One of the ugliest chapters of the Second World War concerns the uprooting and deaths of millions of non-combatant civilians, to include British, French, German, and Russian. In fact, the roster can include the populations of all the countries of Europe that were not neutral. Of this enormous slaughter which ran into the tens of millions, none has gained more notoriety than the Fate of Europe’s Jewish population. From the beginning of1939 through October of that year when hr resigned in disgust,
Heinrich Mullcr was in charge of the SS program of emigration for Germany’s Jewish citizens. Throughout his interview, Muller makes reference to the frustration of his efforts by both domestic and foreign entities..
Q: Then you do have some working knowledge of this Mossad organization?
M: Yes, but that was just before the war. What they arc now I do not know, although it is my belief that they are now an intelligence agency. They started out, however, as a branch of the Zionists in Palestine called the Mossad le Aliyh Bet, if 1 am not in error, and I apologize for my, butchered pronunciation. I do not speak Hebrew at all. It was organized in late 1937, I believe, by the Haganah organization to assist Jews to settle in Palestine. As you may know, it has always been the Zionist goal to secure that area for a Jewish state, and at that rime the British were actively blocking Jewish immigration into the area in deference to the Arabs there.
This Mossad agency set up groups throughout Europe, especially in Poland and the eastern areas, to encourage Jews, mostly young and healthy ones, to migrate to Palestine. They were a combination of an emigration service and a travel agency. Eventually, the British blocked their efforts and the Zionists sent their people to us. It was an interesting relationship, let me tell you., bur still, it served both of us very well. They wanted Jews in Palestine for political reasons, and we wanted Jews out of Germany for the same reasons, but in reverse.
Q: Did you know any of these people first hand!
M: I met Auerbach once arid several others. I really had no trouble with them a t all because we both were interested in the same thing. We were all very polite to each other which was humorous in a black way considering Crystal Night. I've said before that there was nothing but trouble for me when I was given the job of overseeing the departure of Jews from Germany. Ribbentrop and Bormann blocked me. Ribbentrop claimed that the Arabs, whom he wished to cultivate, objected to the influx of what they believed were dangerous Jews, and Bormann and the Party ideologues claimed we were splitting up the Jews into dangerous groups that would be difficult to control later.
In my opinion, considering what I had heard about Palestine, the terrible climate, lack of water and primitive living conditions there would occupy the Jews for a long time and they certainly would not be interested in taking over the world as Bormann and Hitler thought. Nevertheless. they ran the country, more or less, and I did not.
I finally quit the entire business in disgust. That was after the terrible St. Louis business. I suppose you know about that mess?
Q: Yes, it was not pleasant.
M: Such restraint. I went to the Cubans and got them to sell us landing permits, actually paid Hapag for the charter of their ship and sent off over nine hundred Jews to a new, and certainly safer life in Cuba, which was far more comfortable than Palestine. But then your President became involved and the rest we know.
Q: I know about most of that from my family, hut do realize that Roosevelt had some constraints on him viz a viz public opinion. 1 think if he was able to have done so, he would have certainly rescued far more Jews.
M: But why didn't he? Would the American voters have thrown him out because, for example, lie rescued thousands of little children, Jews or not?
Q: Roosevelt was a very political person, as you know.
M: No, that is not my question. My question was, why could he not have at the very least saved the children, which we know he made no effort to do. That is the question.
Q: He couldn't.
M: Oh yes, he could and you know it. You just want to defend Roosevelt because you liked some of his policies and don't tell me you don't. Listen to me, my young friend. The American President, who spent most of his time attacking Hitler as an evil man, had the opportunity of permitting many thousands of badly persecuted and unwanted German Jews into your country.
Here we are not talking about bandits or lay-abouts, but artists, bankers, lawyers, doctors and so on. And he wouldn’t let a single one into your country In fact, your State Department people told our people in Washington that they would not take any Jews at all, so not to try to push them on you. Oh yrs, they did say this policy did nor extend to Christian Germans, but only, and I stress this to you, only to Jews. And your Roosevelt posed as the champion of oppressed people and the beacon of liberty throughout the world. Such a vicious, self-serving and heartless reptile! And a hypocrite as well.
Please don’t defend him to me on this matter. I dealt with this first hand and I can assure you that we made the effort to find a home for these people and you wouldn’t give it to them.
Q: Well then, let me make a comment about that speech, if I may
M: Please do
Q: By what right did you have forcing law-abiding German citizens out of your country solely because they were Jews? How can you criticize Roosevelt in this business? If your Hitler hadn’t instituted pogroms and gross maltreatment of German Jews, there would have been no issue for Roosevelt to deal with, would there?
M: Quite true. Nevertheless, I did not make these policies, but I only enforced them. For that you can make a moral judgment against me, because as I have said much earlier, I was not in favor of this mass expulsion. While we might have gotten rid of some unwanted Polish Jews, we also eventually extended this to all Jews and lost many loyal and productive citizens. Yes, we now have two moral situations; mine and Roosevelt’s. The difference is that I made real efforts to get the harassed Jews into some safe place and Roosevelt, who had no Hitler or Himmler over him issuing orders, did nothing at all. And he was aware that if he did not let these people into America they would no doubt suffer more as the radical Jewhaters in Germany gained more power. Tell me, which one of the two of us is the worst?
Q: Both, if you want to know. You certainly knew better and he put his political career ahead of his humanity.
M: Awkwardly put, hut I take the meaning. I wonder, if the dead Jews were suddenly to come to life again, which one of us would they curse the most?
Q: Please, Let us leave this business alone. I cannot criticize Roosevelt in this and I do not wish to engage you in a debate that might prove damaging to our relationship.
World History
