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The
Jewish Question in the Peace Treaty
The
approaching victory gives Germany the possibility, and in my
view also the duty, of solving the Jewish question in Europe.
The desirable solution is: all Jews out of Europe. The task of
the Foreign Ministry in this is:
a)
To include this demand in the Peace Treaty and to insist on it
also by means of separate negotiations with the European
countries not involved in the Peace Treaty;
b)
to secure the territory necessary for the settlement of the
Jews in the Peace Treaty, and to determine principles for the
cooperation of the enemy countries in this problem;
c)
to determine the position under international law of the new
Jewish overseas settlement;
d)
as preparatory measures:
1)
clarification of the wishes and plans of the departments
concerned of the Party, State and Research organizations in
Germany, and the coordination of these plans with the wishes
of the Reich Foreign Minister, including the following:
2)
preparation of a survey of the factual data available in
various places (number of Jews in the various countries), use
of their financial assets through an international bank;
3)
negotiations with our friend, Italy, on these matters.
With
regard to beginning the preparatory work, Section D III has
already approached the Reich Foreign Minister via the
Department Germany [interior affairs], and has been instructed
by him to start on the preparatory work without delay. There
have already been discussions with the Office of the Reichsfuehrer
SS in the Ministry of Interior and several departments of
the Party. These departments approve the following plan of
Section D III:
Section
D III proposes as a solution of the Jewish question: In the
Peace Treaty France must make the island of Madagascar
available for the solution of the Jewish question, and to
resettle and compensate the approximately 25,000 French
citizens living there. The island will be transferred to
Germany under a mandate. Diégo Suarez Bay and the port
of Antsirane, which are [sea-] strategically important, will
become German naval bases (if the Navy wishes, these naval
bases could be extended also to the harbors open road-steads
Tamatave, Andevorante, Mananjara, etc.). In addition to these
naval bases, suitable areas of the country will be excluded
from the Jewish territory (Judenterritorium) for the
construction of air bases. That part of the island not
required for military purposes will be placed under the
administration of a German Police Governor, who will be under
the administration of the Reichsfuehrer SS. Apart from
this, the Jews will have their own administration in this
territory: their own mayors, police, postal and railroad
administration, etc. The Jews will be jointly liable for the
value of the island. For this purpose their former European
financial assets will be transferred for use to a European
bank to be established for this purpose. Insofar as the assets
are not sufficient to pay for the land which they will
receive, and for the purchase of necessary commodities in
Europe for the development of the island, the Jews will be
able to receive bank credits from the same bank.
As
Madagascar will only be a Mandate, the Jews living there will
not acquire German citizenship. On the other hand, the Jews
deported to Madagascar will lose their citizenship of European
countries from the date of deportation. Instead, they will
become residents of the Mandate of Madagascar.
This
arrangement would prevent the possible establishment in
Palestine by the Jews of a Vatican State of their own, and the
opportunity for them to exploit for their own purposes the
symbolic importance which Jerusalem has for the Christian and
Mohammedan parts of the world. Moreover, the Jews will remain
in German hands as a pledge for the future good behavior of
the members of their race in America.
Use
can be made for propaganda purposes of the generosity shown by
Germany in permitting cultural, economic, administrative and
legal self-administration to the Jews; it can be emphasized at
the same time that our German sense of responsibility towards
the world forbids us to make the gift of a sovereign state to
a race which has had no independent state for thousands of
years: this would still require the test of history.
Berlin,
July 3, 1940
signed
Rademacher
NG-2586-B. |
