Summary

The Germans aspired to a quality referred to as “ruthless toughness.” Men assigned to Eichmann’s office were sent on diplomatic missions to German officials in other countries. In 1942, recalled these diplomats from France, Belgium and Holland in preparation for deportations from those nations. The deportations from France were to begin with foreign Jews who were stateless. There were 100,000 in the first deportation.

Two incidents occurring during this deportation was of interest to the Jerusalem Court. To the judges, Eichmann demonstrated his power by warning other officials that he would drop France as an evacuation center if they couldn’t round up enough Jews to fill the train. They were appalled that Eichmann negotiated about the fate of 4,000 children whose parents had already been sent to Auschwitz. There was an ongoing debate about the fate of French Jews. Himmler promised to...