Efka Pyramiden cigarette papers in a green packaging sleeve made in Nazi Germany
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 1.625 inches (4.128 cm) | Width: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
Creator(s)
- Efka Werke Fritz Kiehn Gmbh (Manufacturer)
Archival History
The cigarette papers were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by the Estate of Robert L. White.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Estate of Robert L. White
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Unused package of fifty Efka cigarette rolling papers manufactured in Nazi Germany. These packets may have been supplied for observers during the war crimes trials held in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1945-46. This brand was very popular in the 1930-1940s and was distributed to German troops. The package has a green graphic design featuring camels and pyramids. Around March 1943, the British psychological warfare unit used Efka Pyramiden packets to distribute propaganda that encouraged German soldiers to malinger, feign illness, or avoid reporting for duty. They reproduced the package sleeve and, in place of cigarette papers, inserted ten thin papers with suggestions for how to avoid work. The small packet could be distributed without notice by placing them in coat pockets or leaving in cafes and could be air dropped.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Rectangular light brown cardstock folded in thirds to create a sleeve, open on the short ends, to hold cigarette papers. The graphic design on the front presents a desert scene: in the center are 2 men with 2 camels loaded with a box labelled Efka; on the right are 2 pyramids and a sphinx, flanked by green palm trees. In the upper left and right are 2 rectangles with product information: 50 Blatt. At the bottom is a banner with German text. The paper folds over the back to create a top and bottom flap with horizontal green lines and German text. Inside is a packet of fifty thin, white sheets of rolling paper bound by adhesive on one edge.
Subjects
- Cigarette paper--Germany--History--20th century.
- Advertising--Cigarettes--Germany.
Genre
- Personal Equipment and Supplies
- Object