Bürokratie und Terror : das Judenreferat der Gestapo Düsseldorf 1935-1945

Describes the organization and functions of the sections of the Gestapo concerned with Jewish matters in the Düsseldorf district - i.e. in Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Krefeld, Mönchengladbach, Wuppertal, and smaller towns. Most of the officials were policemen who were chosen on the basis of vocational competence rather than political orientation; their methods included intimidation, but hardly ever torture. They kept files on every Jew in the district, supervised Jewish organizations, enforced laws binding on Jews, prosecuted cases of "Rassenschande" and expressions of sympathy or aid to Jews (as well as unauthorized violence against Jews), administered the formalities of emigration and confiscation of property, ordered arrests and internment in concentration camps, and organized the deportations. During the "Kristallnacht" pogrom the Gestapo attempted to control excessive violence and looting, but with scant success. All proposed measures, down to the arrest of individual Jews, had to be submitted to the central office in Berlin for approval. Local officials had almost no leeway to harm or to mitigate. They acted out of bureaucratic routine, though they must have had a suspicion of the end result of their actions. Gives many examples of specific cases, based on Gestapo files and postwar testimony. 1. Aufl. 478 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.