Eichmann Trial -- Session 103 -- Cross-examination of the Accused

A slate indicates the date and the session time. The opening shots show the courtroom before the trial starts, focusing on people in the courtroom. Attorney General Gideon Hausner with his assistants at the prosecution table appear in the opening shot. The defense lawyer, Robert Servatius, enters the courtroom and sits at the desk closest to Eichmann's booth. Adolf Eichmann, carrying a stack of documents, is escorted by two security officers into the bulletproof booth. The people in the courtroom rise as the judges enter (00:05:29) and announce the opening of the 103rd session. Cross-examination by Hausner establishes Eichmann's presence in Budapest, Hungary in March 1944 as well as the names of members of a commando assembled in Mauthausen prior to his placement in Hungary. Eichmann is questioned about various persons who were present at this assembly. Eichmann states that he does not know some of the names, or is not sure if certain men were present, while the remainder he identities as being part of IVB4, the department of which he was the head (00:07:15). The prosecutor turns his questions to Eichmann's orders to evacuate the Hungarian Jews to the East and his general orders in Hungary (00:16:35). Hausner states that Eichmann was sent to Hungary for the specific purpose of preventing another uprising such as had happened in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943. Hausner cites a statement by Himmler, in which he referred to Eichmann as "the master," which Eichmann disputes at length. Eichmann is then asked to look over documents from an interrogation by a Captain Less of the Israeli Police pertaining to this reference of him as "the master" and his duties in Hungary (00:43:48). Hausner cross-examines the accused about meetings that took place in Vienna, Austria to discuss the deportations, and the presence of Franz Novak at these meetings. Eichmann is asked about his role in the arrangement of the deportations, insisting that his role was merely technical, involving timetables and train schedules. The presence of people from his section at the time of deportations is discussed at length, with Eichmann claiming that he was not aware of their presence. Hausner asks about the content of the general directives relating to the evacuations and deportations. Eichmann responds that the deportations were first limited to able-bodied men then became more general with an evacuation of the entire community. Eichmann is then questioned about how many Order Police he had at his disposal (00:53:54) and he gives a lengthy description of his duties in Hungary followed by an explanation as to how often he met with Endre, the chief of the Hungarian gendarmerie.