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Dan Michman, “Why Did
Heydrich Write the Schnellbrief? A Remark on the Reason and on Its
Significance”
Heydrich’s
September 21, 1939 Schnellbrief to Einsatzgruppen commanders has
been one of the central documents in Holocaust research. It refers
to a “final aim” of anti-Jewish policy, and to the need to
concentrate Jews at rail junctions, count them, set up Jewish
Councils, and use their labor potential. This is why the
Schnellbrief is frequently cited in the research literature to this
day.
Yet, in the document’s wide research use, as though taking its
meaning and origins for granted, the reasons for its composition and
its place in the developing anti-Jewish policy have never been
examined. This article shows that since Judenräte had already been
established during the two weeks preceding the Schnellbrief, the
document was not the basis for this policy. Moreover, the issues
addressed at length in the document were already discussed with the
Einsatzgruppen commanders on September 21 and recorded in minutes.
Thus, the Schnellbrief was not necessary for those performing the
tasks. So, why was it written?
The author argues that the answer to this question lies in the final
paragraph, largely unnoticed by historians due to its bureaucratic
character. This paragraph states that copies of the document will be
sent to several central Reich ministries, in addition to the
Einsatzgruppen commanders. The document’s purpose was to notify
Reich leaders that the SS was in charge of anti-Jewish policy in
occupied Poland, within the framework of general wartime policy
there. This analysis fits with the broader context of how the SS
gradually took over large parts of anti-Jewish policy in the Third
Reich. |
