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The
Chief of the Security Police
Berlin, September 21, 1939
Schnellbrief
To
Chiefs of all Einsatzgruppen of the Security Police
Subject:
Jewish Question in Occupied Territory
I
refer to the conference held in Berlin today, and again point
out that the planned total measures (i.e., the final
aim − Endziel) are to be kept strictly secret.
Distinction must be made between:
1.
the final aim (which will require extended periods of time)
and
2.
the stages leading to the fulfillment of this final aim (which
will be carried out in short periods).
The planned measures require the most thorough
preparation with regard to technical as well as economic
aspects.
It is obvious that the tasks ahead cannot be laid down
from here in full detail. The instructions and directives
below must serve also for the purpose of urging chiefs of the Einsatzgruppen
to give practical consideration [to the problems involved].
I
For
the time being, the first prerequisite for the final aim is
the concentration of the Jews from the countryside into the
larger cities.
This is to be carried out speedily.
In doing so, distinction must be made
1)
between the zones of Danzig and West Prussia, Poznan, Eastern
Upper Silesia, and
2)
the other occupied zones.
As far as possible, the areas referred to under 1) are
to be cleared of Jews; at least the aim should be to establish
only few cities of concentration.
In the areas under 2), as few concentration centers as
possible are to be set up, so as to facilitate subsequent
measures. In this connection it should be borne in mind that
only cities which are rail junctions, or are at least located
on railroad lines, should be selected as concentration points.
On principle, Jewish communities of less than 500
persons are to be dissolved and transferred to the nearest
concentration center.
This decree does not apply to the area of Einsatzgruppe
1, which is situated east of Cracow and is bounded roughly by Polanice,
Jaroslaw, the new line of demarcation, and the former
Slovak-Polish border. Within this area only an approximate
census of Jews is to be carried out. Furthermore, Councils of
Jewish Elders (Juedische AEltestenraete), as outlined
below, are to be set up.
II
Councils
of Jewish Elders
1) In
each Jewish community a Council of Jewish Elders is to be set
up which, as far as possible, is to be composed of the
remaining authoritative personalities and rabbis. The Council
is to be composed of up to 24 male Jews (depending on the size
of the Jewish community).
The Council is to be made fully responsible, in
the literal sense of the word, for the exact and prompt
implementation of directives already issued or to be issued in
the future.
2) In
case of sabotage of such instructions, the Councils are to be
warned that the most severe measures will be taken.
3)
The Judenraete (Jewish Councils) are to carry out an
approximate census of the Jews of their areas, broken down if
possible according to sex (and age groups): a) up to 16 years,
b) from 16-20 years, and c) above; and also according to the
principal occupations. The results are to be reported in the
shortest possible time.
4)
The Councils of Elders are to be informed of the date and time
of the evacuation, the means available for evacuation, and,
finally, the departure routes. They are then to be made
personally responsible for the evacuation of the Jews from the
countryside.
The reason to be given for the concentration of the
Jews in the cities is that the Jews have taken a decisive part
in sniper attacks and plundering.
5)
The Councils of Elders in the concentration centers are to be
made responsible for the appropriate housing of the Jews
arriving from the countryside.
For reasons of general police security, the
concentration of the Jews in the cities will probably call for
regulations in these cities which will forbid their entry to
certain quarters completely and that − but with due
regard to economic requirements − they may, for
instance, not leave the ghetto, nor leave their homes after a
certain hour in the evening, etc.
6)
The Councils of Elders are also to be made responsible for the
suitable provisioning of the Jews during the transport to the
cities.
There is no objection to the evacuated Jews taking with
them their movable possessions insofar as that is technically
possible.
7)
Jews who fail to comply with the order to move into cities are
to be given a short additional period of grace where there was
sufficient reason for the delay. They are to be warned of the
most severe penalties if they fail to move by the later date
set.
III
All
necessary measures are, on principle, always to be taken in
closest consultation and cooperation with the German civil
administration and the competent local military authorities.
In the execution [of this plan], it must be taken into
consideration that economic requirements in the occupied areas
do not suffer.
1)
Above all, the needs of the army must be taken into
consideration. For instance, for the time being, it will
scarcely be possible to avoid, here and there, leaving behind
some trade Jews who are absolutely essential for the
provisioning of the troops, for lack of other possibilities.
But in such cases the prompt Aryanization of these enterprises
is to be planned and the move of the Jews to be completed in
due course, in cooperation with the competent local German
administrative authorities.
2)
For the preservation of German economic interests in the
occupied territories, it is obvious that Jewish-owned war and
other essential industries, and also enterprises, industries
and factories important to the Four-Year Plan, must be
maintained for the time being.
In these cases also, prompt Aryanization must be aimed
at, and the move of the Jews completed later.
3)
Finally, the food situation in the occupied territories must
be taken into consideration. For instance, as far as possible,
land owned by Jewish settlers is to be handed over to the care
of neighboring German or even Polish farmers to work on
commission to ensure the harvesting of crops still standing in
the fields, and replanting.
With regard to this important question, contact is to
be made with the agricultural expert of the Chief of the Civil
Administration.
4) In
all cases in which it is not possible to coordinate the
interests of the Security Police on the one hand, and the
German civil administration on the other, I am to be informed
by the fastest route and my decision awaited before the
particular measures in question are carried out.
IV
The
Chiefs of the Einsatzgruppen are to report to me
continuously on the following matters:
1)
Numerical survey of the Jews present in their areas (according
to the above classifications, if possible). The numbers of
Jews evacuated from the countryside and of those already in
the cities is to be listed separately.
2)
Names of the cities which have been designated as
concentration centers.
3)
The dates set for the Jews to move to the cities.
4)
Surveys of all the Jewish [owned] war and other essential
industries and enterprises, or those important to the
Four-Year Plan in their areas.
If possible, the following should be specified:
a)
Type of enterprise (with a statement on possible conversion to
really vital or war-important enterprises or ones of
importance to the Four-Year Plan);
b)
Which factories should be most urgently Aryanized (in order to
forestall possible losses);
What kind of Aryanization is proposed? Germans or
Poles? (the decision to depend on the importance of the
enterprise);
c)
The number of Jews working in these factories (specify those
in leading positions).
Can operations at the enterprise be continued without
difficulty after the removal of the Jews, or will it be
necessary to allocate German or possibly Polish workers in
their place? In what numbers?
If Polish workers have to be used care should be taken
that they are drawn mainly from the former German provinces so
as to begin to ease the problem there. These matters can be
carried out only by means of coordination with the Labor
Offices which have been set up.
V
In
order to reach the planned aims, I expect the fullest
cooperation of the whole manpower of the Security Policy and
the SD.
The Chiefs of neighboring Einsatzgruppen are to
establish contact with each other immediately in order to
cover the areas in question completely.
VI
The
High Command of the Army; the Plenipotentiary for the
Four-Year Plan (attention: Secretary of State Neumann),
the Reich Ministry for the Interior (attention: State
Secretary Stuckart), for Food and the Economy
(attention: State Secretary Landfried), as well as the
Chiefs of Civil Administration of the Occupied Territories
have received copies of this decree.
signed Heydrich
PS-3363. |
