Archival Descriptions

Advanced query tips

There are several ways to be more specific in your search query:

"Phrase"
Search an exact match of your query, e.g. "Member lists"
+Phrase
Given word has to be in the result, e.g. +Gestapo
-Phrase
Exclude given word from search, e.g. -Gestapo

Use the following syntax to restrict the search to specific fields:

field:"phrase"
For instance, you can find all descriptions that have the phrase "Auschwitz Birkenau" in their titles by searching for title:"Auschwitz Birkenau".

The following fields are currently available:

  • identifier
  • title
  • creator
  • person
  • place
  • subject
  • address
Displaying items 12,041 to 12,060 of 55,814
Search result ordering

  1. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 102 and 103 -- Cross-examination of the Accused re: Operation Units

    This tape begins near the middle of Session 102, during a discussion about a meeting held in a cinema pertaining to the issuing of orders to the Einsatzkommando/Einsatzgruppen. Eichmann is cross-examined by Attorney General Gideon Hausner about the number of people who attended the meeting and his own role. Eichmann talks of his personal ambitions to be the commander of an Einsatzkommando, which he claims he thought were military units operating at the Eastern Front, and his disappointment when this did not come to pass. 00:09:08 Later in session 102: Hausner questions Eichmann about his in...

  2. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 107 and 108 -- Questioning Eichmann's loyalty and character

    Session 107 and Session 108. Eichmann is handed a paper and asked who wrote it. He wrote it recently, and says that he cannot feel completely innocent because his receiving orders is irrelevant thanks to retroactive paragraphs. He says that he has thought over his situation many times, and he decided that he was a tool of others, and at least to himself, he is innocent. 00:10:07 Skip to an earlier sequence duplicated in Tape 2193. Eichmann is asked about his statements concerning being brought to Israel against his will, and later saying that he was relieved to be brought there to justify h...

  3. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 107 and 108 -- Submission of extracts of statements from Baer, Winkelman, Novak, and Veesenmeyer taken abroad

    Session 107. Hausner is asked if they marked any passages (duplicate of the end of Tape 2199). He answers that they marked several, some of which had already been read by the defense. The Judges decide those overlapping passages will not be reread. Cuts out as the first passages are being read for the Prosecution. 00:05:10 Hausner argues that he cannot admit part of a document and not the whole thing. Servatius argues that some parts defend the Accused while some incriminate him, and he would only like to submit certain parts. 00:07:37 Dr. Servatius submits the Richard Baer testimony; he wa...

  4. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 107 and 108 -- Testimonies taken from witnesses Six and Winkelman from abroad

    Sessions 107. Servatius is reading passages from the affidavit of witness Alfred Six. Six says that it would be impossible for a subordinate to issue orders contrary to or beyond the jurisdiction of their superiors; any who did this were quickly removed. Thus, Eichmann could not disobey his orders and had to obey his superiors. He also reads that Eichmann had no connection with the Einsatzgruppen. 00:07:20 Servatius finishes and Hausner introduces passages from the same witness, Dr. Six. Eichmann's department is said to employ more people than any other, and that when Six asked for an excep...

  5. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 110 and 111 -- Hausner sums up for Prosecution

    Sessions 110 and 111. Judges enter the courtroom and open Session 110 of the trial (duplicate footage on Tape 2211). 00:02:07 Hausner begins summing up his case. He says that this is the trial of one of the ghoulish personalities which history will forever remember. He reminds everyone of the struggles of the witnesses, of Auschwitz, of religious leaders being degraded, of torturous activities, of murder. He says that man cannot create a nightmare so terrible, and yet it happened, created by Eichmann. He says that after hearing all this, Eichmann got his turn, and 16 years later he does not...

  6. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 110 and 111 -- Prosecution continues summing up

    Sessions 110 and 111. Hausner discusses the Defense's two worlds, that of the suffering and those in power. These two worlds collided. He uses a quote from the Torah to compare the worlds. He says that Eichmann was described as a chasm of hate, and is stone-hearted. 00:06:56 Tape jumps, Hausner says that Eichmann tries to convince the court that he found satisfaction in his job in Berlin. However, the only time he ever mentioned a transfer was at this time and then only in his personal papers. As early as 1938, he was an indispensable expert and the Gestapo refused to move him. 00:11:45 Tap...

  7. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 14 and 15 -- Testimonies of B. Cohn, A. Lindenstrauss

    Sessions 14 and 15. Assistant State Attorney Bar-Or questions witness Benno Cohn about the Jewish situation in 1933. Cohn describes massive arrests: " They were sent to concentration camps. They came back... if they returned at all, as broken men." Cohn discusses Zionist organizations and proposed emigrations to Palestine. He mentions German boycotts of Jewish goods, and Nazi propaganda against the Jews. Cohn states: "In the early days, there were many cases of suicide amongst German Jews... They had been unable to stand the misery of having lost their standing, of having lost their honor."...

  8. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 14, 15, 16 and 21 -- Testimony of B. Cohn

    Sessions 14, 15, 16 and 21. Witness Benno Cohn describes the effects of Nazism on Jewish cultural life: "...we were no longer allowed to play music of German composers such as Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Haydn or Mozart." Assistant State Attorney Bar-Or questions Cohn about book burning. Cohn replies: "The books of the most famous Jewish authors were hurled into the bonfire to the sound of shrieks and applause by the students who were present." Bar-Or and Cohn discuss the Nuremberg Laws; Cohn explains the Reichsbuergergesetz [German Citizenship Law], and reads mandates from the Reichsgesetzbla...

  9. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 14, 20, 21 and 27 -- Testimonies of Z. Grynszpan, A. Lichtman, Dr. M. Beisky, A. Kovner, Dr. J. Buzminsky

    Sessions 14, 20, 21 and 27. Witness Zyndel Grynszpan describes October 28, 1938; the Nazis came to his house and arrested his entire family. They were taken to the precinct and forced to sign a certificate for deportation. He and his family were deported to Poland: "The misery was great. We had no food, we had not taken any food since Thursday, we had not wanted to eat German bread anymore and we were starving." Assistant State Attorney Ya'Akov Bar-Or questions Grynszpan on the conditions of the Zbaszyn camp. There is a blip at 00:16:35 and witness Ada Lichtman describes her father's arrest...

  10. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 16 and 17 -- Documents admitted as evidence; witnesses M. Fleischmann and F. Meyer testify

    Sessions 16 and 17. Attorney General Gideon Hausner reads excerpts from Dieter Wisliceny's statement: "The Final Solution of the Jewish Question was Eichmann's life mission" After a blip at 00:03:40, Hausner continues to read from Wisliceny's statement about Eichmann's interactions with the Grand Mufti. Wisliceny mentions a Jewish child transport from Poland to the Theresienstadt camp to exchange for civilian prisoners. The Grand Mufti objected: "...he protested vigorously to Himmler, using the argument that these Jewish children would, within a few years become adults and would strengthen ...

  11. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 18 and 19 -- Testimonies of D. Meretz, W. Zimet and M. Burger

    Sessions 18 and 19. Assistant State Attorney submits Prosecution Document 505, a cable from Joseph Kennedy, American Ambassador in London. The cable describes a meeting with Ribbentrop about possible Jewish emigration to foreign nations. Bar-Or submits a report on Eichmann's trip to Palestine and Egypt. Blip at 00:09:21 and Bar-Or continues to submit relevant documentation. Blip at 00:11:30. Court is not in session; Defense Attorney Dr. Robert Servatius and the Judges enter the room. Presiding Judge Moshe Landau reprimands Bar-Or for using so much time to submit fifty documents. Bar-Or asse...

  12. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 21 and 22 -- Testimonies of H. Pachter, Y. Gurfein, N. Zabludowicz, L. Wells

    Sessions 21 and 22. Court is not in session. Court officials interact; Adolf Eichmann enters his booth; Attorney General Gideon Hausner and Defense Attorney Dr. Robert Servatius converse; and Servatius exchanges information with Eichmann. The Judges enter the courtroom and there is a blip at 00:04.52. Witness Hirsch (Zvi) Pachter discusses Nazi treatment in Hrubieszow, a town near Chelm: "They took hold of a man... they hit [him] on the head with their rifle butts... They kept on asking each other: 'How many did you manage to kill by shooting...'" Blip at 00:08:19. Witness Ya'Akov Gurfein d...

  13. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 21, 59 and 61 -- Excerpts of five witnesses

    Sessions 21, 59 and 61. (Sessions and individual witnesses to be verified.) Attorney General Hausner asks the Judges about the upcoming afternoon session. He says that delays should be expected considering that the submission of evidence includes witness testimonies. 00:02:00 Court adjourns until the afternoon session. People leaving the courtroom. 00:02:49 Tape jumps. Document 212 is submitted by the Prosecution, concerning Eichmann's dealings with the new Hungarian government, where the Minister of the Interior acquires a one-time transfer of Jews for the Jaegar (or fighter plane) program...

  14. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 23 and 24 -- Testimony of L. Wells, H. Ross, and J. Buzminsky

    Session 23. Adolf Eichmann stands as the Presiding Judge enters and then sits down. WS of the courtroom. The Presiding Judge takes notes and declares the twenty-third Session of the trial open. He then confirms that applications submitted by Dr. Servatius will be discussed later on. Servatius states that the evidence given by the witness, Dr. Wells, is irrelevant and repetitive and thus should not be submitted. Attorney General Hausner responds by saying that Eichmann was appointed by Reinhard Heydrich, who was in charge of exterminating the Jews, and offers several other examples as well. ...

  15. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 25 and 26 -- Testimony of Z. Lubetkin, Y. Zuckerman, A. Berman, R. Kuper

    Sessions 25 and 26. Eichmann sitting in his booth. The Judges open Session 25 and present Decision 14. This decision notes the appeal of witness interrogation abroad as certain witnesses would be arrested under the Nazi Collaborators Punishment Law of 1950, should they appear in Israel. Presiding Judge, Moshe Landau refers to Decision 11, which states that foreign courts may acquire testimony from restricted witnesses for the purpose of the Eichmann trial. There is a blip at 00:07:08. Hausner questions Zivia Lubetkin Zuckerman, a resistance fighter in the Warsaw Ghetto about the conditions ...

  16. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 27 and 28 -- Testimonies of F. Masia, M. Dworzecki, A. Kovner, A. Peretz

    Sessions 27 and 28. Witness Frieda Masia, a leader in the Zionist youth movement and member of the Jewish underground, recounts an incident in which Harry Blumerfracht, a member of the Zionist youth movement attempted to steal weapons from a German plant-owner. The plan failed, and Masia states: "...they took hold of Harry and arrested him. Harry was tortured in a horrible way." There is a blip at 00:03:50. Witness Dr. Meir Mark Dworzecki, survivor of Vilna Ghetto and five Estonian concentration camps, discusses 'malines' [hiding places] in the Vilna Ghetto. He states: "... an underground t...

  17. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 30 and 31 -- Submission of documents

    Sessions 30 and 31. The Court is not in session. Presiding Judge Moshe Landau opens Session 30, and asks Attorney General Gideon Hausner to present the Prosecution's position on the evidence of Hoettl and Huppenkothen. Hausner explains that the Prosecution does not consider either man to be a war criminal; therefore, both witnesses are allowed to enter Israel without threat of arrest. A blip at 00:05:18. Exhibit T/384 is submitted, and Hausner concludes with his evidence for Poland and the Eastern countries. State Attorney Gabriel Bach will present the witnesses and evidence for the Western...

  18. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 32 and 33 -- Presentation of documents; Wellers testifies about the plight of children

    Session 32. Iranian Jews are being discussed in the reading of a document into the record by the Prosecution. This document includes Iranian Jews who practice other faiths in the extermination, to be treated the same as the Jews of Europe. The document is signed by Eichmann. 00:03:54 A document is being read into the record by the Prosecution, signed by Eichmann, saying that as soon as transports were possible from the General Government area, children are to be included. Six transports of children are to be sent. 00:05:37 Tape jumps. George Wellers is brought in as a witness, asked to cove...

  19. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 32, 38 and 39 -- Transport of French children; how other leaders saw Eichmann

    Session 32. George Wellers is testifying for the Prosecution. He is discussing the transport of 1000 French children, in four transports from Beaune-la-Rolande and Pithiviers transit camps (from these transit camps Jews were then transported to the killing centers in occupied Poland). The children were accompanied by 200 adults. They arrived at the camp by bus. Wellers discussing the transport beginning at 5am. He describes the children, scared and often crying, as they were forced onto railcars and sent to Auschwitz. He says he never saw these children at Auschwitz. 00:04:04 Session 38. Mo...

  20. Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 34 and 35-- Witnesses Dr. Melkman and David Melchior

    Session 34. Tape begins with Dr. Joseph Melkman (Michman) being sworn in as a witness for the Prosecution. He was born in Holland and immigrated to Israel. He was the director of Yad Vashem. 00:03:17 Tape jumps. Dr. Melkman is testifying, being asked about a man who helped organize the Judenrat in Holland because the Jews did not know how to deal with the Germans. Edelstein's status is discussed. He describes that at first, many Jews wore the yellow stars with pride; that they were not ashamed to be Jewish, and many Christians supported them in protesting the act. 00:08:21 Tape jumps. Dr. M...