SESSIONS
LXXXVIII - CIV
(Cross-Examination)
ABOUT THE CROSS-EXAMINATION
The cross-examination of Adolf Eichmann began in the morning of Friday, July 7, 1961 in SESSION 88 and continued through SESSION 104 on July 20. It was conducted entirely by Israeli Attorney General Gideon Hausner. Because of our web host's limits on the number of pages in a single website, we have consolidated these 17 sessions on this page.
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SESSION LXXXVIII
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 88 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Friday, July 7, 1961. This session sees the conclusion of Eichmann’s direct examination and the beginning of his cross-examination by Attorney General Gideon Hausner. The session begins with a technical discussion involving the submission of documents from witnesses—most of them former Nazis—who were examined abroad. Eichmann’s defense attorney, Dr. Robert Servatius, then continues his direct examination of Eichmann, which began in SESSION 75. Topics discussed include statements made about Eichmann by witnesses examined abroad and Eichmann’s knowledge that the Jews for whom he arranged transportation to concentration camps would be killed there. Servatius concludes his direct examination by asking Eichmann whether he feels guilt for his actions. Eichmann, who had previously answered questions extemporaneously, responds by reading a lengthy written statement. Technical discussions ensue, and the judges read the grounds for their decision (announced in SESSION 74) to allow the submission of the ‘Sassen Document’, including Judge Halevi’s dissenting opinion. Finally, Eichmann’s cross-examination begins, with Hausner examining Eichmann on: his willingness to accept his guilt in transporting millions of Jews to their deaths in concentration camps; his having been quoted as claiming that 5,000,000 Jews were killed in the Holocaust; whether or not he considered the Jews to be enemies who should be exterminated; whether he knew he was wanted as a war criminal at the end of the war and went into hiding as a response; whether Hitler personally ordered the liquidation of the Jewish people; whether or not he was anti-Semitic; whether he joined the Nazi Party willingly; his awareness of the Nazi Party’s anti-Semitic platform when he joined; his whereabouts in the opening days of the war; and his activity at the 1937 Nazi Party Congress.
Unlike most sessions of the trial, SESSION 88 is preserved nearly in its entirety, with just a single brief gap in the recording comprising only a portion of a translation. This makes SESSION 88 one of the longest sessions in the trial in terms of the length of the surviving material. The first nine minutes of the session have only limited audio available featuring a simultaneous English translation.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:01:07 - Eichmann enters
0:06:17 - Judges enter
0:06:51 - Session 88 begins
0:07:30 - Discussion on the depositions of witnesses examined abroad
0:31:54 - Direct Examination of Eichmann on statements by witnesses examined abroad
0:58:22 - Eichmann on the assertion that he once said he had ‘6,000,000 on his conscience’
1:09:06 - Eichmann on his knowledge that Jews he transported to camps would be killed
1:10:09 - Eichmann on whether or not he feels guilt
1:28:39 - Eichmann on why he fled Germany after the war
1:40:03 - Reading of the Grounds for the Decision to Admit the Sassen Document
1:55:29 - Dissent to the Grounds for the Decision to Admit the Sassen Document
2:16:33 - Recess
2:19:44 - Eichmann re-enters
2:24:44 - Eichmann talks with Servatius
2:27:54 - Judges re-enter
2:29:44 - Session 88 resumes
2:34:52 - Decision admitting the testimony of Alois Steger as evidence
2:36:44 - Submission of the testimony of Alois Steger into evidence
2:47:32 - Cross Examination of Adolf Eichmann
2:50:33 - Eichmann declines to admit his guilt from a legal perspective
2:53:13 - Hausner scolds Eichmann for a long-winded answer
2:54:49 - Eichmann on claiming that 5,000,000 Jews had been killed in the war
3:09:33 - Eichmann on whether or not he viewed Jews as enemies
3:27:11 - Eichmann on whether he knew he was wanted as a war criminal
3:34:43 - Eichmann says Hitler ordered the liquidation of the Jews
3:35:18 - Eichmann contrasts himself with the executed defendants at Nuremberg
3:37:32 - Eichmann on whether or not he was anti-Semitic
3:52:37 - Eichmann on whether he was fired due to his Nazi Party membership
4:03:58 - Eichmann on his awareness of the Nazi Party’s anti-Semitism when he joined
4:11:22 - Eichmann on where he was located at the beginning of the war
4:14:39 - Eichmann on his activities at the 1937 Nazi Party Congress
4:19:37 - Eichmann says he ‘related to the…wishes of Jewry’
4:23:53 - Court is adjourned
4:24:05 - Eichmann exits
TRANSCRIPT
SESSION LXXXIX
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 89 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Monday, July 10, 1961, following a marathon SESSION 88 the previous Friday that saw the conclusion of Eichmann’s direct examination and the beginning of his cross-examination by Attorney General Gideon Hausner. Just prior to the beginning of this session, Eichmann’s defense attorney, Dr. Robert Servatius, submitted a request for postponement on account of Eichmann’s feeling ill. In this brief session, the judges acknowledge the request and a pre-session meeting of the defense and prosecution in the judges’ chambers, and agree to postpone the resumption of the trial until the afternoon, in SESSION 90.
Given its short length, SESSION 89 is preserved in its entirety, unlike most sessions of the trial.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00 - Court not in session
1:38 - Hausner enters
1:56 - Eichmann enters
5:59 - Servatius enters
19:18 - Hausner & Servatius go to the judges’ chambers
21:18 - Unusual angle showing stenographers’ balcony
28:27 - Hausner & Servatius re-enter
30:50 - Judges enter
31:30 - Session 89 begins
32:48 - Court is adjourned
TRANSCRIPT
SESSION XC
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 90 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the afternoon of Monday, July 10, 1961, following the cancellation of the bulk of SESSION 89 on account of Eichmann’s feeling ill. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner resumes his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began the previous week in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Eichmann’s awareness of the Nazi Party’s anti-Semitic platform when he joined; whether or not he believed that Hitler wanted to ‘annihilate’ the Jewish people; whether or not he viewed the Jews as enemies; his 1937 journey to Israel (then Palestine); his role in forced emigration, which Eichmann says he regrets could not have continued until the end of the war; his level of control over the Jewish community of Vienna; and his involvement in the seizure of Jewish property.
SESSION 90 is preserved almost in its entirety, with only a brief and insignificant section missing in its early minutes.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:02:23 - Eichmann enters
0:04:17 - Judges enter
0:04:50 - Session 90 begins
0:06:01 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on his awareness of the Nazis Party’s anti-Semitism
0:09:06 - Eichmann on whether he believed Hitler wanted to ‘annihilate’ the Jews
0:10:38 - Eichmann on whether or not he viewed Jews as enemies
0:31:47 - Eichmann on his 1937 visit to Palestine
0:46:14 - Eichmann rejects a document as a forgery
0:51:26 - Eichmann on his opposition to Jewish emigration to Israel
1:06:32 - Eichmann on his regret that Jewish emigration did not continue throughout the war
1:08:05 - Eichmann on his role in forced emigration
1:23:06 - Eichmann on his ‘control’ over the Jewish community of Vienna
1:31:03 - Eichmann on his involvement in the seizure of Jewish property
1:38:53 - Presiding Judge scolds Hausner for repetitive questioning
1:48:43 - Eichmann on his attitude towards Kristallnacht
2:15:39 - Eichmann on his responsibility for money sent by Jews to relatives abroad
2:40:25 - Eichmann’s cross-examination concludes for the day with a testy exchange
2:43:05 - Court is adjourned
2:43:21 - Eichmann exits
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​
SESSION XCI
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 91 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Tuesday, July 11, 1961. The session begins with the discussion of Servatius’s applications to summon additional witnesses; the former is rejected, while the latter (a request to summon a female attorney who here is consistently referred to incorrectly as a man) is postponed. Attorney General Gideon Hausner resumes his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began the previous week in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Eichmann’s wartime visit to Nazi-occupied Poland; his knowledge of Heydrich’s interest in extermination and his possible attendance at a meeting where this was discussed; the Sassen recordings; his position in the Nazi hierarchy relative to Reinhard Heydrich; plans to resettle the Jews in Nisko and Madagascar, respectively; and his attempts to prevent Jews from emigrating. When confronted with documents signed by him that suggest he had more authority than he claimed, Eichmann introduces a central pillar of his defense: that documents signed ‘im auftrage’ (‘by order’) indicated that Eichmann was simply passing along orders from above. Hausner counters with additional documentation indicating that ‘im auftrage’ was a standard and mandatory way of signing, and it instead signified that Eichmann himself was giving an order.
The vast majority of SESSION 91 survives, with more than three hours of material presented here.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:01:44 - Eichmann enters
0:03:21 - Unusual angle showing stenographers’ balcony
0:05:51 - Judges enter
0:06:42 - Session 88 begins
0:06:56 - Discussion on Servatius’s application to call two witnesses
0:26:06 - Decision rejecting Servatius’s application
0:26:51 - Discussion on Servatius’s application to call Lucie van Taalingen-Dols as a witness
0:50:13 - Cross Examination of Eichmann on his wartime visit to occupied Poland
0:56:02 - Eichmann on whether he witnessed murders in Poland
0:56:46 - Presiding Judge scolds audience for their audible reactions
0:59:17 - Eichmann on his knowledge of Heydrich’s intentions for total extermination
1:06:44 - Eichmann on the Sassen recordings
1:15:33 - Eichmann on his position in the Nazi hierarchy relative to Heydrich
1:23:27 - Eichmann on his knowledge of Heydrich’s intentions for total extermination
1:30:55 - Eichmann on the Nisko project
1:58:34 - Recess
1:58:48 - Eichmann exits
2:00:12 - Eichmann on the Nisko project (cont.)
2:08:42 - Eichmann disputes Hausner’s accusation that he is lying
2:11:14 - Eichmann on a defendant’s right not to speak the truth
2:20:24 - Eichmann on the Madagascar Plan
2:23:16 - Presiding Judge scolds Hausner for repetitive questioning
2:55:26 - Eichmann on the meaning of his signing documents ‘im auftrage’ (‘by order’)
2:49:46 - Eichmann on whether he attempted to stop Jews from emigrating
2:58:52 - Hausner accuses Servatius of interfering, judges reject his plea
3:05:58 - Hausner catches his falling lectern
3:08:02 - Court is adjourned
3:08:12 - Eichmann exits
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​
SESSION XCII
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 92 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the afternoon of Tuesday, July 11, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began the previous week in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Whether Eichmann’s tendency to sign documents ‘im auftrage’ (‘by order’) indicated that he was passing along an order from above or ordering something himself (continued from SESSION 91); when he first learned of the Final Solution, and what that phrase referred to at different times; his section’s participation in radio and television; reports from abroad referring to him as a murderer of Jews; the Madagascar Plan; when he first became aware of plans for extermination of the Jews; the Wannsee Conference; and whether or not he was Heydrich’s specialist on the Final Solution.
Unlike most sessions of the trial, SESSION 92 is preserved almost in its entirety, with only two very brief and insignificant sections missing from the recording.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:02:12 - Eichmann enters
0:03:51 - Judges enter
0:04:21 - Session 92 begins
0:04:45 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on the meaning of ‘im auftrage’ (‘by order’)
0:24:11 - Eichmann on when he learned about the Final Solution
0:37:32 - Hausner misplaces a piece of evidence
0:54:32 - Presiding Judge calls for order
0:54:58 - Eichmann on his section’s participation in TV and radio
0:58:12 - Eichmann on foreign reports referring to him as a murderer of Jews
1:02:44 - Eichmann on the Madagascar Plan
1:35:20 - Eichmann on when he learned about extermination
1:54:57 - Eichmann on the Wannsee Conference
1:58:46 - Eichmann on whether he was Heydrich’s specialist on the the Final Solution
2:16:56 - Presiding Judge calls for order
2:40:47 - Court adjourns
2:41:03 - Eichmann exits
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​
SESSION XCIII
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 93 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Wednesday, July 12, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began the previous week in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Whether or not Eichmann was Heydrich’s specialist on the Final Solution; his involvement in deportations to the East in the wake of the Wannsee Conference; his efforts to prevent Jews from escaping; his visits to Auschwitz; his involvement in arranging transports to concentration camps and his awareness that the Jews he sent there would be exterminated; and whether high-ranking generals could disobey their orders.
The vast majority of the footage from SESSION 93 survives, with the nearly three hours of remaining footage presented here.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:00:54 - Eichmann enters
0:05:27 - Session 93 begins
0:06:06 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on his position under Heydrich
0:41:47 - Eichmann says his name appears in documents because he passed information along
0:43:40 - Presiding Judge scolds audience for making noise
1:02:34 - Eichmann on deportations to the camps in the East
1:24:26 - Eichmann on his efforts to prevent Jews from escaping
1:49:43 - Recess
1:51:26 - Eichmann on his visits to Auschwitz
1:55:09 - Eichmann on his involvement in arranging transports to concentration camps
2:37:17 - Eichmann on whether high-ranking generals could disobey orders
2:49:19 - Court adjourns
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​
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Material highlighted blue survives via third-party material.
SESSION XCIV
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 94 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the afternoon of Wednesday, July 12, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began the previous week in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include Eichmann’s involvement in deportations to the East and the function of Eichmann’s Section IVB4. Eichmann continues to deny involvement in deporting Jews to Auschwitz and says he would have taken action to prevent the deaths of Jews en route to concentration camps if he had been aware of it. He describes his shock when first confronted with dead bodies—Jewish and non-Jewish alike—during the war, but says they became ‘less novel and shocking’ as the conflict wore on. Eichmann is confronted with excerpts from the transcripts of the ‘Sassen tapes’ in which he says he acted out of fanaticism and was not merely following orders. Eichmann maintains that he may have spoken while drunk or that such quotes were made up later and added into the transcript. He denies having made any decisions himself as the head of Section IVB4, even when documents specify that he did.
The vast majority of the footage from SESSION 94 survives, with roughly two-and-a-half hours of remaining footage presented here. There is no audio for the first several seconds, while the court is not yet in session, and audio drops out again for several seconds as the session begins around 4:38. There are recurring glitches in the video from 46:04 through 47:18, but the audio plays normally.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:02:14 - Eichmann enters
0:04:14 - Judges enter
0:04:38 - Session 94 begins
0:05:02 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s involvement in deportations to the East
0:20:08 - Cross-Examination on the functioning of Section IVB4
0:54:40 - Eichmann says he cannot remember transferring Jews from a ghetto to Auschwitz
0:57:46 - Eichmann on his knowledge that Jews died en route to concentration camps
1:03:02 - Eichmann describes becoming numb to the sight of dead bodies during the war
1:10:07 - Hausner asks if Eichmann was bothered by being ‘the forwarding agent of death’
1:15:29 - Eichmann is confronted with quotes from the Sassen tapes
1:17:12 - In a quote from the Sassen tapes, Eichmann says was not merely following orders
1:32:59 - Eichmann denies saying, as recorded in the Sassen transcripts, that he was an ‘idealist’
2:02:41 - Eichmann denies making any decisions, even when documents specify that he did
2:26:51 - An exasperated Hausner has a testy exchange with Eichmann
2:30:57 - Court adjourns
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​
SESSION XCV
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 95 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Thursday, July 13, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began the previous week in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: The function of Eichmann’s Section IVB4 (continued from SESSION 94); Eichmann’s knowledge of the procurement of gas for extermination in the concentration camps; and whether Eichmann considered the extermination of Jews to be a crime now or at the time. This session’s cross-examination is characterized by a number of dramatic exchanges between Hausner and Eichmann. It also features several notable statements by Eichmann in regard to his feelings about the extermination and how he would have reacted if asked to participate in it, which he denies having done.
Though the majority of the footage from SESSION 95 survives, there is a large section missing from the cross-examination of Eichmann on his relationship with Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höess. Some small portions of this section do survive via audio recordings.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:04:57 - Judges enter
0:05:15 - Session 95 begins
0:05:38 - Servatius updates the Court on a witness’s testimony
0:07:00 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on the functioning of Section IVB4 (cont.)
0:53:21 - Eichmann says he should not be held responsible for the contents of letters he signed
0:58:56 - Cross-Examination on the supply of gas to concentration camps
1:03:33 - Eichmann says he was aware of some ‘gas business’
1:34:40 - Hausner catches Eichmann in a contradiction about his knowledge of gas procurement
1:45:13 - Eichmann says he has ‘a vague recollection of some gas business’
1:49:22 - Testy exchange between Hausner and Eichmann
2:05:42 - Recess
2:07:29 - Hausner reads from Rudolf Höess's recollections of Eichmann
2:14:30 - Eichmann says he would have killed himself before participating in extermination
2:16:55 - Eichmann refuses to say if he considered those involved in extermination to be criminals
2:23:02 - Eichmann says he would have shot his own father if he had been a traitor
2:27:23 - Eichmann says he considers the extermination of Jews to be a heinous crime
2:28:57 - Eichmann says he asked his boss to be released from involvement in the murder of Jews
2:30:44 - Eichmann explains how he justified his involvement in the Final Solution
2:36:50 - Eichmann chuckles in response to a question
2:50:25 - Session 95 adjourns
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​
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Material highlighted orange is available only in audio form.
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Material highlighted blue survives via third-party material.
SESSION XCVI
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 96 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the afternoon of Thursday, July 13, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began the previous week in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: The accuracy of the transcripts of the Sassen tapes; Eichmann’s attitude toward the mass extermination of the Jews, and how it changed over time after the war; the lines of command of Nazi officials in regard to Jewish affairs in the occupied territories; the purpose of forcing Jews in the occupied territories to wear a distinctive badge; whether and when other members of the Nazi hierarchy became aware that deported Jews were being exterminated; and when Eichmann himself became aware of this.
Unlike most sessions of the trial, SESSION 96 is preserved in its entirety with no gaps in the recording. There is no audio for the first several seconds, while the court is not yet in session.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:02:07, 0:14:45, 0:36:27 - Unusual angle showing stenographers’ balcony
0:02:39 - Defense Attorney Robert Servatius enters
0:02:55 - Eichmann enters
0:05:21 - Judges enter
0:05:43 - Session 96 begins
0:06:06 - Cross-Examination on the Sassen tapes (cont. from SESSION 95)
0:20:02 - Testy exchange between Hausner and Eichmann
0:30:35 - Testy exchange raises a small commotion in the courtroom
0:31:05 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s attitude toward the extermination
0:34:21 - Eichmann on the postwar development of his attitude toward the extermination
0:45:26 - Presiding Judge scolds Eichmann for an evasive answer
0:57:07 - Testy exchange between Hausner and Eichmann
1:05:43 - Eichmann suggests submitting the original Sassen tapes into evidence
1:09:27 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on the Nazi hierarchy in regard to Jewish affairs
1:40:45 - Hausner tells Eichmann he is making a laughingstock of himself
2:08:52 - Eichmann on the purpose of forcing Jews to wear a badge
2:15:07 - Eichmann on whether his cohorts knew about the extermination
2:17:49 - Eichmann on when he himself became aware of the Final Solution
2:35:54 - Audience laughs as Eichmann suggests he was merely a messenger
2:43:24 - Court is adjourned
2:43:36 - Eichmann exits
TRANSCRIPT
SESSION XCVII
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 97 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Friday, July 14, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began the previous week in SESSION 88. Because of the absence of a second interpreter on this day, Hebrew dialogue was translated for Eichmann simultaneously in his headphones, as opposed to the usual practice of reading the German translation consecutively aloud in court. Topics discussed include: Eichmann’s meetings with officials in charge of Jewish affairs; his rank and relations with his superiors; his contacts with the High Command of the Armed Forces and Security Services; and his relations with the German Foreign Ministry. Asked about a document referring to a refusal to allow the return of expelled Jews, Eichmann admits that he was aware that some Jews were being exterminated and that this may have been the reason for refusing their return.
The vast majority of SESSION 97 survives, although the last few minutes of the cross-examination have been lost. A 20-minute section from 1:26:33 to 1:46:40 features degraded video, but the material is still watchable and audio is unaffected.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:01:29 - Eichmann enters
0:03:36 - Unusual angle showing stenographers’ balcony
0:05:45 - Hausner enters
0:07:33 - Judges enter
0:07:59 - Session 97 begins
0:09:01 - Discussion regarding the use of a simultaneous translation
0:10:29 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s meetings with officials in charge of Jewish affairs
0:28:56 - Eichmann has technical issues with his headphones
0:46:01 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s rank and relations with his superiors
1:10:44, 1:29:50 & 1:35:35 - Hausner tauntingly refers to Eichmann as ‘Little Eichmann’
1:15:21 - Hausner taunts Eichmann’s assertion that he merely passed orders along
1:19:45 - Documents show Eichmann referring to ‘my office’ in reference to foreign departments
1:28:35 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s contact with the High Command of the Armed Forces
2:02:09 - Recess
2:04:44 - Eichmann re-enters
2:10:58 - Judges re-enter
2:11:22 - Session 97 resumes
2:19:45 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s relations with the German Foreign Ministry
3:12:53 - Hausner asks ‘Does Adolf Eichmann without documents exist at all?’
3:13:18 - Defense Attorney Robert Servatius objects to Hausner’s questioning
3:23:46 - Eichmann admits he knew that he knew Jews were being exterminated
3:27:42 - Hausner asks about Rademacher’s recollection that Eichmann ‘proposes shooting’
3:41:59 - Court not in session
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​
SESSION XCVIII
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 98 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Monday, July 17, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began two weeks earlier in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Evacuation in the eastern occupied territories; his right to make decisions and issue instructions; his knowledge of the deaths of Jews on the transports he arranged; and his knowledge of the fate of Jews who were evacuated. Eichmann asserts, as he has repeatedly during his cross-examination, that he did not make decisions himself and only acted upon the orders of his superiors. An extended exchange involves Hausner’s assertion that Eichmann contradicted himself in terms of when he says he became aware of the extermination of Jews in Minsk and Riga. During this discussion, the proceedings are momentarily interrupted by a Yiddish-speaking protestor who calls Eichmann a ‘loser’ and a ‘dog’. A particularly incriminating piece of evidence is introduced: a letter by Reich Commissioner Erhard Wetzel stating that Eichmann had agreed to a plan to begin gassing Jews en masse. Eichmann denies this, stating that his name does not appear clearly in the original document and that a handwriting expert should be called to examine it. The Wetzel letter can be read here.
Note that over the course of this session, the Lodz ghetto is referred to alternately by its two names of ‘Lodz’ and ‘Litzmannstadt’. Additionally, the then-colloquial term ‘idiots’ is used to refer to the mentally ill.
Unlike most sessions of the trial, SESSION 98 is preserved in its entirety with no gaps in the recording.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:01:13 - Eichmann enters
0:06:50 - Judges enter
0:07:50 - Session 98 begins
0:08:38 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on evacuations in the Eastern Occupied Territories
1:36:57 - Hausner asks if Eichmann could not have simply been replaced with a dictaphone
1:40:45 - Eichmann on Mueller’s statement that with 50 Eichmanns, ‘We’d have won the war’
1:44:36 - Eichmann on Himmler calling him ‘the master’, dismissing it as ‘bathroom talk’
1:46:27 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s right to make decisions and issue instructions
1:46:59 - Judge Halevi suggests Eichmann should have been dismissed for refusing to make decisions
2:03:32 - Eichmann on his knowledge of the deaths of Jews on his transports
2:06:19 - Hausner calls Eichmann ‘the forwarding agent of death’
2:29:41 - Recess
2:33:23 - Eichmann re-enters
2:36:14 - Judges re-enter
2:36:31 - Session 98 resumes
2:47:48 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s knowledge of the fate of evacuated Jews
2:54:42 - Eichmann admits he knew Jews he sent to Minsk and Riga were bound for extermination
3:06:20 - Eichmann says that “Everyone knew that Jews were being killed in the East.”
3:07:46 - Protestor interrupts, is escorted out
3:13:11 - Eichmann on his visit to the Reichsfuehrer in 1941
3:37:11 - Eichmann insists that “My approach was not that of violence”
3:37:52 - A document indicates that Eichmann assented to gassing Jews
3:38:51 - Eichmann says a handwriting expert should examine the aforementioned document
3:58:01 - Court adjourns
TRANSCRIPT
SESSION XCIX
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 99 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the afternoon of Monday, July 17, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began two weeks earlier in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Methods of exterminating Jewish prisoners (continued from SESSION 98); Eichmann’s visits to various concentration camps and his knowledge of the extermination apparatus at Auschwitz; Eichmann’s intervention in getting a lighter work assignment for Berthold Storfer, and whether this meant he had administrative power over the concentration camps; Eichmann’s visits to Kulmhof and the Warsaw ghetto; and members of the Nazi hierarchy involved in the extermination of Polish Jewry.
Unlike most sessions of the trial, SESSION 99 is preserved in its entirety with no gaps in the recording.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:00:55 - Eichmann enters
0:03:26 - Judges enter
0:03:54 - Session 99 begins
0:04:19 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on methods of extermination
0:07:00 - In a quote from his interrogation, Eichmann recalls asking for a more humane method of execution
0:12:45 - Eichmann on his involvement in discussions about the use of gas to kill Jews
0:14:01 - Eichmann says discussion about using gas for extermination ‘was no secret’
0:16:06 - Eichmann on the Wetzel letter, submitted in Session 98
0:29:38 - Presiding Judge scolds Hausner for returning to a previously-discussed topic
0:36:36 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s visits to concentration camps
0:40:10 - Eichmann says he was told about the extermination process at Auschwitz and shown the crematoria
0:41:33 - Eichmann on his ability to intervene on Berthold Storfer’s behalf
0:59:36 - Eichmann on why he was sent to Kulmhof
1:07:54 - Eichmann on his visits to the Warsaw ghetto
1:46:42 - Cross-Examination on those involved in the extermination of Polish Jewry
2:42:14 - Court adjourns
2:42:25 - Eichmann exits
TRANSCRIPT
SESSION C
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 100 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Tuesday, July 18, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began two weeks earlier in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Eichmann’s attendance and involvement at the Wannsee Conference; areas incorporated into the Reich; the responsibility or lack thereof of Eichmann’s department, IVB4, over the concentration camps; Eichmann’s involvement in and attitude toward laws regarding children of mixed marriages; and Eichmann’s involvement in matters concerning the country of Holland.
Asked to identify areas on a map that were incorporated into the Reich, Eichmann asks if he can approach the map, which would require him to exit his bulletproof witness’s box. He is granted permission to do so, and stands side by side with Hausner without protective glass for the first and only time in the trial. Technical issues later prevent Eichmann from hearing the simultaneous German translation in his headphones; as a result, consecutive translation, which had been used during most of the sessions of the trial, is resumed until the recess, during which the problem is fixed. Eichmann is confronted with a statement by Nuremberg Laws co-author Bernhard Loesener, in which he includes Eichmann in a short list of men he considers ‘fanatic and vicious anti-Semites’.
Unlike most sessions of the trial, SESSION 100 is preserved virtually in its entirety, with only a single, very short gap in the recording.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:01:57 - Eichmann enters
0:02:55 - Defense Attorney Dr. Robert Servatius enters
0:05:09 - Judges enter
0:05:56 - Session 100 begins
0:06:23 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on the Wannsee Conference
0:08:46 - Eichmann disputes his own figure of 11,000,000 Jews to be liquidated
0:11:57 - Cross-Examination on the ‘Brown Folder’
0:48:15 - Cross-Examination on areas incorporated into the Reich
0:50:08 - Eichmann leaves his box to point out regions on a map
0:51:28 - Stenographers lean over balcony to see Eichmann
0:53:31 - Hausner joins Eichmann at the map
0:57:19 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s department’s responsibility for concentration camps
0:58:09 - Technical issue with Eichmann’s headphones
2:08:18 - Recess
2:15:42 - Judges re-enter
2:16:00 - Session 100 resumes
2:53:26 - Cross-Examination on ‘persons of mixed blood’
3:02:18 - Eichmann says he expressed a more liberal view in regard to children of ‘mixed blood’
3:04:30 - Eichmann contradicts himself, saying he did not express his views on ‘mixed blood’
3:05:09 - In a statement, Nazi Bernhard Loesener describes Eichmann as a ‘vicious anti-Semite’
3:21:19 - Cross-Examination on matters concerning Holland
3:34:48 - Presiding Judge scolds Hausner for asking about documents Eichmann has not seen
3:45:06 - Court is adjourned
TRANSCRIPT
SESSION CI
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 101 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the afternoon of Tuesday, July 18, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began two weeks earlier in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Eichmann’s contacts with advisers of Jewish Affairs; requests for exemptions, with Eichmann refuting several documents appearing to show that he could choose to exempt specific Jews from expulsion to concentration camps; his involvement in the disappearance of the children of Lidice; the meaning of the term ‘special treatment’ (a euphemism for extermination used by the Nazis in documentation); and Eichmann’s involvement in procuring skeletons for a museum in Strasbourg.
The vast majority of SESSION 101 survives, with only the last couple of minutes missing.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:02:12 - Judges enter
0:02:33 - Session 101 begins
0:02:55 - Submission of supporting material by the prosecution
0:05:08 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on contacts with Jewish Affairs advisers
0:14:44 - Eichmann says that he has been scapegoated, because he is the only one left
0:21:02 - Cross-Examination on requests for exemptions
0:47:16 - Close-up of Eichmann’s guard
1:33:27 - Cross-Examination on the Lidice Children
1:47:38 - Cross-Examination on the meaning of ‘special treatment’
2:12:43 - Cross-Examination on the skeletons in Strasbourg
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​
SESSION CII
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 102 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Wednesday, July 19, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began two weeks earlier in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Eichmann’s authorship of an official report on the Final Solution; the scope of the duties of Eichmann’s department, IVB4; Eichmann’s attendance and leadership at meetings regarding sterilization; Eichmann’s connections to the Einsatzgruppen (Operations Units); and various excerpts from the transcripts of Eichmann’s conversations in Argentina with Dutch journalist Wilhelm Sassen.
The majority of SESSION 102 survives, with the first several minutes and final seconds missing.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on the duties of Department IVB4
0:03:16 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s attendance at meetings on sterilization
0:12:51 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s links with the Einsatzgruppen
0:25:10 - Eichmann says he had wanted to be an Einsatzkommando leader
0:33:35 - Eichmann on his knowledge that Jewish communities were being exterminated
0:48:29 - Cross-Examination on excerpts from the Sassen transcripts
0:53:36 - Eichmann says a typo has resulted in a sentence saying the opposite of what was intended
0:57:26, 2:13:12 & 2:26:00 - Unusual angle showing stenographers’ balcony
1:03:10 - Eichmann on deporting Slovakian Jews after Heydrich’s assassination
1:11:29 - Eichmann claims he will not answer any more questions
1:13:05 - Recess
1:16:13 - Eichmann re-enters
1:20:12 - Judges re-enter
1:20:28 - Session 102 resumes
1:27:25 - Eichmann claims he was drunk during the Sassen interviews
1:36:49 - Eichmann claims he and Sassen fabricated things for dramatic purposes
1:48:15 - In a Sassen excerpt, Eichmann recalls traveling through an labor camp
2:47:18 - Eichmann describes himself as having always been ‘a peaceable citizen’
2:49:01 - Court is adjourned
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​
SESSION CIII
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 103 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the afternoon of Wednesday, July 19, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner continues his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began two weeks earlier in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Eichmann’s involvement in the deportation of the Jews of Hungary; the presence of men from Eichmann’s department at stations where Jews were loaded into freight cars; Eichmann’s alleged visits to ghettos; his involvement in the deportation of Gisi Fleischmann (see SESSIONS 49-51); the ‘Blood for Goods’ proposal discussed in SESSION 57 by witness Joel Brand; and the deportation of the Jews of Budapest.
SESSION 103 survives almost in its entirety, with only the last several seconds missing.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Court not in session
0:02:08 - Eichmann enters
0:04:42 - Judges enter
0:04:56 - Session 103 begins
0:05:21 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on deportations of Hungarian Jews
0:37:58 - Eichmann refutes a document claiming he said he would slaughter Jewish partisans
0:44:43 - Eichmann admits that his colleagues were present when Jews were loaded on freight cars
0:57:40 - Presiding Judge calls for order
1:17:29 - Eichmann denies visiting the ghettos, despite testimony to the contrary
1:35:57 - Cross-Examination on the Gisi Fleischmann case (see Sessions 49-51)
1:53:03 - Cross-Examination on the ‘Blood for Goods’ proposal (see Session 57)
2:19:42 - Cross-Examination on the deportation of the Jews of Budapest
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​
SESSION CIV
ABOUT THIS SESSION
SESSION 104 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Thursday, July 20, 1961. In this session, Attorney General Gideon Hausner concludes his cross-examination of Eichmann, which began two weeks earlier in SESSION 88. Topics discussed include: Eichmann’s visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp; his involvement in the deportations of Hungarian Jews (cont. from SESSION 103); his involvement in planning a deadly foot-march of Jews from Budapest to Austria; allegations lodged by witness Avraham Gordon that Eichmann murdered a teenage boy on his property in Budapest (see SESSION 54 for more information); Eichmann’s relationship with the Grand Mufti; his ties with Ernst Kaltenbrunner; his use of ‘camouflage’ to cover up the ongoing extermination of Jews, including the use of Theresienstadt for Red Cross assessments; his false promises to Hungarian Jewish leaders about the destination and temporary nature of their deportations; whether Eichmann considered himself, as recorded in transcripts of his interviews with Dutch journalist Willem Sassen, to have been ‘an idealist’ and not a ‘normal recipient of orders’; and other details from the Sassen transcripts. After the conclusion of the cross-examination, Hausner asks to submit into evidence pages from the Sassen interviews that include Eichmann’s handwritten corrections. Defense Counsel Robert Servatius objects, and the judges adjourn the session after agreeing to consider both arguments during the recess.
The majority of the footage from SESSION 104 survives, with roughly two-and-a-half hours of remaining footage presented here. The beginning of the session is missing, along with the last minute or so of the cross-examination.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
0:00:00 - Cross-Examination of Eichmann on deportations of Hungarian Jews
0:37:51 & 01:07:21 - Unusual angle showing stenographers’ balcony
0:40:36 - Cross-Examination on the Budapest-to-Austria foot-march
1:27:40 - Recess
1:30:51 - Eichmann re-enters
1:32:31 - Judges re-enter
1:32:47 - Cross-Examination on allegations that Eichmann murdered a teenage boy
1:42:28 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s relationship with the Grand Mufti
1:48:40 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s ties with Ernst Kaltenbrunner
1:53:28 - Cross-Examination on Eichmann’s ‘camouflage’ of the Final Solution
1:56:14 - Eichmann says the Red Cross was taken to Theresienstadt when auditing camps
1:58:43 - Eichmann admits to deceiving Hungarian Jews as to their destination
2:00:32 - Cross-Examination on excerpts from the Sassen transcripts
2:01:46 - Eichmann (via Sassen transcripts) says he was ‘not a normal recipient of orders’
2:16:01 - Hausner asks to submit the Sassen transcripts with Eichmann’s corrections
2:24:33 - Servatius objects to the submission of the Sassen transcripts
2:31:29 - Court is adjourned
TRANSCRIPT
Material highlighted green survives in video form.
Material highlighted pink has been lost.​​​​​