SESSION LXXIX
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 79 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Monday, June 26, 1961. In this session, Defense Counsel Dr. Robert Servatius continues his direct examination of Eichmann, which began in SESSION 75. Topics discussed include: Eichmann’s role in the Wannsee Conference; Eichmann’s involvement in sterilization; the provision of skeletons for the ‘Ancestral Heritage Foundation’; Eichmann’s duties with regard to the deportation of Jews; and the fate of the children of Lidice.
Although much of the footage from SESSION 79 has been lost, the approximately seventy minutes of surviving material is presented here. One section survives only via a contemporaneous news broadcast, and contains minor edits by the broadcaster.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Eichmann on his ‘satisfaction’ with the results of the Wannsee Conference
0:03:31 - Eichmann claims he had sought peaceful solutions to the ‘Jewish Problem’
0:10:53 - Eichmann on his assembly of Jewish population statistics
0:11:41 - Eichmann says he made no decisions on his own after the Wannsee Conference
0:16:18 - Eichmann explains how he became a ‘specialist’ on Jewish deportations
0:22:17 - Eichmann denies any involvement in sterilization
0:24:17 - Eichmann on the provision of skeletons to the ‘Ancestral Heritage Foundation’
0:32:20 & 0:34:34 - Unusual angle showing the stenographers’ balcony
0:39:28 - Eichmann says it is not in his nature to shirk responsibility
0:42:45 - Servatius scolds Eichmann for his long-winded answers
0:43:17 - Eichmann on packing 1,000 Jews into trains meant for 700
0:58:05 & 0:58:32 - Hausner smiles while listening to Eichmann’s testimony
1:01:18 - Eichmann (via translation) reads documents showing his awareness of executions
1:03:36 - Eichmann is asked about the disappearance of the children of Lidice
1:12:29 - Judge challenges Eichmann’s denial of responsibility
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.
Material highlighted blue survives via third-party material.