Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 74, 78, 79, 83, and 80 --- Sassen Document; Yugoslavia
Creator(s)
- Leo Hurwitz (Director)
- Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
- F. Csaznik (Camera Operator)
- J. Kalach (Camera Operator)
- Emil Knebel (Camera Operator)
- J. Jonilowicz (Camera Operator)
- Capital Cities Broadcasting Corporation (Producer)
- Rolf M. Kneller (Camera Operator)
- Milton Fruchtman (Producer)
Biographical History
Emil Knebel was a cinematographer known for Andante (2010), Adam (1973), and Wild Is My Love (1963). He was one of the cameramen who recorded daily coverage of the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem (produced by Capital Cities Broadcasting Corp and later held academic positions in Israel and New York teaching filmmaking at universities. Refer to CV in file.
Scope and Content
Session 74. Empty courtroom. Eichmann enters and people begin to enter. He and Dr. Servatius communicate on their private microphone line. We cannot hear what they are saying. Various shots of the crowd and Eichmann. 00:15:38 Judges enter. They open Session 74 and approve the Sassen documents, but none of the additional texts involved with it. It also accepts the testimony involved in the validating of Eichmann's handwriting. 00:18:50 Video image freezes. The audio skips, beginning an unknown amount of time later. Eichmann answers a question about a rejected application to go to another country to visit a person's mother. The video matches the audio for little more than one second before being interrupted by a slate. 00:19:54 Tape resumes with the answer to the previous question. He said that those decisions would be made with the head of the office, not just the head of the section. Eichmann would have to meet with the head of the office for every one of these cases. The refusal to allow the Yugoslavian Jews to leave, signed by Eichmann, is questioned. He answers that allowing Jews to leave German occupied territories would set the precedent for Jews to leave the Reich proper. 00:24:42 Tape jumps. Eichmann says something about propaganda affecting people, and the President of Court asks for more clarification. The two talk for a long period in German with no English translation. To whom he is referring is unclear. He explains how the contributions of money from the Jews to be used to pay for deportations came about, blaming the Jewish Councils for them, believing that they would get a cut to pay for beneficial projects. 00:35:41 The Judges ask more questions about Eichmann's answers, specifically the avoiding of certain expressions with official documents. He says that internally terms were more descriptive of actual events, the euphemisms were made for outsiders. 00:41:57 Tape jumps. Eichmann says that most documents at his office were Secret or Top Secret. He then says that though things differed regionally, he remembers seeing documents saying that roughly 1,000 people were on each train. Dr. Servatius submits a document concerning the deportation of Jews to the Government General area and it includes a limit on the number of people on each transport to 1000, and includes a list of things that each person is required to be made available. 00:50:35 Tape jumps. Dr. Servatius submits a document about mixed marriages. He submits another document, but the translation is cut off. 00:52:22 Tape jumps. Dr. Servatius submits a letter from Eichmann to the foreign ministry concerning the owner of the capital cinema in Heidelberg. This concerns the accusation that the owner was still controlling the cinema despite the anti-Jewish laws preventing it. Eichmann is asking instructions. His recommendations on the situation are cut off. 00:54:46 Tape jumps. Eichmann talks about the Jewish situation in Serbia. Another document is submitted, with the accused saying that he does not expect the Jews to plan a resistance.
Note(s)
Verify that this tape contains parts of the following sessions: 74; 78; 79; 83; 80. See official transcripts, published in "The Trial of Adolf Eichmann", Vol. I-V, State of Israel, Ministry of Justice, Jerusalem, 1994. Also available online at the Nizkor Project. *Original master damaged, many splices, frequent response problems.
Subjects
- JEWS
- EICHMANN, ADOLF
- EVACUATIONS
- YUGOSLAVIA
- TRIALS
- PROSECUTORS
- SERVATIUS, ROBERT
- COURTS/COURTROOMS
- EICHMANN TRIAL
- DOCUMENTS
- JUDENRAT (JEWISH COUNCIL)
- RESISTERS/RESISTANCE
- JUDGES
- DEPORTATIONS
- SERBIA
Places
- Jerusalem, Israel
Genre
- Unedited.
- Film