Eichmann Trial -- Session 106 -- Examination by Judge Halevi

Session 106. Tape starts midsentence with Judge Halevi explaining to Eichmann that the Nazis did not conduct typical war; they singled out the Jews and began to exterminate them. (This is duplicate from Tape 2190.) The Judge then begins asking about Aryan racial classifications, specifically Slavs who were not considered equal with regular Aryans. 00:13:18 Eichmann says that, like Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the bombings of civilians in cities, these are all crimes against humanities. However, he says, the crimes at the time were legalized by the state. He swore an oath to the Fuehrer, and through the SS, loyalty to Himmler, which was important. He reads a lengthy quote from Himmler, which was not translated into Hebrew because there were already Hebrew translations for the Judges. 00:22:20 Eichmann says that his outlook has changed since the war. He has slowly moved away from being loyal to his oath. He explains the meaning of the word "Blutkitt" which is debated by the court and evolves into a discussion about Eichmann's treatment of his subordinates. 00:37:38 Eichmann speaks about the plan of action for the extermination of the Jews initiated by Himmler, Heydrich and Pohl. Eichmann says that the details were figured out as it happened, not with any single meeting. 00:46:46 They discuss the beginning of the Judenrat, its purpose to the Nazis, and their role in reducing necessary manpower. The impact of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising on future actions, including its effect on the Hungarian deportations, are then questioned, along with the possibility of a Jewish uprising towards the end of the war. 00:54:08 Eichmann is questioned about his objection to someone's making an exception to spare a Jewish man. He believed that one exception would lead to others and lead to the collapse of the entire system. 01:00:48 The Judge cites that Eichmann ordered the release of a group of Jews from the ghettos in eastern Hungary. Eichmann says that this, along with other examples, were ordered by his superiors, and he explains how and why this was. He is cut off midsentence some time into this.