt and
Dr Bühler from the General Government.

- We place Meyer a little further away.
- I thought that as a Gauleiter...

Otherwise he feels too important. Further.

Dr Schöngarth and Dr Lange.

Fine.

- And the desktop riders opposite?
- Yes.

And you?

I will sit down with Fräulein Werlemann, so that
we can resolve matters of protocol directly.

At the side table, I see.

- I'm glad you're here.
- Me too, Gruppenführer.

It's different.

For my part, we can
hold all conferences here.

- You don't like Herr Eichmann's office?
- I didn't say that.

Do something about the work
environment, Eichmann. A trip to the zoo.

I will investigate the possibilities.

- Did your trip to Theresienstadt go well?
- Very good. I came home last night.

- Was everything as expected?
- It's not as crowded as people say.

- That's what I said.
- The new bunk beds work perfectly.

The inmates are allowed to huddle together.

First Mölder's plane crash and
now Field Marshal Reichenau.

I left the coat at the laundry, and now
we already have the next state funeral.

- A terrible loss, especially now.
- Yes.

- Apparently a stroke.
- Deep in the Ukrainian forests.

- What was he doing in the forest?
- Run.

- In minus 40 degrees, like every morning.
- You're kidding.

A Reichenau is not stopped by
freezing temperatures. A tough devil.

40 degrees below zero, good
god. And our men outside Moscow...

It is not warmer for the Russians.
Moscow falls on Easter at the latest.

Right, Dr Schöngarth?

Of course.

Excuse me.

- It was a surprise!
- Dr. Schöngarth?

- I thought you were in Latvia?
- That's me.

I am here in place of Dr. Stahlecker.

- You are climbing in the career.
- Well...

- I'm not happy with conferences.
- You get used to it.

- Where do you live?
- Here. My room is up there.

You should have told
me! This is the wish.

I only arrived last night.

- Lots of work at your place?
- Yes.

You are hardly finished with your Jews until
more arrive. 900 more yesterday, Czech.

Where do you place them? The ghetto in Riga?

Hardly. We take a walk
in the forest, and that's it.

- Mr. Kritzinger. - Dr. Klopfer.

I never thought I would make it!

Be careful what you say.
The Gestapo is watching us.

As far as I know, we have
nothing on you, Dr. Klopfer.

It was a relief.

- Minister Kritzinger...
- Gruppenführer.

I didn't know your agency
operates a branch out here.

- A former factory villa.
- Aryanized?

Not in this case.

Gentlemen.

Obergruppenführer
Heydrich has just landed.

We start at twelve o'clock
as planned. Notify the kitchen.

Yes, Obersturmbannführer.

We expect 90 minutes. Prepare
snacks in the saloon when the doors close.

- Gauleiter. - Gruppenführer.

Dr. Buhler.

- Dr. Leibbrandt.
- Gruppenführer.

Where have you kidnapped us
to, Müller? It looks downright feudal.

It is a guest house that belongs to RSHA.

The East Ministry should also
have a guesthouse at Wannsee.

I agree.

Are you doing just as well in Kraków, Dr. Bühler?

The General Government has other
concerns: two million Polish Jews.

- You can say that again.
- We wait in vain for reinforcements.

- That is why we are here today.
- Governor-General Frank wants results.

Gentlemen.

Gruppenführer Müller.

Dr. Stuckart. Let me
congratulate you on the addition.

As well informed as always.

Why are we honored to be here?
Repainting on Prinz-Albrecht-Straße?

We wanted to give a little change.

You want to impress us,
but don't get your hopes up.

The house has central heating.

- For God's sake!
- Can you orient me?

Gauleiter Meyer. You must
know him. Ministry of the East.

- He hasn't introduced himself.
- It will. He thinks he is important.

Leibbrandt works for him.
He speaks seven languages.

And next to him?

Dr. Buhler. I have to constantly
spar with him in Kraków.

- The General Government. Civil administration.
- And the other costume elves?

Doubters in service. Secretary of State and stuff
like that. Göring's office for the four-year plan.

The Ministry of Justice, the National
Chancellery and the Party Chancellery.

Luther, he's nice. Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

- I hope I don't have to remember them all.
- But you must remember him.

Stucco art. He will be
interior minister one day.

- Yes, this will be fun.
- It's like a friends night out.

In the end, it's about who
wears the hat, albeit without beer.

That was unfortunate.

- I was wondering if you would come by bicycle.
- I considered it.

Do you live here by the lake?

Two kilometers. A beautiful
house. A wonderful family.

Who is the young man?

- A Sturmbannführer if I see correctly.
- In this party?

- They probably both belong to the rough crew.
- Heydrich's "fighting administration".

I don't want to know what our
soldiers in the east have to experience.

- Hail Hitler.
- Gruppenführer Hofmann.

- A pleasure.
- It is my pleasure. And in the east?

- Too many Jews, but we are working on it.
- That is why we are here today.

According to the invitation,
Mr. Heydrich is to draw up an overall plan

to solve the Jewish question. Do
you know more about the matter?

He seems serious. Otherwise
he wouldn't have invited us here.

Göring himself entrusted him with it.

Yes, Heydrich's path to
Reich Marshal has been short.

- He is an ambitious man.
- That's what I want to say!

An incredible career, and
he's not even a graduate.

- He has success. That is the important thing.
- He is welcome to have that.

But I dislike poachers in
my area of responsibility.

Let me introduce Sturmbannführer Lange.

- And you represent...?
- Brigadeführer Stahlecker.

I know him. Welcome.

Hail Hitler.

- Welcome to Berlin.
- How are you?

- Very good thanks. Did the flight go well?
- Yes.

- Are all the others here?
- Yes, we are full.

An excellent idea to invite to a second
breakfast. Now at least they are punctual.

- How is the mood?
- Dr. Stuckart is as combative as ever.

Dr. Bühler complains about the
Jews in the General Government.

As usual, that is.

Make sure you are well taken care
of in the kitchen, Hauptsturmführer.

- Do you have the numbers I asked for?
- They are ready in the study.

I have noted that the accuracy varies.

An impression of correctness is enough.

- Gauleiter.
- Obergruppenführer.

Good morning. Sorry I am late.
My departure in Prague was delayed.

We have a lot to do.
I'll be there in a minute.

Mr. Luther. Dr. Lange.

Excuse me.

Please close the door.

Mr. Luther, surely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
has its own ideas about the Jewish question?

That's right.

I hope they are in line
with what we discussed.

- I don't want to start from scratch.
- Everything is as we have discussed.

On the whole, it's about

that we must have full access
to all Jews of all nationalities,

provided they are within
our sphere of interest.

The time for international
considerations is over.

So true.

The United States and England have taken decisions
against us. The Jews can no longer be used as hostages.

They should have been taken
from us while it was possible.

It fits well with our thoughts.
I like the last paragraph best:

"The measures are carried out in
agreement with the state secret police."

Our collaboration with Herr Eichmann
has been extremely constructive.

Maybe it's because I've
also worked in transport.

I can only imagine the work
that the current measures require.

I am glad to hear.

Our tactics in the Jewish question are too
rapid for the delicate sensibilities abroad.

I like to do a proper job.

- Can you excuse us for a moment?
- Of course.

- Recorder?
- Fräulein Werlemann from Eichmann's office.

- Reliable?
- One hundred percent.

- Day officer?
- Handpicked people.

Dr. Lange, come closer.
You don't have to hide.

I only hear good things from the Baltics.

The commander of Task Force
A, Brigadeführer Stahlecker,

as well as Higher SS and Police Commander
in the East, Obergruppenführer Jeckeln,

has authorized me to inform
you: Estonia is free of Jews.

Lithuania and Latvia, apart from a few
remaining working Jews, are also free.

What can I say? Good news.

May I?

What is this?

We have prepared a small sketch
with the quotas achieved so far.

Task group A is now at 220,000.

Together with the others, it will be half a million.

- It is making progress.
- You've worked hard on this one!

The drawings were made by a comrade.
We have someone who can do that.

Only 42,000 in Belarus?

Unfortunately. It is a large area, and
there is a lack of vehicles and gasoline.

And the ground is
frozen. We can't dig holes.

Arquebusing is still possible,
but disposal has stalled.

- How do you remedy that?
- Stacks, until it thaws again.

We will soon get rid of those kinds of bottlenecks.

The promised gas wagons
are soon on their way to you too.

- Have the loading problems been solved?
- Problem?

A comrade from Kulmhof told me. The
Jews do not voluntarily go on the wagons.

- It often gets restless in the hold.
- Yes, it takes a little fingertip feeling.

Afterwards they have to go out again. The comrade
says that it is more disgusting than the arquebusing.

It is still more efficient,

especially with a full load of
nine to ten units per square meter.

The wagons are still only a transitional solution.

Later you will learn more about
the scope of our current plans.

I'm looking forward to it.

Eichmann.

The transport yesterday from Theresienstadt?

Completed last night. I
almost missed my flight.

- Thank you, Sturmbannführer.
- An order is an order.

You and your comrades are doing a duty to
people and fatherland that few are capable of.

The future will honor
the heroism of your men.

- If I can, I'll say hello to them.
- Do so.

Some of the gentlemen you will meet
are not made of the same wood as us.

We have inherited remnants of the
previous administration and government.

The ones Herr Müller calls
them "Christmas Santas".

Dr. Schöngarth has
warned me. I will be discreet.

It's not necessary. They should be told what
they are participating in. That closes the ranks.

I understand. A question of dosage.

Right. A question of dosage.

But shouldn't my place be here?

- Here, Gauleiter.
- Would you be so kind?

- Here we are again talking about the Jews.
- It looks like that.

An extremely unpleasant topic.

Thanks.

- Dr. Stuckart.
- Undersecretary of State Luther.

Did your audience end well?

You should not be jealous. I heard
that you yourself were a guest in Prague.

I represented the interests of
the Home Office, not the RSHA.

- Water? - Thank you, please.

Herr Gauleiter, Secretary of
State, Comrades of the SS.

I am pleased that you accepted
my invitation at such short notice.

We preferred it to a dusty office,

so that we are not disturbed by
telephones and the running of the advisers.

And if your agencies would like to enjoy
the convenience here, one night costs…

Eichmann, help me.

Five reiksmark per night and person.

- What an offer!
- So that's why we're here.

RSHA is looking for new sources of funding.

Anything helps, Mister
Gauleiter. Joking aside.

Regarding the reason for our gathering,
I would like to draw your attention

to the letter from Reich Marshal
Göring which is attached to my invitation.

There, the Reich Marshal tasks me to:

"Make preparations in organizational,
factual and material terms

for a comprehensive solution
to Europe's Jewish question."

I am instructed to involve all
concerned central authorities

to produce an overall draft.
So that's you, gentlemen.

- That is why we are here today.
- Add a copy to the minutes.

- May I ask...
- Already, Dr. Freisler?

Just a trifle.

The assignment is dated to July last
year. Why is it only happening now?

As you know, for a few months I have been
dividing my time between Berlin and Prague.

My duties as Deputy National
Protector occupy much of my time.

The Czechs offer stubborn resistance.

It was expected. The slaves are recalcitrant.

A meeting in December was made
impossible by the military developments:

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,

The Führer's declaration of war against the United
States and the Russian counter-offensive in the East.

After all, the Russians have
decided to offer resistance.

It won't help him.

I have been asked to present
an overall draft regarding,

and I quote the Reich Marshal again:

"The Implementation of the Final
Solution to the Jewish Question."

The overall solution to the Jewish question is just that:

The final solution to the Jewish question.

Our preparations have thus
been extensive and complicated,

which has caused some delays.

- Thanks for the information. I understand.
- Have I understood the matter correctly?

So we are no longer just
talking about the national Jews?

- Do the new plans apply to all of Europe?
- That's right.

The Jewish question can only be considered
solved after a total biological cleansing

of all Jewry up to the Ural Mountains.

That is the goal, the task
that fate has set before us.

All over Europe...

It's a whole new perspective.

The goal has been around for a long time. The
new thing is that we are now dealing with it.

It is not unexpected. I was at the
Führer's house a few weeks ago.

Then he said clearly that he
wanted the Jewish question resolved.

As he predicted in the Riksdag:

"If international Jewry once again
plunges the people into a world war,

then the result will not be a
Bolshevization of the world,

without an annihilation of
the Jewish race in Europe."

This is the falsification of prophecy.
The Jews want war and will have it.

The destiny of Judaism is
fulfilled, which is hard but deserved.

Pity or remorse is thus
completely inappropriate.

We don't need any presentations. Most
people here are familiar with each other.

Except our Sturmbannführer here.

Dr. Stuckart?

I just wanted to point out that I
am not personally familiar with him.

- Dr. Lange, would you be so kind?
- Sturmbannführer, Dr. Rudolf Lange.

Head of the security police
and intelligence service in Latvia.

I represent Dr. Stahlecker,
who sends greetings to all of you.

Then it was settled.

- Isn't Latvia our territory?
- That's right.

Our operational area is in
the Rikskommissariat Ostland.

- And yet we haven't met?
- We haven't been given the opportunity.

Then it's time. We want to know
who moves in our area of responsibility.

I will arrange it as soon as possible.

This might interest the gentlemen:

Thanks to the combined efforts of the
Ministry of the East and the task forces

can Estonia be considered Jew-free.

Dr. Lange has already notified me.

You will soon be able to read a report
on the situation for the task forces.

You are welcome to take a look at it later.

- If I may ask a question...
- Is it a short question?

- It applies to Dr. Lange's area of responsibility.
- You are welcome.

As you write in your invitation have

Jewish transport
increased in recent months,

both from the kingdom and from the protectorate,
this according to your report IV B4

and your Jewish expert
Obersturmbannführer Eichmann.

That's right.

There appear to have been
irregularities during these transports.

The Rikskansliet holds documents
from November, from Riga.

Can you get to the point?

At efforts in the Rigattot

to prepare a certain relief,

a transport of Jews from Berlin was
included in an ongoing special treatment.

We know that. What else?

The incident has also been
discussed at the Ministry of the Interior,

with a certain inability to understand.

I beg you. Judaism has
forced this war on us.

One must recognize the world-historical
necessity of fighting back.

One cannot anxiously ask whether
individual Jews bear personal guilt.

You see, gentlemen... We
are warm and cozy here.

But in the East it is often less orderly.

It is not possible to get an up-to-date order
from Berlin for each individual decision.

I know. I was a soldier in World War.

Then you know that our units are
sometimes forced to improvise at the front.

Here we are talking about a
thousand people, from Berlin.

What would we do? We couldn't throw them out
into the snow and let them freeze to death.

I have great confidence in
the judgment of your men.

They solve things in the spirit of the Führer.

Let's be honest:

What was forbidden in November
is allowed in December, so please.

The Germans don't care if
Ukrainian or Latvian Jews die.

But each of these thousand Reich Jews has
relatives, acquaintances and friends in Berlin.

It leads to irritation and questions.

And the Rikskansliet cannot
always provide correct information.

We also feel that way at the Ministry of Justice.

The rumors have also led to
suicides among German Jews,

which leads to great
concern among the population.

I am not worried about Jewish suicides.

It has happened that
non-Jews have been deported,

or Jews who fought on Germany's side
in the World War, some highly decorated.

The Gestapo in particular doesn't
seem to be following their own guidelines.

Regrettable initial mishaps.

That is precisely why we have gathered
here today, to hear all your concerns.

Reichsmarschalk Göring, who I
speak for here, recently criticized

that Jewish skilled workers are transported
from factories important for rearmament.

It cannot, especially at this critical
stage of the war, be in our interest.

I understand. The Marshal criticizes
one aspect of what he otherwise welcomes.

- Regarding the current transports...
- Dr. Bühler, can it wait?

The Führer promised Governor
General Frank several months ago

that the General Government would
be Jew-free in the foreseeable future.

- But our ghettos are still full of explosives.
- Show me someone who is better off.

We also run the risk of not
being able to feed all the Jews.

One wonders if the most humane
thing would not be for non-working Jews

eliminated with a fast-acting agent.

It's more pleasant than starving to death.

Financially speaking, absolutely right. It is war.

Why waste precious
resources on the Jews?

We in the General Government are certainly
capable of solving the problem ourselves.

We have already taken steps in the
direction of Mr. Brack's euthanasia actions.

There are procedures,
although not completely harmless.

That's why you should let us handle it.

We are already working with Mr. Brack.

His people provide
knowledge and equipment.

In the Litzmannstadt ghetto, it has
already provided noticeable relief.

We hope to hear more about these measures
today. At least that's what we were promised.

I realize that we live in turbulent times.

In recent months, we have begun
tremendous development on many levels,

and sometimes progress is
faster than we have anticipated,

not least because areas of
responsibility often overlap.

Welcome to Berlin, where everyone seems to
think they are responsible for everything.

That is the German thoroughness.
We should consider it a virtue.

Sure, but so that our virtue
doesn't become an obstacle

a faster decision-making process is required.

We have to make sure we
follow parallel lines, so to speak.

I state, also with regard to
Reich Marshal Göring's letter,

that from now on lies the leadership of
the final solution of the Jewish question,

regardless of geographical boundaries,
with Reichsführer-SS, Heinrich Himmler

and with his authorization the
head of the National Security Board,

that is, my little person.

So can I inform the Minister of the Interior that
the RSHA is now making the Jewish laws themselves?

- It would be easier.
- Don't worry, Dr. Stuckart.

- You will participate in the decision-making process.
- Or be informed about decisions already made?

Don't you want to listen to our
Obergruppenführer's plans first?

before you feel excluded?

What I feel does not belong here.

I am asking based on a responsibility
for my ministry's areas of competence.

I'm surprised I'm the only
one. You then, Mr. Luther?

- Or the gentlemen from the Ministry of the East.
- How so?

You have complained that Berlin interferes in
your Jewish affairs, and now you are silent.

- Right now you are getting involved in our Jewish affairs.
- Dr. Bühler, do you see the same in Kraków?

If the final solution means
that we finally get rid of our Jews

am I ready to follow our
Obergruppenführer's lead.

And that's exactly how it should be. We
will solve your Jewish problems for you!

After today, you will all agree that only
the National Security Supervisory Board

is capable of solving the Jewish question,
organizationally as well as practically.

We have the resources, methods,
organization and experience required

and people with enough determination.

If you do not agree after today,
I will gladly hand over the task.

It's not that we don't
have enough work.

- So if you let me continue...
- Of course.

A brief retrospective: Since 1933, we
have waged a battle against Judaism

and succeeded in repressing
the Jews from German society.

The Jewish race is recognized as
foreign to the body of the German people,

thanks, among other things, to the actions of
the Central Agency for Race and Settlement.

The Jewish laws have made the harmful
influence of the Jews on our community

practically impossible.

With legislation such as
Dr. Stuckart's Nuremberg Laws...

I was just a co-author.

With the goal of clearing the Jews
out of German social life by legal means

we have had a large
number of Jews emigrate.

- Obersturmbannführer.
- So far it is around 537,000.

Not least thanks to Obersturmbannführer
Eichmann's organizational efforts.

My agency is also only part of
Gruppenführer Müller's Gestapo department.

It was nothing.

In principle, the acceleration of the
Jewish exodus was not a bad idea.

Let them exert their
harmful influence elsewhere.

But emigration is
no longer an option.

They don't want them abroad either.

And we must not increase the
enemy's forces in time of war.

What happened to the idea of sending them
to Madagascar? Then the world had let them go.

Shelved, as long as England
has dominion over the seas.

- The same applies to the marshlands of Siberia.
- At least as long as the Russians stand in the way.

Therefore, Reichsführer-SS and Chief of the
German Police, Heinrich Himmler, forbade

the exodus of Jews in October.

And now we turn our attention to what I like
to call "the opportunities in the East".

In the east, thanks to the
work of our task forces, we have

about half a million Jews who
have received special treatment.

We have gained experience that
will be important for the final solution.

So instead of emigration, another
possible solution has emerged.

Let us call it the evacuation
of the Jews to the East,

to bring them to the final solution
with the methods of the East.

- Sorry, Obergruppenführer.
- Dr. Lange?

- So we're going to accept more Jews?
- No.

You deal with the Eastern Jews who
are added when the front is moved forward.

The major measures that are planned
go through the Higher SS and Police Chief.

And how big are the big measures?

The spaces of the final solution
will also relieve the task forces.

"Evacuation to the Premises
of the Final Solution",

Does that mean special
treatment for all European Jews?

Listen now, but then forget it
immediately. That's exactly right.

May I ask where these
spaces are located?

- Not with us. That was not the case.
- With us, in the General Government.

At least I assume so.

It is built in the area around Lublin
under Brigadeführer Globocnik.

Thus we get rid of some of the Jews who
have gathered in the General Government,

around Bełżec and Sobibór.

The capacity is also to be
expanded in eastern Upper Silesia,

near the village of
Auschwitz. More on that later.

Dr. Bühler, didn't the Governor-General
desperately want to get rid of the Jews?

- And now he gets more?
- Why do our Jews interest you right now?

- You receive the news with great calmness.
- The Obergruppenführer has explained:

We don't have to deal with the Jews
in the final solution. They don't stop.

It's real. Do not worry. You
will practically not notice it.

But you spoke of all the Jews of Europe.

- A good knitting line.
- Obersturmbannführer...

The map shows the current political
and military situation in Europe.

Here in the east, the current front line.

The red is the kingdom's
territory at the outbreak of war.

The pink are incorporated areas:

Formerly Western Poland,
the Czech Republic and Austria.

Further east in white, the eastern
territories under German civil administration:

Ostland, Ukraine and the General Government.

Vertically dashed in red are territories
that we have occupied militarily:

Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium,

northern France, Serbia and Greece.

And dashed horizontally, countries
that are allies or where we have influence:

Italy, the Vichy regime, Hungary, Romania,

Bulgaria, Albania,
Croatia and Slovakia.

- We practically have Europe in our hands.
- And we have only just begun.

- And the black dots are...
- Jews.

The density seems to indicate the
concentration of the Jewish population.

That's right.

The further east we look, the more
compact the Jewish resistance becomes,

above all in former Poland and
areas that belonged to the Soviet Union.

After all, they have been
spreading there for centuries.

Behind the front lines in the fog of war, we
have already reduced concentration significantly.

- But there is still much to do.
- The task appears to be too ambitious.

I consider myself an expert in
the field, but I cannot overview

how many Jews are we talking about.

We are talking about eleven million.

This list shows how Judaism is
distributed between individual countries.

Within the Reich we
still have 130,000 Jews.

Numerically manageable,
but politically complicated.

The largest items: the General
Government with 2.3 million.

The Soviet Union has the most, around five million.

In the Balkans, I quickly
count around 1.6 million,

and almost a million more throughout France.

The numbers are higher than expected.

Non-occupied countries such as England
and Switzerland are also listed here.

Of course. The figures already
paint the coming new order of Europe.

Very good. We must
look beyond the horizon.

- And where do the numbers come from?
- From our archives.

And from representatives of
the Jews in Vienna and Berlin.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also contributed.

- Are the numbers reliable?
- They should roughly match.

- These are incredible numbers.
- May I quickly put it into perspective?

Gladly. Keep it short, please.

We have to consider the
numbers in a larger context.

The final solution to the Jewish
question is only one of the building blocks

in the planned reorganization of Europe.

In the longer term, we are talking about the removal
of all lower races in our sphere of interest.

The movement of people in the
eastern territories must give way

for the Germanization of the conquered living
space in the East through German colonization.

In the end, we are talking about a Europe
characterized by our Germanic culture,

in which non-Germanic peoples
are at most tolerated as labor slaves.

Reading and writing at primary school
level. Counting up to one hundred.

We don't need them anymore.

Europe's new order and racial elevation

requiring the repopulation
of hundreds of millions.

In comparison, a final solution for eleven
million Jews is downright negligible.

How are you going to control all
these Jews? How will that happen?

I wonder that too.

The transports have just started, and
already we have delays and obstacles.

What will it look like when
eleven million get moving.

They do not move. They
are set in motion by us.

I don't want to trivialize it:

We are facing an organizational task
that is unprecedented in world history.

It will proceed as follows:

We plan to comb
Europe from west to east.

The evacuated Jews are first
taken to so-called transit ghettos,

and then transported eastward train by train.

- So from west to east?
- It's true.

I have to hope that the General
Government leads the way.

When the facilities are in place,
shall we first work by our Jews?

- We shall see.
- You must excuse...

We cannot be expected to stand and
watch as trains are full of French Jews

rolling into our territory while our
own country is being choked by Jews.

Do you think it is different with us?

The territory of the German
Reich naturally comes first,

not least because of the housing
shortage after the bombings.

Bohemia-Moravia also takes precedence,
and not because it's my home ground.

Too many Czechs still
think they can get rid of us.

The Jewish-controlled backbone of
the resistance must be quickly broken.

- It is about military necessity.
- I understand them, but still:

A plan with no reduction of our Jews
at the beginning of the Final Solution,

and for the record, will not be favorably
received by the Governor-General.

It wasn't said that way. We were promised
relief in our ghettos at the beginning.

We'll see.

If we cannot agree on the order,

then I take the liberty of asking
for a decision from the Führer.

The assets after these eleven
million Jews should be a larger sum.

You have to assume that.

So far, Aryanized assets have gone to
the representatives of the four-year plan.

Shall I inform Reich Marshal
Göring that it will continue like this?

Wait now. The Eastern Ministry still has
access to the assets of the Eastern Jews.

Yes. Our Jews, our money.

First, the money will
finance the transports.

Unfortunately, we have to pay
the Reichsbahn for every Jew.

Now we must not sell the
skin before the bear is shot.

Where do we get transport capacity from?

Good question. The upgrade is already
taking up a lot of the railway and roads.

- Should we have eleven million Jews on the trail?
- And don't forget the military.

The troops must also be
moved, as well as equipment.

We already have supply problems
without the Jewish transports.

If the transports would
impede the war effort,

then the party will advocate dealing
with the Jewish question after the war.

The fight against the Jews is part of the war effort.

It is not a luxury we indulge in
beyond the military endeavours.

War and race are one and the same.

Where we fight against the
Jews, we fight for the kingdom.

- But we mustn't take on too much.
- Exactly. First victory, and then the Jews.

Gentlemen, while I
respect your concerns

is this the wrong time to chastise
the Führer's visions like a potted plant.

Only ten years ago the Jews lived
everywhere among us, almost invisible,

as if they were part of our community of people.

And look where we are
today, how far we've come.

How the possibilities are constantly expanding.

Thinking small now because of
false fears would be a fatal mistake.

Right now, we must have the courage
to take big steps and have big visions.

We are at a critical
stage of the war.

Russia in the east, the USA
in the west and England at sea.

The war is not an obstacle, but an opportunity.

War opens up opportunities
that do not exist in peacetime.

Despite all the personal tragedies, war also
provides an opportunity to create realities.

Make a radical intervention in
society and shape it with a big plan.

When a farmer wants to cultivate his field,
he must first drive the spade into the soil.

Perhaps you will get the best answers to
your questions about transport and personnel

when Herr Eichmann informs
us of the concrete process.

As Jewish adviser at agency IV B4

I am responsible for the registration
and transportation of Jews to be deported.

First:

The transport of Jews is to take place piecemeal,
depending on the military developments.

When the Jew is registered with
the police, reported and separated

he is detained at the reference time.

He hands in his house key, signs
over his assets to the kingdom

and sets off with a small suitcase and a
maximum of 50 reiksmark to the collection point,

usually a distant siding, where
he is placed on the wagon.

Why write over the assets?
According to the 11th Ordinance

Jews lose both citizenship and
property when they cross the border.

- The border crossing is not entirely voluntary.
- Bureaucratic formality seems reassuring.

An orderly process, as the Jews
board the trains with a sense of order.

I understand.

The transport is carried out after
coordination with the Ministry of Transport,

the transport management at the
Ordnungspolizei and the Reichsbahn timetable.

For reasons of efficiency and to give
accompanying staff a better overview

transport takes place primarily with freight wagons.
But in the beginning and up to the border of the kingdom

also used by passenger
trains, for optical reasons.

I guess we are informed about the numbers. We
want to know exactly how many people are coming.

Of course. The transports are coordinated
with the respective reception capacity

at the target areas in the east,

whether ghettos, labor camps,
transit camps or direct action.

- How large will our staffing be?
- Personnel is not a problem.

We manage the entire
company with a handful of men.

- Is it true? - Yes.

A train with ten carriages can
easily be guarded by a dozen men.

And how do you avoid the bottlenecks
in transport that we just pointed out?

We don't expect any bottlenecks.

We use goods wagons that previously
transported Russian workers to the kingdom.

They would otherwise roll back empty. We
are practically trading Jews for Russians.

- So we optimize an existing process?
- Yes. This way we avoid empty trains.

- I like that. - I'll be damned.

If I'd had a freight forwarder like Eichmann,
I'd also have a villa like this now.

- Then these questions are also answered.
- In the protocol?

Yes, Obergruppenführer.
Allow me a comment:

If through transport we lose Jewish
professionals in the war industry,

and in exchange receive untrained
foreign labor, then there is no profit.

It won't be like that. Those that we
benefit from will remain for the time being.

Overall, utility and workability
will play a greater role.

But if this is not the case,
our patience has run out.

This was done in the insane asylums
and institutions for the disabled.

- We can't afford surprise guests.
- A moment.

It was said that the Jews in the Final
Solution would receive special treatment.

And now you say they should work for us?

We get to decide, if
only for planning reasons.

- Workers must be fed and housed.
- Our plans include both things.

Able-bodied Jews are put to suitable
work in the East under suitable leadership.

They will be led there in work
columns to, for example, build roads.

There they will work for us. Quarrying
stone, draining swamps and so on.

I recommend gender segregation so
as not to exacerbate the Jewish problem.

- That's exactly how it's planned.
- Fine. There is plenty of work.

In deed. The Germanization of
our newly won territories in the East

requires roads, factories, agriculture
and housing for German settlers.

The Reichsführer-SS is also planning major
construction projects to secure the areas.

- So we have to agree.
- But hard manual labor for Jews?

I know from experience that
we shouldn't expect much here.

A majority of Jews work in
commerce or in private occupations.

- Not directly with wall construction.
- We will not spare them. Count on it.

A large part will fall away
due to natural causes.

- It is carefully planned for.
- And the ones that don't fall away?

These accumulated residues will
ultimately be properly processed.

They are arguably
the most resilient.

"Properly handled" means...?

Ask first best Jew. He knows the answer.

- Just so we're talking about the same thing.
- I see no alternatives.

The most resistant must
receive special treatment.

They can become the seed
of a new Jewish structure.

History should be a warning to us.

The Romans expelled the Jews throughout
the world, and saw the problem as solved.

- Did they think, yes.
- Now we have to pay the price.

Anyone who wants a healthy public body must
not shy away from eradicating harmful bacteria.

The Jew is the eternal parasite,
spreading under favorable conditions.

A rotten mold that grows on
the cultures of healthy people.

It is a basic imperative for
ethnic, national and social hygiene

to completely eradicate the disease.

We intend to be thorough and without exception.

You have only spoken of able-bodied Jews.
What is the plan for those who are not?

Good question. Considering the conditions
in our ghettos, it should be half.

- If not more.
- We are gradually getting rid of them.

The necessary capacity is currently being built.

Then the goal of the journey is the
same for all Jews, able-bodied or not.

Exactly.

The solution to this problem will
involve many personal tragedies,

but it is inevitable. This is the right time
for a final solution to the Jewish question.

Later generations will lack the power
of action and the awakened instinct.

What for us is a burden becomes for our
descendants an advantage and a happiness.

- I already see a problem.
- About what?

Special treatment for
non-working Jews means old, right?

And precisely among them are the Jews
who fought for Germany in the World War.

- Side by side with those of us who were there.
- I don't remember fighting with Jews.

- No distinction was made then.
- You probably didn't even notice it.

Considering this problem, we have
found a simple but effective method.

Eichmann.

Citizens over the age of 65,

Jews who were badly wounded during
the war or those who were decorated

are not evacuated directly, but
transferred to ghettos for the elderly.

With this solution, many interventions
are eliminated in one fell swoop.

And where will this ghetto for old
people be located? Does it also fall on us?

Don't worry, you don't have to do it all alone.

The intended is
Theresienstadt in my area.

I don't want to be blamed
later for not contributing

I would never suggest that.

Eichmann last visited Theresienstadt
yesterday. The rebuilding is already underway.

Soon, several tens of thousands of
Jews will be accommodated there.

As it is a former fortress, it is
easy to achieve maximum security.

The site consists of compact, well-built houses.

It is quite possible that we
can make it a show ghetto.

Incidentally, this solution can be
very reassuring for the population.

Magnificent! We give the Jewish
controlled cruelty propaganda abroad

a concrete counter-evidence:
the invitation to Theresienstadt.

Come and see how the Germans deal with the Jews.

Won't it be expensive? Housing
for tens of thousands of people?

It is being investigated whether it is possible
to charge the residents for the accommodation,

as well as the Jews we had to emigrate
themselves paid for the transport.

God forbid we pay for the Jews.

But then we still have tens of thousands of Jews left.

Old Jews, Gruppenführer.
Propagation is unlikely.

The problem resolves
itself biologically.

The old in the ghetto are, of course,
ultimately transferred to the Final Solution.

Then I shouldn't have said anything.

Then my people will make
Theresienstadt a fantastic German colony.

Then it was settled too.
I suggest a short break.

You have got an idea of
the basic features of our plan,

but two points await us which
are more ministerial matters.

You can stock up in the salon,
and we'll continue in ten minutes.

There is much that awaits us.

- All the Jews of Europe. Who expected that?
- In accordance with the Führer's vision.

You will be able to tell your grandchildren
that you witnessed world history.

Helped shape, I would say.

Am I seeing right? Salmon slices?

Availability at RSHA appears to be good.

Very friendly. Thanks.

- No one should complain about our working environment anymore.
- No the opposite.

- Just think about our last music night.
- How could I forget?

I would say we have a lot of fun. We
laugh more than in other departments.

I am glad to hear.

It's starting to move. Heydrich
has a firm grip on the helm.

He makes it look like the
chaos of the last few months

was part of a great plan that is now being initiated.

Don't you think so?

I would say one third
plan, two thirds chaos.

And the chaos is now plainly
declared to have been part of the plan.

The pressure rises. Everyone wants to get
rid of their Jews, but no one wants them.

Nobody wants to be a Jew today either.

- Gauleiter. - Dr. Freisler.

You said earlier that you
were at the Führer's house.

In December, at a meeting with
national and party district leaders.

- Interesting? - What, exactly?

It may sound incredible, but I
have never met our Führer in person.

- Thus. - Oh really?

Do you think you could
put in a good word for me,

for a meeting with the Führer? Anywhere.

Of course. I would love to.

- Shall I bring you something?
- No thanks.

They seem to have swallowed the bitterest pills.

That we decide on the timing
and extent of the evacuations.

We're not done yet. Don't
underestimate Dr. Stuckart.

We haven't gotten to his favorite subject.

- I must admit that you surprised me.
- Then my visit here is already worthwhile.

You are told that you will get millions
of new Jews and keep the mask.

It was an agreement. You
approve of his leadership,

and he gives you the promise to
begin the final solution at your doorstep.

- I hope Heydrich keeps it.
- What do you mean?

- It is an honor that it happens with us.
- I know.

The Jewish question is the Führer's
pet child. Everyone wants to keep it.

I know Frank. He will eat you if you
return to Kraków without promises.

Governor-General Frank is
happy to receive ten thousand Jews

if we get rid of twenty
thousand in the same breath.

- A deep breath.
- We were promised large-scale measures.

I heard that.

I am not authorized to speak about it.

Peacefully.

Very.

Heinz Rühmann lives here somewhere.

Speer too.

Down there is Max Liebermann's villa.

- The painter.
- I know. Jewish Impressionist.

- You are an educated man.
- And it surprises you.

- Considering my duties in the East.
- You often hear that.

Occasionally.

Could you have dreamed it? That you
would suddenly change your desk in Berlin

against service in Poland?

You get to experience what is decided
behind the desk. What is wrong with that?

What is happening in the east...

One hears that it is degenerating.
Brutality. Arquebusing pits.

I see it as a craft. You
learn and then you can.

Some better, others worse.

How are your men doing?

Every day these promotions. Entire villages.

We emphasize the necessity of the mission.

The rest is done through habit
and an extra ration of brandy.

The brandy blurs the impressions from the day.

You must intervene only when they
bellow during work. They shoot wrong.

Then the half-dead fight their
way out of the pits during the night,

and you have to shoot them again the next morning.

- I didn't mean to offend you.
- You were in the trenches yourself, weren't you?

We shot at soldiers, not
at women and children.

I have a husband who prefers to shoot children,

since they wouldn't survive
without their parents anyway.

He thinks he is doing the children a favor.

It makes sense, doesn't it?

The conference continues.

I hope you feel empowered. We
now come to a central question,

namely the determination of which
groups are suitable for evacuation.

Which ones are current for our
transports and which are not?

Clarification is needed here
regarding Jews living abroad,

Jews of mixed race and intermarriage.

I cannot agree.

Jews of mixed race and intermarriage
are regulated by our Jewish laws.

- Our perceptions differ.
- But now I'm talking about laws.

For the sake of simplicity,
we start with Jews abroad.

Under Secretary of State
Luther, please brief us.

Foreign Jews.

About 40,000 Jews with foreign
passports are on German soil.

- Oh dear! What are some?
- They must know that they are not welcome.

It's mainly about Hungarian, Czech
and maybe Slovak Jews, isn't it?

That's right. We got most of
them at the union with Austria.

Tell us we can change that!

We can, at least when it comes
to citizens of enemy countries.

But for Jews from friendly countries
or countries under our influence

do we see it as polite to at
least ask the governments

if we may include their Jewish
citizens in our companies.

Who would turn down an offer like that?

It's like asking a neighbor if
you can shovel his manure too.

Slovakia and Croatia have agreed.
Romania and Bulgaria are well on their way.

Do they give us free
access to their citizens?

They have no objections.
Only Hungary opposes it,

and Slovakia claims
the assets of the Jews.

- Why doesn't it surprise me?
- Money doesn't smell.

- Maybe we can do them that service.
- The office of the four-year plan?

If it speeds up deportation,
we must not be petty.

- It is likely not large sums.
- Thank you for your courtesy.

You heard. Apart from the Hungarians,
we can get rid of all foreign Jews.

- How is the situation in France?
- Herr Eichmann apparently knows something new here.

The Wehrmacht has accepted the
necessity of our measures of force.

Jews who fled the kingdom have been
interned, and transports will soon begin.

With the French Jews we should wait a little.

So, Eichmann now works
at the Foreign Ministry?

It is called interministerial cooperation.

Let's stick to the topic.
Belgium? Holland?

Throughout Western and
Southeastern Europe, we can act freely.

- Fine. We will do what is necessary.
- It's been noted.

But I see difficulties in the north.
Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Why right there?

For some reason, it is difficult to convince
the population of the danger of the Jews.

What do you suggest?

Ignore for now. The numbers are dropping.

We don't usually put things off,

but as long as we are busy with
Jews from other countries, it will be fine.

What shall we do with Hungary?

It is time to force on the government one
of our chosen advisers on Jewish matters.

Perhaps one of your staff,
Obersturmbannführer? Can you spare someone?

Maybe I can help?

The Central Bureau of Race and Settlement may
send an assistant to the police attache there.

Sure, why not? So we do.

Excuse. Should our foreign policy
now be shaped by Herr Hofmann's staff?

Don't get excited. We are talking
about an advisor, not a new ambassador.

An adviser with no diplomatic experience.

But he has experience with Jewish
affairs. Surely that must also count?

I am irritated by the liberality with which
some agencies sacrifice their expertise.

It's no big deal to me. The
main thing is that it gets decided.

It would be nice if something went easily.

I don't call the gardener
when I need a roofer.

I refuse that. We have a lot of
people with international experience.

So you see it. I do not
consider all equally suitable.

If you're going to talk about
responsibilities, please stick to yours.

Let Undersecretary
Luther do his thing.

We do as we are told. Are
the Jews abroad finished?

It can be relatively easy to present
a Jew-free Serbia to the Führer.

- Interesting. Continue.
- Maybe later in a smaller group?

Better now in a smaller
group. Müller. Eichmann.

- How many are we talking about?
- 6,000-8,000. Only women and children.

- Why no male Jews?
- Already shot as a hostage.

- A hundred dead for one dead German.
- I remember. An effective measure, Eichmann.

Thank you, Obergruppenführer.

- Serbian government?
- We don't have to think about it.

Who do we give the command to?

Maybe Schäfer. He who blew
up the radio mast in Gliwice.

- Yes, a good fellow.
- He gets the gas wagons going to Riga.

- Mr. Lange will not like that.
- Lange can improvise. We do so.

- Understood.
- I make sure it happens.

We have one last item left on the agenda:

The treatment of mixed
race Jews and intermarriage.

Here, Dr. Stuckart, your opinion is
not only requested, but necessary.

As said, the processing is best
regulated by the applicable laws.

Of course. After all, it's your laws.

They will form the
basis of our conversation.

This is binding legislation,
not a basis for discussion.

Even laws become outdated
and need to be re-evaluated.

Like re-wallpapering when
you get tired of the color?

We should recognize that today the people and
the race must be categories in our action.

The people need a reliable
legal system, which I defend.

Right is what is useful to people.

What does it mean if it contradicts
the common sense of the people?

Exactly. Let's not make things more
complicated than they already are.

Sure, but not easier either.
Where do you see a need for action?

According to the Nuremberg Laws, half-Jews were
exempted from evacuation and special treatment.

Will there be a change to that?

There have been discussions between
us, the party and individual ministries.

I have asked the party office to
summarize these conversations.

Dr. Klopfer.

The party's line is clear.

Jews, half-Jews and quarter-Jews
are ultimately seen as Jews.

They cannot be tolerated in the commonwealth.

The distinction between good
and bad Jews, full- and half-Jews,

no longer serves any purpose.

I agree, and then I
speak for the entire SS,

for public hygiene and
consolidation of the race's territory.

We know that. And what do you think?

A working document has been
prepared. I would like to read it.

You are welcome:

First: First degree mixed race Jews

equated with Jews with
respect to the Final Solution.

- Rejected.
- Listen first, for God's sake!

It already violates existing laws.

They are not equated with
Jews. They have German blood.

- But the aim is to change that.
- It's not that simple.

We cannot sit here and decide that
half-Jews should have the yellow star,

that they may not walk in
German forests or have a canary.

- And certainly not evacuated to the East.
- A working document, as I said.

- And there are exceptions in the draft.
- Right.

Exceptions are mixed race Jews of
the first degree married to German blood.

- I assume that.
- As long as they have children, that is, quarter Jews.

So generous.

In other ways, our proposal
meets your requirements.

Second-degree mixed-race Jews, quarter
Jews, are counted as having German blood.

Wait a minute... Why?

Unless they are the children
of two Jews of mixed race,

has an unfavorably Jewish appearance

or prove by their behavior that
they should be considered Jews.

- I'm starting to lose track.
- I see the proposal as fully feasible.

May I ask for your spontaneous opinion?

From a foreign policy point of view, it
does not matter whether they stay or leave.

The Marshal certainly
has no objections,

as long as we don't lose
professionals in the war industry.

- That must be taken into account.
- I also see a half-Jew as a Jew.

It is possible, legally speaking,
to expand the definition of a Jew,

but why worry about Jewish laws
when there will soon be no Jews?

Interesting stance from
the Ministry of Justice.

In the East, we still cannot
make such fine distinctions.

We often don't even see if someone is
Jewish, let alone half- or quarter-Jewish.

But now we are the German
Reich, and here the law still applies.

You have to admit that the Ministry of the
Interior is clearly isolated on the matter.

What do you hope to achieve with the changes?

Simplification, as always.
Clear, quick decisions.

You accomplish the exact
opposite. Returning to individual trial…

We are talking about tens of thousands of cases.

- How many half-Jews are there in the kingdom?
- Around 70,000.

Then add quarters, and our
officials have been busy for years.

If you had written better laws, we
would have escaped the problem.

I didn't write them myself,
and that's not true anyway.

A half-Jew who behaves like a
Jew, that is, follows the Mosaic faith

or is married to a non-Jewish person, is treated
as a non-Jewish person according to existing law.

Nothing prevents evacuation.

- How many of these are there in the kingdom?
- About 8,000.

Eight trains. Then we have over 60,000 left.

The majority of these half-Jews see
themselves as part of German society.

- They renounce the faith even internally.
- To protect yourself.

Thousands of them have proven
themselves in our armed forces.

- How many? - Around 10,000.

I still want to get rid of another 60,000.

Don't forget the SS comrades who were found
to have Jewish blood during racial testing.

- Tragic cases, indeed.
- But not a significant number.

But in the mixed races the
German blood predominates.

Should they be included in the final solution?

- We can make exceptions in special cases.
- Yes, but let's think further.

According to you, a half-Jew who has children
with a German wife should not be evacuated.

- Good God! - I do not follow.

A half-Jew with a German wife and
children? True, he is not evacuated.

Now let's imagine that this half-Jew has
a brother, who is of course also half-Jew,

but he is not married and has no children. Should
he be evacuated according to your suggestion?

- Yes.
- How do you explain it to the family?

To the Aryan sister-in-law?
The Aryan relatives?

- Everything can be dramatized.
- No, I'm just thinking it through.

We cannot treat quarter-Jews
as of German blood

but evacuate their
half-Jewish family to the East.

How do you explain to the
quarterback on leave from the front

that his half-Jewish family on the platform
opposite being sent east in a cattle car?

All are individual cases.

I have to agree with Dr. Stuckart.

Even the Führer believes that it is of the
utmost importance not to worry the population.

I want to remind you about the
euthanasia program. It caused a stir.

- Dr. Stuckart complicates matters.
- It's complicated.

The Führer knows this and has therefore
given no other instructions on the matter.

But maybe you are smarter
than the Führer on this point?

The Führer wants the final solution. Everything
Jewish must be driven out of the body of the people.

Your proposal creates intolerable situations.

In extreme cases, it leads to chaos,
and out of chaos grows resistance.

We don't want mixed race Jews as enemies.

The half-Jew is a more dangerous enemy,
with his high-value Germanic heritage.

High-ranking half-Jews?

- Do you also have a constructive suggestion?
- Very good question.

My suggestion is to do nothing.

We should do nothing at all.

- You've got to be kidding.
- Half-Jews can only marry Germans.

Purely biologically, the Jewish
part decreases with each generation.

- Children of half-Jews are already quarter-Jews.
- But then we won't be finished for a hundred years.

Half Jew. Quarter seventh.

If I don't like the nose,
it's Jewish enough.

A bit coarse, isn't it?

In any case, no one can
understand that I like Jews.

I know you are accomplishing a lot in the East.

But don't think I'm doing less here just
because I'm not wading in Jewish blood.

Without us and our laws, the German
Reich would not be where it is today.

No one doubts your
commitment, Dr. Stuckart.

That said, we try to simplify
things as much as possible.

In that case, I suggest sterilization.

Sterilization? How should I understand it?

Forced sterilization of all
mixed-race Jews, without exception.

Cheaper than deportation and absolutely
sufficient from a racial hygiene point of view.

An interesting suggestion, Dr. Stuckart.

All biologically dangerous elements
would be prevented from procreating.

The risk of breed deterioration is eliminated.

Is it technically feasible
on such a large scale?

It needs to be evaluated. Faced with
the choice to be evacuated or sterilized

a Jew of mixed race will
undoubtedly prefer sterilization.

Their blood will die out,
but we keep them as labor.

A tailor-made solution.

Forced divorces would also be conceivable.

You wanted to simplify things. There you have it.

Here are some more suggestions
regarding intermarriage,

that is, between German-blooded and all-Jews.

We're taking a break.

Dr. Stuckart.

In the lounge there is freshly
brewed coffee, desserts and cognac.

We'll continue in a few minutes.

The Working Paper on Mixed
Race Jews. Add it to the record.

You have good arguments
and know how to present them.

Yet you insist on the matter.

Sometimes, if I'm being honest...

Sometimes I wonder if you oppose our
proposals because of your good arguments

or because it is precisely your
laws that we are discussing here.

I wish you didn't see us lawyers
just as brake pads on your train.

- My authority is full of lawyers.
- Of a different kind.

Like Dr. Schöngarth and Dr. Lange.

I value dedication and
willingness to trade.

I have less use for lawyers
who complicate and sow doubt.

Thinking is good, but acting is better.

Action without thought accomplishes nothing.
Then you throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Forced sterilization?

Do you mean it? Or are you suggesting
it because it takes months to evaluate?

Like you, I see myself as
devoted to the Führer's cause.

I am not speaking against your final solution,

but only for an orderly
deprivation of rights.

I have the greatest respect for what you
have done at the National Security Board.

An ideologically stable,
combative administration

prepared for radical intervention. But don't
forget that all of Germany is not like that.

People need rules and
norms, clarity and orientation.

The knowledge that everything has its order.

Thanks so much. We will investigate the matter.

Thanks.

Apart from that, of course you are
right. I have written a huge set of laws.

If you take it away from me, I might
as well go to the office without pants.

Of course, we must
prevent that at all costs.

Has your wife made herself at home?

Last time I got the impression
that she didn't like Prague.

It was over a long time
ago. The other day she said:

"I am a princess who lives in a castle."

I am glad to hear.

- And you? When will the increase come?
- There are a few weeks left.

- Come visit us.
- As soon as it can be arranged.

Are you planning to move your family
here after the war? The house suits you.

- Possibly.
- Then we would become neighbors.

Our children can swim together in the Wannsee.

A beautiful thought.

The Reichsführer-SS and the
Governor General had a clear agreement.

It is my right to insist
that it be observed.

You heard Obergruppenführer
Heydrich. I can't do more.

We have no interest in being responsible
for the misery of another million Jews.

I can't come up with it.

I'm going to have a cup of coffee. Do you also want?

I thought we were going to work here.

Gentlemen, we proceed.

Let's stay here. We'll be done
soon. We can move on to the informal.

- My documents, please.
- If it is okay.

Dr. Stuckart and I
had a fruitful exchange.

Do you have any questions?

I feel I have to ask again about
the progress of the final solution,

and I must repeat how necessary it is

to initiate the relief measures
with us in the General Government.

Why not with us?

We cannot stand for the largest space
and become the kingdom's garbage dump,

where everyone sends their
Jews, gypsies and misfits,

while we are left with our own
Jews. Diseases, black trade, crime...

Sure, Dr. Bühler. So that you don't
stir things up again: Polish Jews first.

- Excuse me?
- You have my promise.

We start in the General Government.
Say hello to Governor General Frank.

May I take it that this
agreement is on the record?

- Obersturmbannführer?
- It is recorded.

May I assume that the Governor-General will
not get in the way of our plans any more?

That we lead the final solution?

- No more questions.
- Thankfully.

But I have a question. I don't
want to spoil the cheerful mood,

but since the beginning of the meeting I
have asked myself a fundamental question.

- Just ask. - Thanks.

You said a lot about the final solution,
but not much about concrete solutions.

I guess the RSHA know what they are doing.

I'm just wondering if we're talking about
a statement of intent or realistic goals.

I assure you that we are
not building castles in the air.

If you will allow me...

I have made calculations based
on reports from the response teams.

Take, for example, the special treatment
of Ukrainian Jews in late September,

conducted by Task Force C
under Obergruppenführer Jeckeln.

- One of our best.
- I mean the measures against the Jews in Kiev.

The Jewish population cooperated
thanks to appeasement measures,

and a natural gully could
be used for disposal.

So there was no need to dig pits.

I heard about it, Babij Jar Ravine.

- 6th Army participated, under von Reichenau.
- May he rest in peace.

That's what I want to get to. You
could say it was ideal conditions.

Nevertheless, the special
treatment took 33,771 Jews

36 hours to complete.

A thousand an hour. What is wrong with that?

938 to be exact.

If one then counts on Obersturmbannführer
Eichmann's figure of eleven million,

it will be 11,720 hours,

or 488 days.

Where do you want to go?

Our men would have to do what
was done in Babij Jar for 488 days,

day and night without interruption.

Shoot Jews for 488 days.

Old, women and children. 938 per hour.

Please, your calculation
is quite hypothetical.

The work rests on many
axes in different places.

But we are talking about
eleven million cartridges.

Only if every shot hits.

We agree that we cannot
achieve it by arquebusing.

For that reason, we now build
facilities whose sole purpose is

to tackle this numerical problem.

Maybe it's because I'm older
than most here - or a priest's son,

but for me it is also a moral issue.

Sorry, but I don't have to listen to
that. "Poor Jews. Women and children."

We're doing our duty, and
you shouldn't throw crap at us.

- You misunderstand me.
- I understand very well.

You gave in to Comrade Lange
with your nonsense about humanity.

I must firmly defend the comrades.

The punishment of the Jews may
seem barbaric, but they deserved it.

I'm surprised we're talking about
this again. It's about self-defense.

Otherwise the Jews will destroy us.

Please, I don't
worry about the Jews.

I know that the end of history
is written for the Jewish race.

I only worry about our soldiers

and the psychological burden that
the Final Solution places on them.

For the Wehrmacht, SS and Ordnungspolizei?

It is about young people who
are not yet fully developed.

We were like that once too.

Experiences like the special treatment in Kyiv,

a mountain with over 33,000 people,

that inevitably leads to rudeness.

Sadism. Mental illness and alcoholism.

I can speak for my men
and say we know our craft.

We shoot from behind with bayonets on when
they are on their knees. We rarely miss.

Imagine an orderly process.

So be it, but we want them to
return as healthy German men.

Real husbands for German
wives. Fathers of German children.

In our military hospitals the number of cases
of nervous diseases is very much increasing,

triggered by the difficult experiences in the East.

It cannot be denied. I was told
that some of the men who attended

were in worse condition than those who had been shot.

"Crudeness". "Sadism".

Although one must be
merciless to the Jew in his service

is he still a decent German.

I can confirm that. There
is certainly a rough tone,

but no one steals, swears,
fights, or behaves dishonorably.

No one doubts your decency.

But I thank the Ministerial Council for
his question. It is important to consider.

Some who have just enthusiastically
advocated the final solution

become completely silent when
they actually see the final solution.

The Reichsführer-SS, if I may interject,
witnessed an arquebusing himself

and immediately gave orders
to find a more humane method.

More humane? For our men, then?

Of course.

I promised that after our
meeting you would understand

that we can answer any questions
associated with the final solution.

Obersturmbannführer.

Behind the front line or where rail
transport would be too expensive

we can't do without arquebusing.

But for the final solution,
the method is too ineffective

and also negatively affects
the effectiveness of our men.

- The effectiveness of my men is...
- Dr. Schöngarth, I beg you.

The other methods, which are
more effective and less mentally taxing

is based on findings from the euthanasia
program at Zentraldienststelle T4.

- "Operation mercy killing"?
- It had to be canceled when people protested.

And the churches. They politely stay out
of the way regarding the Jewish transports,

but there was much shouting about the lunatics.

But they still managed about 70,000.

When it shut down they
started working for us.

Excuse. When we talk about Brack's
methods, are we talking about gas?

- That's right.
- What other means can give such high quotas?

Those of us who participated in the
World War have experienced what it means.

Gas. Poison gas. When
lying in the trenches.

I don't know what you think,
but to me the idea is hideous.

It was over 20 years
ago. A lot has happened.

Last month I inspected
the Kulmhof camp,

and the Bełżec camp,
under Hauptsturmführer Wirth.

Both use carbon monoxide.

In Kulmhof, special wagons with
airtight superstructures are used.

In Bełżec, there are rooms where gas is
piped from cylinders or armored car engines.

We also have new discoveries
from Obersturmbannführer Höss.

Who?

Commandant of a camp for Russian
prisoners of war in eastern Upper Silesia.

The Obergruppenführer mentioned it. Auschwitz.

Höss's staff has achieved promising results

with an agent used for
pest control, Zyklon B.

Pest control? Interesting.

Cargo holds on ships,
silos... Large-scale disinfection.

- Appropriate.
- And to contaminated uniforms.

The active substance is
hydrocyanic acid bound in granules.

On contact with air, a
fast-acting gas is released.

An accidental discovery. There
were accidents due to improper use.

So the comrades came up with it.

And so we make the wrong
practice the right practice.

Right.

We receive the granules in
practical containers, pre-portioned.

The manufacturer can also provide
it without adding warning substances.

When you notice the gas, it's too late.

According to Höss, last year's gassing of 900
Russian prisoners of war was extremely successful.

What will it be then? Carbon monoxide or hydrocyanic acid.

Höss is convinced of his method.

It is still a thought experiment, but it
would be possible to transform Auschwitz,

from Russians to Jews.

I intend to propose to the Reichsführer-SS
that we move forward on all tracks.

Competition stimulates business.

How can we imagine
these processes in detail?

As I said, the Jews come
to the facilities by train.

They are then sorted according to work
ability and hand over their possessions.

Under the guise of disinfection, they
are then led to airtight gas chambers.

The active substance is supplied from outside.

The process itself, if performed correctly,
is completed in ten to fifteen minutes.

This is followed by ventilation of
the chamber, removal and disposal.

We plan combustion in
highly efficient furnaces.

In Auschwitz, models are already
being built by Topf & Söhne,

although of course we have
to expand capacity significantly.

From train to gas? So
there is no need for housing?

Extremely effective!

But don't these facilities risk causing
concern among the population in the area?

Just what I need - riot.

We value geographical distance.

The facilities require facades and
undeveloped areas in the direction of the wind

to avoid disturbing odors.

- How many facilities are there?
- Kulmhof is already relieving Litzmannstadt.

Bełżec will soon be ready for operation.

In the camp in Sobibór, construction will begin
soon. An area near Treblinka is being considered,

and Auschwitz is, as I said, a possibility.

- Do we have enough people for that many?
- The operation is not personnel-intensive.

Especially if we use Jews
and labor from outside.

Our men are mainly to keep order
and release the necessary gas.

But the sight of all the corpses,
the transport to the ovens...

It is carried out by working Jews,
who later also receive special treatment.

Elegant.

And is the facility's capacity
sufficient for the task?

We are in the planning phase. We
must find and optimize the processes.

But there are no technical obstacles to building
airtight chambers for a thousand people.

In Auschwitz there is
room for several chambers,

so that we can always manage
a fully loaded train in one round.

The process can of course be
repeated several times a day.

The Council of Ministers looks skeptical.

This might solve
our math problems,

but how exactly is it
better than arquebusing?

I have witnessed executions in the East and
the use of the special carriages in Kulmhof,

and I'm not ashamed to
say that both make me sick.

But the stationary facilities
enable a structured division of labor.

The person concerned and the person carrying
out the process barely come into contact.

No closeness and
nothing to arouse pity.

I and all the experts
involved are convinced:

This enables a pleasant technical,
efficient and anonymous process.

Our men can do it in an
extremely detached manner.

- Very impressive.
- The whole thing sounds well thought out.

- In deed.
- We are convinced of that.

- Do you share that assessment?
- Well, yes...

If it really spares us the
carnage of arquebusing

and our men are spared,
then it is a great relief to me.

The knowledge that we
have all done all we could,

although I would have preferred
if the Jews just went up in smoke.

Who wouldn't rather live in peace?

But fate has chosen our
generation to complete this task.

We can't refuse just
because it's disgusting.

We are the doctors of the German people.

No doctor likes sawing
off the leg of his patient,

but what if it is the only
way to save the patient's life.

Gentlemen, with that we are done.

If there are no more questions, I suggest
that you as authority representatives

continue the conversations with your advisors.

My advisor IV B4 will
contact your subdivisions.

- Are we getting a protocol?
- Also through us.

Then I thank you for
coming and pray once more

about your continued support
to implement the final solution.

That is all.

- My notes, Obersturmbannführer.
- We summarize it in the minutes.

- Can you give them to me this afternoon?
- I'll put a white paper on your desk.

I'll call a car that
can drive you to town.

- Good job, Eichmann.
- Thank you, Gruppenführer.

- Interesting day.
- Some things should be left to the younger ones to handle.

We'll see what happens
with the big plans.

I hope you didn't take offense
to my working document.

We are civil servants and
have a duty to our agencies.

I have spent so many years
of my life with Jewish laws

that I would like to avoid.

- You're not giving up, are you?
- Not without a fight.

I say goodbye. I have
another meeting in four hours.

Restructuring of the Ministry of Posts.

- You are certainly persistent.
- We all have to make sacrifices.

It wasn't that dangerous.

My need for conferences is
satisfied for the time being.

- You did well. - Well, yes...

I know of some fine
establishments in Berlin

where you can recover
in the most pleasant way.

It sounds interesting.

- Do you want one too?
- I won't say no to that.

Thanks.

A brandy, Obergruppenführer?

I have more meetings,
but don't let me stop you.

I hope you are satisfied.

Consent in the highest circles,
and no one doubts our leadership.

A successful event.

- The protocol as usual?
- First to me.

- Thirty copies?
- Sent as classified.

Use formal language as usual.
We don't want to scare anyone.

But the gentlemen should be able to
read what they have been involved in.

- No one should be able to say he didn't know.
- Understood.

Good. Today's goal achieved.
It was worth returning to Berlin.

I wish you a nice afternoon.

The same, Obergruppenführer.
And a pleasant journey home.

Six million Jews were killed
during the National Socialist regime.

Subtitles: Patrick Svensson
www.firstlightmedia.com