Täter im Verhör : die "Endlösung der Judenfrage" in Frankreich 1940-1944

Describes phases of the Holocaust in France, concentrating on matters on which there exists relatively little research. Examines the extent to which the German officials responsible for anti-Jewish measures were aware, or could and should have been aware, of their fatal consequences, and their denial of such awareness under interrogation in preparation for war crimes trials in the 1960s-70s. This denial was made easier by the fact that it was the French police, not Germans, who carried out most of the measures; by the division of labor among multiple German agencies and officials; and by the geographical distance from Auschwitz, of which many of the German personnel professed never having heard, believing, despite all the signs, that the Jews were really being sent to labor camps. Cites documents that were available to these officials, some bearing their signatures, that prove the contrary. Describes networks of perpetrators that were formed immediately after the war and continued until long after; they agreed on a uniform self-exculpatory version of the events, a version gladly accepted by many of the German interrogators and by German public opinion. Includes bibliographical references (pages 459-464) and index. 470 pages ; 23 cm