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Nazi
official who played a central role in organizing anti-Jewish policies.
Pre-War.
Born in the Rhineland, Eichmann grew up in Austria and joined the
Austrian National Socialist party in 1932. In 1933, he moved to
Germany and enlisted in the Austrian unit of the SS, serving at Dachau.
In October 1934, Eichmann volunteered for the SD central office. At
first dealing with Freemasons, in 1935 he joined the newly founded
Jewish section, under Herbert Hagen. Eichmann became the chief planner
and executor of SS anti-Jewish operations. In 1937, he and Hagen were
sent to Palestine,afterward concluding that a Jewish state was not in
the Reich's interest. Following the Anschluss in March 1938, Eichmann,
in Vienna, organized the emigration of Jews. He evolved a method of
forced emigration consisting of undermining the economic condition of
the Jews by confiscation of their property; terror; and seizing
control of Jewish communal institutions and forcing their leaders to
cooperate. To streamline the forced emigration process, Eichmann set
up the Zentralstelle fuer Juedische Auswanderung (Central Office for
Jewish Emigration) in August 1938. He also expelled Jews directly
across the Austrian border. Contrary to his previous position,
Eichmann began cooperating with Aliya Bet organizations. In January
1939, in the wake of Kristallnacht, Hermann Goering set up the
Reichszentrale fuer Juedische Auswanderung (Reich Central Office for
Jewish Emigration) in Germany, on the pattern of the Zentralstelle in
Vienna. Later in 1939, Eichmann also founded a Zentralstelle in
Prague.
Head of the Jewish Section, Gestapo.
Eichmann's authority over Jewish policies grew rapidly. Following the
creation in September 1939 of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (Reich
Security Main Office; RSHA), he was appointed head of the Jewish
section in the Gestapo, whose chief was Heinrich Mueller. Eichmann's
authority exceeded that of a section chief and in practice he worked
under Reinhard Heydrich, but sometimes he worked directly with
Heinrich Himmler. In 1939 and 1940, Eichmann played a central role in
the deportation of Poles and Jews from the Polish areas that had been
incorporated into the Reich. With the Nisko operation, in coordination
with Mueller, he established the pattern for mass expulsion of Jews
which was used throughout the rest of the Nazi period. In October
1940, he personally led the expulsion of 6,500 Jews from Baden-Pfalz
and the Saar to the south of France, apparently in connection to the
Madagascar Plan. Eichmann worked out his own detailed Madagascar plan
in parallel with the German Foreign Ministry. By this time, he was in
undisputed control of the Jews of the Reich. His representatives,
among them Alois Brunner, Theodor Dannecker, Dieter Wisliceny, and
Rolf Guenther (Eichmann's deputy), served as advisors to various
governments, promoting the implementation of anti-Jewish policy.
Eichmann's Office and the "Final Solution."
Several months before the launching of the "Final Solution,"
Eichmann's office received this designation: IV B4 in the RSHA.
Eichmann now became involved in preparations for the implementation of
the new policy. In October 1941, he took part in discussions about the
"Final Solution," and he prepared the Wannsee Conference on
Heydrich's orders, later keeping minutes at the meeting. It was from
office IV B4 that orders for the time and place of departure of
deportation transports went out. In close contact with the German
Foreign Ministry, rules were set for the rounding up of Jews and
confiscation of their property. Eichmann made several visits to the
extermination camps. Except in the Scandinavian countries and where
the Einsatzgruppen operated, his representatives were active
throughout Nazi-dominated Europe. Eichmann himself was responsible for
the Theresienstadt Ghetto and for the deportations from Hungary, in
1944. In Hungary, he also encountered various attempts to rescue Jews
and he played a major role in the "Blood for goods" plan, a
proposal to set Jews free in exchange for goods. Previously, Eichmann
had been involved in the Europa Plan, the negotiations between the SS
and Slovak Jews. On other occasions, such as in Bulgaria and Romania,
he intervened to foil rescue opportunities.
Escape, and Capture
After the war, Eichmann went into hiding, and with the help of the
Vatican, reached Argentina. In May 1960, he was captured by the
Israeli Security Service and secretly brought to Israel to stand
trial.
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