was in charge in the main city of the Reich, the real commander, the source of all orders, was actually here, quite nearby. But needless to say, the head of the Central Bureau never dealt directly with Heydrich. He always went through the agency of his staff in the Reich.
The head of the Central Bureau smiled to himself. Oneof the common features of all members of the National Socialist Party was this: they never revealed their goals. Thus they were able to lull and gull and dupe their opponents. Nobody in the Protectorate knew what was going on in the East. Even his own staff did not know, though they could guess certain things because some of the spoils, the stolen goods, came from there. And those who passed through the gates of the Radio Mart with numbers hung around their necks, carrying bundles of their belongings, hurried along by kicks from the SS men, even those did not suspect what was awaiting them at the end of their journey.
Knowing the secret means invisible power. It means standing high above all people and looking down on them in scornful safety, like a statue. It means being made of stone or bronze. Here on the upper floors, everything is clean, no sounds of screaming ever penetrate these walls, no blood has ever flowed here, nobody ever writhes with pain here. Here you can smell the flowers in vases, and sometimes, when they have parties, you can hear music here, classical music, none of your common popular songs or marches. He wouldn’t stand for any other music. Heydrich is his model in that. After all the head of the Central Bureau had majored in Oriental Studies at the University of Göttingen. Even then he’d been preparing himself for his future service. Of course, he had prepared himself because he foresaw the Leader’s goals – he had diligently read his writings and knew long ago what his task would be. He knows the alphabet and language of those inferior races, that is, the former alphabet and the former language , for the majority of Jews have never learned it. He is even knowledgeable about their literature. He can talk easily with any learned Jew from the Community, withDr Rabinovich, for example. Such knowledge makes his work easier.
To expunge, to liquidate, to tear out the weed with all its roots, yes, that was his task. But why shouldn’t he leave them a little bit of hope for a while? Why shouldn’t he confuse and lull them? The dirty work is done by others, after all – that is not his responsibility. Only he is the master over life and death. Only he knows the secret, and he doesn’t need to bring about death by his own hand.
He looked in his daybook. He kept it carefully, model bureaucrat that he was. He fulfilled his daily obligations precisely, and he demanded the same from his staff. They must understand that they weren’t in the Protectorate to have an easy time of it, to obtain furniture and rare delicacies. They must understand that their service here was the same as at the front, perhaps even more important.
The first entry in the daybook was about the fortress city and the transports. That was his most important task. The Acting Reich Protector himself kept careful track of it and required regular reports. He took a folder listing the areas designated as ‘ghettos’ out of the cabinet. His first command from the Acting Reich Protector had been to find all enclosed Jewish settlements. Death was supposed to stop briefly in some ancient Czech town. That was a necessary part of the plot to deceive foreigners. It was also important to give the victims temporary hope, so that they wouldn’t be inclined to resist.
Next the command travelled from his office in the form of an order to the Jewish Community. It directed them to find the settlements and prepare them for transports. Among his papers were maps with suggestions of various towns and villages in Bohemia and Moravia. The investigationproceeded swiftly but carefully. It examined the various advantages and
The head of the Central Bureau smiled to himself. Oneof the common features of all members of the National Socialist Party was this: they never revealed their goals. Thus they were able to lull and gull and dupe their opponents. Nobody in the Protectorate knew what was going on in the East. Even his own staff did not know, though they could guess certain things because some of the spoils, the stolen goods, came from there. And those who passed through the gates of the Radio Mart with numbers hung around their necks, carrying bundles of their belongings, hurried along by kicks from the SS men, even those did not suspect what was awaiting them at the end of their journey.
Knowing the secret means invisible power. It means standing high above all people and looking down on them in scornful safety, like a statue. It means being made of stone or bronze. Here on the upper floors, everything is clean, no sounds of screaming ever penetrate these walls, no blood has ever flowed here, nobody ever writhes with pain here. Here you can smell the flowers in vases, and sometimes, when they have parties, you can hear music here, classical music, none of your common popular songs or marches. He wouldn’t stand for any other music. Heydrich is his model in that. After all the head of the Central Bureau had majored in Oriental Studies at the University of Göttingen. Even then he’d been preparing himself for his future service. Of course, he had prepared himself because he foresaw the Leader’s goals – he had diligently read his writings and knew long ago what his task would be. He knows the alphabet and language of those inferior races, that is, the former alphabet and the former language , for the majority of Jews have never learned it. He is even knowledgeable about their literature. He can talk easily with any learned Jew from the Community, withDr Rabinovich, for example. Such knowledge makes his work easier.
To expunge, to liquidate, to tear out the weed with all its roots, yes, that was his task. But why shouldn’t he leave them a little bit of hope for a while? Why shouldn’t he confuse and lull them? The dirty work is done by others, after all – that is not his responsibility. Only he is the master over life and death. Only he knows the secret, and he doesn’t need to bring about death by his own hand.
He looked in his daybook. He kept it carefully, model bureaucrat that he was. He fulfilled his daily obligations precisely, and he demanded the same from his staff. They must understand that they weren’t in the Protectorate to have an easy time of it, to obtain furniture and rare delicacies. They must understand that their service here was the same as at the front, perhaps even more important.
The first entry in the daybook was about the fortress city and the transports. That was his most important task. The Acting Reich Protector himself kept careful track of it and required regular reports. He took a folder listing the areas designated as ‘ghettos’ out of the cabinet. His first command from the Acting Reich Protector had been to find all enclosed Jewish settlements. Death was supposed to stop briefly in some ancient Czech town. That was a necessary part of the plot to deceive foreigners. It was also important to give the victims temporary hope, so that they wouldn’t be inclined to resist.
Next the command travelled from his office in the form of an order to the Jewish Community. It directed them to find the settlements and prepare them for transports. Among his papers were maps with suggestions of various towns and villages in Bohemia and Moravia. The investigationproceeded swiftly but carefully. It examined the various advantages and
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