The Holocaust was a deliberate and systematic extermination of European Jews during World War II. As the Allied Powers fought Nazi Germany's domination of Europe, Hitler's henchmen were carrying out a mass annihilation of the Jews in Europe at their numerous concentration camps. The total number of Jews murdered during this genocide has been estimated to be nearly 6 million. Besides European Jews, there were many other groups targeted for destruction. They included the handicapped, mentally ill, Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals and political dissidents.
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The following documents from the Eisenhower Library collection relate to the Holocaust. (All items may be opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader©. If items are blurry, use the re-sizing option in the lower left-hand corner.):
"Investigation Report on the Life in a German Extermination Camp (Kz Natzweiler) and the Atrocities Committed There. 1941-1944" (23 pages; there is no page #22)
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Report, "Economic Life in Poland (Report covering period from January 1st to April 30th, 1942)," which includes a 13-page description of varous concentration camps, July 1942 (35 pages)
Report on Poland Description of Camps
Report, "Report on Atrocities Committeed by the Germans Against the Civilian Population of Belgium, February 1945, by Hq. 21 Army Group" (78 pages)
Belgium Report
Letter, General Dwight Eisenhower to General George Marshall concerning his visit to a Germany internment camp near Gotha (Ohrdruf), 4/14/45 (3 pages)
Letter, 4/15/45
Letter, General George S. Patton, Jr. to General Eisenhower concerning a prisoner/guard who showed them the camp at Ohrdruf, and another camp at Weimar, 4/15/45 (1 page)
Patton Letter, 4/15/45
Letter, General Eisenhower to General Patton in response, 4/18/45 (1 page)
Letter to Patton, 4/18/45
Letter, General Dwight D. Eisenhower to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, enclosing photographs from the Ohrdruf Concentration Camp, 4/18/45 (1 page)
Letter, 4/18/45
Telegram, Winston Churchill to Dwight Eisenhower re inspection teams to be sent to Ohrdruf Camp, 4/21/45 (1 page)
Telegram, 4/21/45
Telegram, Dwight Eisenhower to Winston Churchill re inspections teams to Ohrdruf Camp, 4/23/45 (1 page)
Telegram, 4/23/45
Report, "Dachau," prepared by the Office of Strategic Services Section, Seventh Army, undated (71 pages)
Dachau Report
Personal Letters, from Harold Porter, who served in World War II with the 116 Evacuation Hospital in Europe and was stationed at Dachau. His letters to his parents contain grim descriptions of the conditions found by the Allies at Dachau. May 7, 10, 13 and 15, 1945. (11 pages total)
May 7 May 10 May 13 May 15
Letter, Alexander Frieder to Dwight Eisenhower re victory in Europe and the decision to allow inspections of the concentration camps, 6/1/45 (2 pages)
Letter, 6/1/45
Letter, Dwight Eisenhower to Alexander Frieder in response, 6/9/45 (1 page)
Letter, 6/9/45
Report, Earl G. Harrison's "Mission to Europe to inquire into the condition and needs of those among the displaced persons in the liberated countries of Western Europe and in the SHAEF area of Germany -- with particular reference to the Jewish refugees -- who may possibly be stateless or non-repatriable," undated [c. 8/45] (11 pages)
Harrison Report
Telegram, General Eisenhower to President Harry Truman concerning the Harrison report and Jewish displaced persons, 9/14/45 (2 pages)
Telegram, 9/14/45
Letter, Generl Eisenhower to President Truman concerning Jewish displaced persons, 9/18/45 (3 pages)
Letter, 9/18/45
Letter, General Eisenhower to President Truman concerning Jewish victims of Nazi persecution, 10/8/45 (4 pages)
Letter, 10/8/45
Telegram, General Eisenhower to General George Marshall concerning Nazi horrors; requests visit by members of Congress and the media, 4/19/45 (1 page)
Telegram, 4/19/45
Telegram, General Marshall to General Eisenhower authorizing visits of Congress and media, 4/20/45 (1 page)
Telegram, 4/20/45
Press Conference, Dwight Eisenhower at the Pentagon, with reference to Nazi camps on page 11, 6/18/45 (13 pages)
Press Conference, 6/18/45
Suggested material for General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower for his speech to the United Jewish Appeal, 2/23/47
(4 pages)
United Jewish Appeal
Report, "Inspection of German concentration camp for political prisoners located at Buckenwald on the north edge of Weimaar - made by Brig. Gen. Eric F. Wood, Lt. Col. Chas. H. Ott, and CWO. S.M. Dye, on the morning of 16th April 1945." (9 pages)
Buckenwald Report
Photograph from the John Dieter photograph album, 166th Signal Photo Co., Det 16; photograph with description "This tattoo was part of a mans body until it was skinned off by Nazis SS men and used as a decoration on the wall of their quarters, at Buchenwald Concentration camp," April 23, 1945 (1 page)
Tattoo
Photograph from the John Dieter photograph album, 166th Signal Photo Co., Det. 16; photograph with description "This photo shows the conditions and the amount of sleeping space for the prisoners at Buchenwald Concentration Camp. They range from young kids to old men, all doing the same amount of work each day," April 23, 1945 (1 page)
Sleeping Quarters
Report, "Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force Evaluation and Dissemination Section, G-S (Counter-Intelligence Sub-Division), GERMAN CONCENTRATION CAMPS," undated (195 pages)
SHAEF Report
Letter, Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein to Maxwell Rabb re tenth anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps, 2/25/55 (1 page)
Letter, 2/25/55
Memorandum, Maxwell Rabb to Kevin McCann re Bernstein letter, 2/28/55 (1 page)
Memorandum, 2/28/55
Night letter, President Eisenhower to Dr. Israel Goldstein, President of the American Jewish Congress concerning the tenth anniverary of the liberation of the concentration camps, 3/21/55 (1 page)
Night letter, 3/21/55
Letter, Israel Goldstein to President Eisenhower in response, 4/29/55 (1 page)
Goldstein letter
G-2 Report No. 307, "The Hasag Panzerfaust Factory and Concentration Camp," April 28, 1945 (4 pages)
G2 Report
Adolf Hitler's Will, Marriage Certificate and Political Testament, April 1945 (34 pages)
Will
Part II: General Intelligence, "The Discovery of Hitler's Wills," undated [This is a history of how the will, marriage certificate and political testament were found.]
Discovery
Photograph: Generals Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley and George Patton are given a tour of Ohrdruf concentration camp (68-509-1)
68-509-1
Photograph: Various methods of torture were described during this tour. The guide was later recognized by prisoners as a German guard and was stoned to death by the prisoners. (68-509-2)
68-509-2
Photograph: The guide is demonstrating methods of torture. The generals standing in the front are Patton, Bradley and Eisenhower. (71-374)
71-374
Photograph: General Eisenhower listens to a description by tour guide. (68-509-4)
68-509-4
Photograph: Corpses stacked at Ohrdruf concentration camp. WARNING! Graphic photograph. (86-12-2)
86-12-2
Photograph: Remains of burned bodies (86-12-3) and pits used for mass graves (68-509-3) WARNING! Graphic photographs.
86-12-3 68-509-3
For a listing of collections at the Eisenhower Library that contain materials on this topic, please see:
Holocaust Search Report
