Richard Korherr: Statistical report on the final solution to the Jewish question

<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Readers need to reserve a terminal in the reading room to access a digital version of this archive.</strong></span></p><p>This microfilm collection contains copies of the several versions of Richard Korherr's infamous report on the numbers of Jews deported to camps in Poland, c1943, along with material generated by Korherr after the war concerning his role as statistician of the <em>Reichsführer SS</em>, in particular correspondence between him and Gerald Reitlinger, regarding the latter's portrayal of Korherr's role in his book <em>The Final Solution</em>; also affidavits and other material supporting Korherr's claim that he was not a nazi. The latter includes an affidavit from Oswald Spengler's niece, whose uncle was a friend of Korherr- the earliest material in the collection consists of letters from Spengler to Korherr, c1926.</p> Use R:\Document collections\MF54\Working Images\08 Frames 409-471; R:\Document collections\MF54\Working Images\09 Frames 1-189 Open <p>Richard Korherr born in Regensburg, 1903, graduated from his academic studies with honours and went on to publish statistical works, which earned him high praise. In 1928 he joined the Reich Bureau of Statistics. The Bavarian prime minister appointed him chairman of the board of <em>Reich und Heimat</em>, a government-sponsored society. Korherr's book <em>Geburtenrückgang</em> was well received; Benito Mussolini personally translated the Italian version. The 1936 edition had a foreward by Himmler. From 1935 to 1940 he was director of the Würzburg municipal bureau of statistics and also lectured at the local university. From 1934 he worked concurrently as head of the section of statistics and demographic policy in the headquarters of Rudolf Hess, then deputy Führer. In 1937 and 1938 Korherr published <em>Untergang der alten Kulturvölker</em> and in 1938 an atlas under the title <em>Volk und Raum</em>. In May 1937 Korherr joined the Nazi party but he did not become a member of the <em>SA</em> or <em>SS</em>.</p><p>After the war Korherr spent some time in the allies' custody but was one of the earliest to be released, and emerged unscathed later from the de-nazification process. He was no doubt helped by the fact that he rescued Erich Simon, the Jewish statistician of the <em>Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland</em>. An affidavit and correspondence, also in this collection, by the latter supports this. However, Korherr lost his job at the West German finance ministry after publication of the 1962 edition of Reitlinger's book.</p>