congratulated him on his terrible experiments with freezing prisoners.
“Just be really careful that the violin is perfect,” Bronislaw had said. “I know you will. Sauckel seems especially interested in having it turn out well; he’s been collecting musical instruments for some time. Wonder how many he’s stolen? But as far as yours goes, he’s placed a bet with the fanatical Rascher, a whole case of Burgundy wine.”
“You sure you got that right?”
“Not all the details. You know they don’t like us to get very close, but what I understood was, if you finish it in the time they agreed on—I couldn’t hear how long—and the tonal quality is good, the doctor will have to give the Commander a case of Burgundy wine.”
Bronislaw was silent for a few moments then continued reluctantly, “The problem is Rascher doesn’t particularly like wine; he’s more of a beer drinker.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Bronislaw wasn’t sure; he had his suspicions, but he didn’t want to divulge them. Daniel had to force it out of him, almost prying the words from him with his pliers. The doctor didn’t want “things”; he wanted people, bodies, as he had already demonstrated. Bronislaw feared that the value Rascher had assigned to the bet was the luthier himself. A case of wine against Daniel, who—if the bet were lost—would be delivered to the sadistic doctor.
If you thought about it from the Nazis’ point of view, it was a high price for one of the Untermenschen, the subhumans.
Pain—has an Element of Blank—
—E MILY D ICKINSON
Letter Addressed to Himmler Concerning the Use of Deceased Prisoners’ Gold Teeth—1942
Economic and Administrative Main Office
Noted in book no. 892/ secr. 42
To the SS Reichsführer,
Reichsführer!
All pieces of dental gold from deceased prisoners will be delivered to the Health Department according to your orders. They can be used for dental operations required by our men.
SS Oberführer Blaschke now has 50 kilos of gold at his disposal, which is the amount of precious metal that will be needed for the next five years.
I request permission, on receiving your authorization, to begin depositing in the Reich Bank all gold dental pieces taken from deceased prisoners in the various concentration camps.
Heil Hitler!
Frank
SS Brigadenführer, Major General of the Waffen-SS
Fragment from the Nuremberg Trials
Concerning the I.G. Farben Case
The outrage inflicted on the prisoners by the kapos was terrible. They behaved in an inhuman fashion. I was informed by Walther Dürrfeld or by Engineer Faust that some of the prisoners were shot when they attempted to escape.
I was aware that prisoners were not paid. Around 1943, I.G. Farben introduced a system of awards for the prisoners, which was meant to provide them the opportunity to buy things at the canteen and, at the same time, raise their productivity.
The total amount paid to prisoners over a period of two and a half years came to 20 million marks, which we delivered to the SS.
Daniel froze when he heard the words tumble, in fits and starts, from the musician’s mouth. He was paralyzed, speechless, as he tried to understand. He gulped, swallowing saliva as if it were bitter medicine, and said: “They won’t take me alive.”
Daniel let out a yell, causing several prisoners to turn around. Before he could scream again and draw the kapo’s attention, Bronislaw clamped his hand over Daniel’s mouth, then embraced him, letting his friend’s face rest against his threadbare sweater. For months Daniel had lived with incredible tension, and Bronislaw believed that only a much louder scream, a wild, savage wail, would calm him. But protest wasn’t possible. The present anguish could only be partially assuaged in the arms of a friend, away from those who would look at Daniel with scorn or wish to add to his anxiety.
After what seemed like a
“Just be really careful that the violin is perfect,” Bronislaw had said. “I know you will. Sauckel seems especially interested in having it turn out well; he’s been collecting musical instruments for some time. Wonder how many he’s stolen? But as far as yours goes, he’s placed a bet with the fanatical Rascher, a whole case of Burgundy wine.”
“You sure you got that right?”
“Not all the details. You know they don’t like us to get very close, but what I understood was, if you finish it in the time they agreed on—I couldn’t hear how long—and the tonal quality is good, the doctor will have to give the Commander a case of Burgundy wine.”
Bronislaw was silent for a few moments then continued reluctantly, “The problem is Rascher doesn’t particularly like wine; he’s more of a beer drinker.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Bronislaw wasn’t sure; he had his suspicions, but he didn’t want to divulge them. Daniel had to force it out of him, almost prying the words from him with his pliers. The doctor didn’t want “things”; he wanted people, bodies, as he had already demonstrated. Bronislaw feared that the value Rascher had assigned to the bet was the luthier himself. A case of wine against Daniel, who—if the bet were lost—would be delivered to the sadistic doctor.
If you thought about it from the Nazis’ point of view, it was a high price for one of the Untermenschen, the subhumans.
Pain—has an Element of Blank—
—E MILY D ICKINSON
Letter Addressed to Himmler Concerning the Use of Deceased Prisoners’ Gold Teeth—1942
Economic and Administrative Main Office
Noted in book no. 892/ secr. 42
To the SS Reichsführer,
Reichsführer!
All pieces of dental gold from deceased prisoners will be delivered to the Health Department according to your orders. They can be used for dental operations required by our men.
SS Oberführer Blaschke now has 50 kilos of gold at his disposal, which is the amount of precious metal that will be needed for the next five years.
I request permission, on receiving your authorization, to begin depositing in the Reich Bank all gold dental pieces taken from deceased prisoners in the various concentration camps.
Heil Hitler!
Frank
SS Brigadenführer, Major General of the Waffen-SS
Fragment from the Nuremberg Trials
Concerning the I.G. Farben Case
The outrage inflicted on the prisoners by the kapos was terrible. They behaved in an inhuman fashion. I was informed by Walther Dürrfeld or by Engineer Faust that some of the prisoners were shot when they attempted to escape.
I was aware that prisoners were not paid. Around 1943, I.G. Farben introduced a system of awards for the prisoners, which was meant to provide them the opportunity to buy things at the canteen and, at the same time, raise their productivity.
The total amount paid to prisoners over a period of two and a half years came to 20 million marks, which we delivered to the SS.
Daniel froze when he heard the words tumble, in fits and starts, from the musician’s mouth. He was paralyzed, speechless, as he tried to understand. He gulped, swallowing saliva as if it were bitter medicine, and said: “They won’t take me alive.”
Daniel let out a yell, causing several prisoners to turn around. Before he could scream again and draw the kapo’s attention, Bronislaw clamped his hand over Daniel’s mouth, then embraced him, letting his friend’s face rest against his threadbare sweater. For months Daniel had lived with incredible tension, and Bronislaw believed that only a much louder scream, a wild, savage wail, would calm him. But protest wasn’t possible. The present anguish could only be partially assuaged in the arms of a friend, away from those who would look at Daniel with scorn or wish to add to his anxiety.
After what seemed like a
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