On the SS judge Konrad Morgen's Monowitz confusion

During the Nuremberg trial on 08.08.1946 the former SS judge Dr. Konrad Morgen testified:

MORGEN: Yesterday I described the four camps of the Kriminalkommissar Wirth and referred to the Camp Auschwitz. By "Extermination Camp Auschwitz" I did not mean the concentration camp. It did not exist there. I meant a separate extermination camp near Auschwitz, called "Monowitz."

[...]

MORGEN: The prisoners who marched off to the concentration camp had no inkling of where the other prisoners were taken. The Extermination Camp Monowitz lay far away from the concentration camp. It was situated on an extensive industrial site and was not recognizable as such and everywhere on the horizon there were smoking chimneys. The camp itself was guarded on the outside by special troops of men from the Baltic, Estonians, Lithuanians, Latvians, and also Ukrainians. The entire technical arrangement was almost exclusively in the hands of the prisoners who were assigned for this job and they were only supervised each time by an Unterfuehrer. The actual killing was done by another Unterfuehrer who let the gas into this room. Thus the number of those who knew about these things was extremely limited. This circle had to take a special oath...

Etc. Holocaust deniers have naturally carped on this ever since, given that the extermination camp was actually called Birkenau, so Morgen must have been coerced or was lying for another reason.

However, it follows from the 1944 protocol of interrogation by Morgen of the Auschwitz inmate Eleonore Hodys that Morgen knew that the extermination camp was Birkenau:

While there the civilian employee, Dr. Gobel, of the Glauberg station, gave the order that I shall have to be sent to Birkenau for gas.

Moreover, Morgen corrected the record at least twice afterwards.

In the interrogation of 04.09.1946 (NARA, RG 238, M1019, roll 47), he still repeated the Monowitz version:

This extermination camp was near Monowitz [bei Monowitz], therefore it was spatially separated from the actual concentration camp [i. e. Auschwitz 1 - SR].

But when confronted with this claim on 13.12.1946 (ibid.) he reacted:

That's a mistake. It occurred to me later: it was not Monowitz, but Birkenau, camp II.

Then:

Q.: Did you perhaps see the Monowitz camp?

A.: I cannot remember it consciously. The Auschwitz camp is so huge and I was so impressed by the Birkenau camp that I don't remember details. 

Q.: Was there an I.G.Farben plant in Auschwitz?

A.: Yes. That was the so-called Bunawerk. The investigation I conducted there into the whole gassing affair, some threads went to Monowitz to these Buna plants. What that was, however, I no longer know. In any case, it had nothing to do with the [...] [? "Versuchungen" - temptations, untranslatable in this context; possibly distorted "Versuchen" - experiments; another option is the confusion with "Verschiebungen", referring to misappropriations of property - SR] in Birkenau.

A bit later a following exchange took place:

Q: Do you know where Monowitz was?

A: To my recollection east of the main Auschwitz camp.

Q: From your investigations in Auschwitz, do you know whether the entire population around Auschwitz and all the people who lived around Auschwitz knew that gassings were taking place in the concentration camp?

A: I don't think so. This Birkenau camp was located in such a way that one could not even think about it. It was adapted to the whole industrial landscape. These gassing houses, including the crematoria and the undressing and bathing rooms, were set one story deep into the ground, so that the building did not appear to be as large as it actually was. The chimneys were extraordinarily massive and wide, and the smoke emission was low. By the way, everywhere was a scattered industrial area. There were open fields in between, so that one had no clue at all from these facilities as an outsider, which terrible happening took place there.

This shows that Morgen ascribed the industrial landscape to the whole camp, including Birkenau, which explains his description at the IMT.

During the Pohl trial the following exchange took place on 22.08.1947:

BY DR. SEIDL (For Defendant Oswald Pohl):

Q Witness, you testified that the extermination camp at Auschwitz was the camp of Birkenau. Now, I can recall that you testified already before the International Military Tribunal that the extermination camp of Auschwitz was the camp of Monowitz. May I assume at the time when you gave your testimony before the I. M. T. it was a mistake?

A It was a mistake on my part. When I say Monowitz I mean Birkenau.

During the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial Morgen testified at length about his visit to Birkenau on 09.03.1964. Given the nature of the West-German investigation and trial proceedings, where no coercion has ever been established, Morgen could have easily said the truth, had he indeed been coerced during the IMT.

Moreover, his testimony was confirmed on 01.10.1964 by Gerhard Wiebeck, who had been investigating Auschwitz together with Morgen.

And further confirmation comes from Helmuth Reimers in his interrogation on 06.06.1961 (during the preparation to the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial). He served in the so-called Criminal Police (Kripo) and around Nov. 1943 he was given the task of investigating the misappropriation of the Jewish property by the SS in the camps. He remained in Auschwitz (according to him) until Jan. 1944 and was able to visit the crematoria with their ovens and gas chambers. He had to report to Morgen, and although he says that Morgen did not visit the gas chambers together with him, obviously him knowing in some detail about the extermination specifically in Birkenau automatically means that his boss, Morgen, also knew.

I'm publishing long excerpts and a translation of the testimony here (HHStAW 461/37638/52, Bl. 9129-9136).

TRANSCRIPTION

Im November 1943 wurde ich als Kriminalkommissar der Kriminalpolizeistelle Bochum - ich hatte dort das 1. Kommissariat (Kapitalverbrechen) geleitet - zum Reichskriminalpolizeiamt Berlin durch Fernschreiben beordert. Hier hatte ich mich bei einem Kriminalrat Schulz zu melden. Von dem Kriminalrat Schulz und dem SS-Richter Dr. Morgen wurde ich in mein neues Arbeitsgebiet eingewiesen, nämlich der Bearbeitung von Fällen der Verschiebung und des Diebstahls jüdischen Vermögens in den Konzentrationslagern. Von Dr. Morgen bekam ich eine Sondervollmacht des Reichsführers SS für das KL Auschwitz und fuhr nach etwa 8 Tagen nach Auschwitz. Als Mitarbeiter wurde mir ein Kriminalsekretär des Reichskriminalpolizeiamts Berlin zugeteilt, an dessen Namen ich mich jedoch nicht mehr erinnern kann. Es ist möglich, daß er Schwarz hieß. In Auschwitz meldete ich mich bei dem Kommandanten Höss, der gerade an diesem Tag seine Dienstgeschäfte an seinen Nachfolger Liebehenschel übergab. Liebehenschel hat dann von mir nur gesagt bekommen, daß ich zur Aufklärung krimineller Delikte nach Auschwitz beordert sein. Um was es dabei im einzelnen ging, hat er nicht erfahren.

Meine Ermittlungen richteten sich auftragsgemäß gegen Gestapo und SS in Auschwitz, und zwar insbesondere gegen die Politische Abteilung, die zu dieser Zeit dem Gestapoangehörigen Grabner unterstand. G. war gleichzeitig im Angleichungsdienstgrad als Kriminalsekretär SS-Untersturmführer. Bei der Politischen Abteilung waren meine Ermittlungen insbesondere auf Fälle der illegalen Tötung von Häftlingen gerichtet. In diesem Zusammenhang muß ich erwähnen, daß ich von Dr. Morgen bereits den Auftrag hatte, auch Fälle der illegalen Tötung von Häftlingen zu ermitteln. Aus diesem Grund habe ich mir zunächst die Verstorbenen-Kartei in der Politischen Abteilung angesehen. Bei der Vernehmung von einem Angehörigen der Politischen Abteilung gab dieser an, daß die Todesursachen auf den Karteikarten falsch angegeben seien, denn die meisten der verstorbenen Häftlinge seien erschossen worden. Dabei stellte sich gleichzeitig heraus, daß dies auf Veranlassung von Grabner geschehen war, der nach Erschießungen den SS-Ärzten Todesbescheinigungen vorlegte, die von diesen unterschrieben werden mußten, und auf denen bereits die jeweiligen Personalien und die "Todesursache" eingetragen waren. Daraufhin habe ich nach Rücksprache mit Dr. Morgen den Leiter der Politischen Abteilung in Auschwitz, Grabner, vorläufig festgenommen und in das Untersuchungsgefängnis Kattowitz eingeliefert. Von mir wurde Grabner nicht vernommen; lediglich eine informatorische Befragung wurde von mir durchgeführt. Die Vernehmung wurden von Dr. Morgen vorgenommen. Was sich bei dieser Vernehmung ergeben hat, kann ich nicht sagen.

[...]

Da ich mir in Auschwitz alles ansehen konnte und vor allem auch die Diebstähle und Schiebungen zu bearbeiten hatte, habe ich auch einen ankommenden Güterzug mit etwa 50 Waggons gesehen, der im Lager Birkenau auf der Rampe ausgeladen wurde. Nach dem Ausladen wurden sofort die Arbeitsunfähigen aussortiert und zu einem Krematorium geführt. Hier mußten sich die Menschen nackt ausziehen und gingen dann in den Vergasungsraum. Ausgezogen wurde sich in einem Raum, der vor der Gaskammer lag.

Nachdem alle Menschen im Vergasungsraum waren, wurden die Eisentüren verschlossen. Daraufhin kletterte ein Assistenzarzt auf den Vergasungsraum und schüttete aus einer Büchse das Gas in zwei Schächte, die in die Gaskammer führten. Anschließend verschloss er die Schächte mit einer Klappe. Von den Menschen in der Gaskammer hörte man keinen Ton. Etwa 10 Minuten später wurde die Eisentür geöffnet und man hörte einen Ventilator laufen, der das Gas absaugte

Ich konnte nun die Leichen der Vergasten liegen sehen, die völlig normal aussahen. Die Gesichter waren nicht verzerrt und die Gliedmaßen auch nicht verkrampft. Sie sahen ganz natürlich aus, genauso, als seien sie eines natürlichen Todes gestorben. Ich schätze, daß es sich dabei um mehrere hundert Menschen - Männer, Frauen und Kinder - gehandelt hat. Es waren aber nicht alle Arbeitsunfähigen dieses Transportes, die in meiner Anwesenheit vergast worden sind. Bei der Aussortierung waren es nämlich mehr Menschen, die zur Vergasung bestimmt wurden. Wo man diese hingeführt hatte, kann ich nicht sagen.

Bei dieser Aussortierung habe ich auch den SS-Arzt Dr. Mengele auf der Rampe gesehen, der jedoch keine Aussortierungen vornahm. Dies wurde von 3 oder 4 jüngeren Ärzten gemacht, die allerdings keine regelrechten Untersuchungen vornahmen, sondern nur vom kurzen Ansehen entschieden.

Den Dr. Mengele hatte ich im Kasino beim gemeinsamen Mittagessen kennengelernt. Ich hatte ihn bei dieser Gelegenheit auch gefragt, was er hier in Auschwitz machen würde, worauf er mir zur Antwort gab, daß er zu medizinischen Versuchen in das KL abgestellt sei. Welcher Art seine Versuche waren, ist mir nicht bekannt.

[...]

Frage: Handelte es sich nach ihren damaligen Richtlinien bei den Aussortierungen und Vergasungen auch um "illegale Tötungen", die in ihr Aufgabengebiet fielen?

Antw.: Nein. Mit der sog. "Judenaktion" hatte ich gar nichts zu tun. Ich habe diese Vorkommisse natürlich sofort Dr. Morgen berichtet, der mir sagte, daß mich diese Sache nicht angehen würde. Mein Aufgabenbereich sei lediglich Judeneigentum, das gestohlen oder verschoben würde. Aus diesem Grund hatte ich auch beim Ausladen von Transporten auf der Rampe zu sein, um das Einsammeln der Wertsachen zu beobachten. Beim Ausladen auf der Rampe entledigten sich viele Juden ihrer mitgebrachten Wertsachen, indem sie diese einfach auf die Rampe warfen oder im Waggon liegen ließen. Diese Gegenstände wurden dann von SS-Leuten aufgesammelt und bei einem Angehörigen der Wertsachenabteilung der Kommandantur abgegeben. Vor dem Auskleideraum am Krematorium stand noch eine Kiste mit einem Schlitz im Deckel, in welche die Juden ihre Schmuckstücke und das Bargeld werfen mußten. Diese Kiste wurde dann jeweils von Angehörigen der Wertsachenabteilung abgeholt. Diese Schmucksachen wurden dann in der Wertsachenabteilung in der Kommandantur sortiert. Dabei habe ich gesehen, wie aus Geschmeide die Edelsteine herausgebrochen und besonders aussortiert wurden. In dieser Abteilung standen große Kisten mit Wertsachen und Geld, die zunächst dort aufbewahrt wurden.

Besondere Devisen mußten allerdings sofort nach Berlin geschickt werden. Es handelte sich dabei hauptsächlich um amerikanische Dollars, schweizer Franken und englische Pfunde A.B.: Mir ist auch bekanntgeworden, daß den Leichen nach der Vergasung die Goldzähne ausgebrochen wurden, die man anschließend eingeschmolzen hat. Diese Scheideanstalt bzw. Schmelzerei befand sich in einer kleinen Baracke in der Nähe des Effektenlagers. Ich habe auch einmal einen SS-Mann gesehen, der die Goldzähne vom Krematorium in einem Pappkarton auf dem Fahrrad dort hin beförderte. In dieser Schmelzerei wurde das Zahngold in kleine Barren eingeschmolzen und kam anschließend zur Wertsachenabteilung.

A.B.: Das Ausbrechen der Goldzähne der Vergasten habe ich selbst nicht gesehen, sondern nur davon gehört, da ich mich ja damit zu befassen hatte. Es waren nämlich irgendwo plötzlich Goldbarren aufgetaucht, die nachweislich aus Zahngold bestanden und verschoben worden waren.

Einige Tage nach der Vergasung, der ich mitzugesehen hatte, habe ich mir das Krematorium bzw. eines der vier Krematorien einmal angesehen, als dieses nicht in Betrieb war. Dabei habe ich die Verbrennungsöfen gesehen, und zwar waren es nach meiner Erinnerung etwa 5-Muffelöfen. Mir wurde dieses Krematorium von einem Unterscharführer gezeigt, dessen Namen ich nicht gekannt habe. Er erklärte mir dabei, wie die Leichen aus der Gaskammer in die Öfen transportiert werden und wo man ihnen die Goldzähne ausbricht. Ich habe dabei auch eine Art zahnärztliche Zange liegen sehen. In einem Krematorium lag der Vergasungsraum tiefer als die Verbrennungsöfen, während er bei einem anderen etwa in gleicher Höhe lag. Genau kann ich das aber nicht mehr angeben. Die Krematorien habe ich nur besichtigt, um den Gang des ausgebrochenen Zahngoldes zu verfolgen.

[...]

Der Leiter der Untersuchungskommission, Gerichts-SS-Führer und Hauptsturmführer Dr. Morgen hat meines Wissens Vergasungen in Auschwitz in meiner Gegenwart nicht gesehen. Er war auch nicht ständig in Auschwitz, sondern kam nur von Zeit zu Zeit von Berlin und hat sich informiert. Er fuhr auch in die anderen Konzentrationslager, wo gleichgelagerte Ermittlungen geführt wurden.

[...]

Mein Sonderausweis für die Ermittlungen in Auschwitz hatte in etwa zum Inhalt, daß ich kriminalpolizeiliche Ermittlungen durchzuführen hätte, und daß mir alle Einrichtungen des Lagers und der Gestapo zur Einsichtnahme freigestellt werden müßten. Auf Grund dieses Ausweises konnte ich somit auch die Vergasungsanlagen und Krematorien besichtigen.

TRANSLATION

In November 1943 I was ordered by telex to the Reich Criminal Police Office in Berlin as a detective superintendent of the Bochum Criminal Police Office, where I had headed the 1st Commissariat (capital crimes). Here I had to report to a Criminal Counselor Schulz. Criminal Counselor Schulz and SS Judge Dr. Morgen introduced me to my new field of work, namely the handling of cases of misappropriation and theft of Jewish property in the concentration camps. From Dr. Morgen I received a special warrant from the Reichsführer SS for concentration camp Auschwitz, and after about 8 days I left for Auschwitz. A criminal secretary of the Reich Criminal Police Office in Berlin was assigned to me as a co-worker, but I cannot remember his name. It is possible that his name was Schwarz. In Auschwitz, I reported to Commandant Höss, who was handing over his official duties to his successor Liebehenschel on that very day. Liebehenschel was told by me only that I had been ordered to Auschwitz to investigate criminal offenses. He did not find out what this involved in detail.

My investigations were directed against the Gestapo and the SS in Auschwitz, in particular against the Political Department, which at that time was under the command of Grabner, a member of the Gestapo. At the same time, G. held the rank of Criminal Secretary and SS-Untersturmführer. In the Political Department my investigations were directed in particular at cases of the illegal killing of prisoners. In this connection I must mention that I had already been instructed by Dr. Morgen to also investigate cases of illegal killing of prisoners. For this reason, I first looked at the index of deceased persons in the Political Department. During the interrogation of a member of the Political Department, he stated that the causes of death on the index cards were wrong, because most of the deceased prisoners had been shot. At the same time it turned out that this had been done at the instigation of Grabner, who after shootings presented death certificates to the SS doctors, which had to be signed by them, and on which the respective personal data and the "cause of death" had already been entered. Thereupon, after consultation with Dr. Morgen, I provisionally arrested Grabner, the head of the Political Department in Auschwitz, and sent him to the Kattowitz remand prison. Grabner was not questioned by me; only an informative questioning was carried out by me. The interrogation was conducted by Dr. Morgen. What emerged from this interrogation I cannot say.

[...]

Since I was able to look at everything in Auschwitz and especially had to deal with the thefts and misappropriations, I also saw an arriving freight train with about 50 wagons being unloaded on the ramp in the Birkenau camp. After unloading, those unable to work were immediately sorted out and led to a crematorium. Here the people had to undress naked and then went to the gassing room. Undressing took place in a room located in front of the gas chamber.

After all the people were in the gassing room, the iron doors were closed. Then an assistant doctor climbed onto the gassing room and poured gas from a can into two shafts leading into the gas chamber. He then closed the shafts with a flap. No sound was heard from the people in the gas chamber. About 10 minutes later, the iron door was opened and a fan was heard running, extracting the gas.

I could now see the bodies of the gassed lying there, looking completely normal. Their faces were not distorted and their limbs were not cramped. They looked perfectly natural, just as if they had died a natural death. I estimate that there were several hundred people - men, women and children. However, not all of those who were unable to work were gassed in my presence. When they were sorted out, there were more people who were designated for gassing. I cannot say where they were taken.

During this selection, I also saw the SS doctor Dr. Mengele on the ramp, but he did not carry out any selections. This was done by 3 or 4 younger doctors, who, however, did not carry out any regular examinations, but decided only from a brief glance.

I had met Dr. Mengele in the mess hall at lunch. On this occasion I asked him what he was doing here in Auschwitz, to which he replied that he had been sent to the KL for medical experiments. I do not know what kind of experiments he was conducting.

[...]

Question: According to your guidelines at that time, were the selections and gassings also "illegal killings" which fell within your area of responsibility?

Answer: No. I had nothing whatsoever to do with the so-called "Jewish Action". Of course, I immediately reported these incidents to Dr. Morgen, who told me that this matter did not concern me. My area of responsibility was only Jewish property that was stolen or misappropriated. For this reason I also had to be on the ramp when transports were unloaded, in order to observe the collection of valuables. When unloading on the ramp, many Jews got rid of the valuables they had brought with them by simply throwing them onto the ramp or leaving them in the wagon. These items were then collected by SS men and handed over to a member of the valuables department of the commandant's office. In front of the undressing room at the crematorium there was a box with a slit in the lid into which the Jews had to throw their jewelry and cash. This box was then collected by members of the valuables department. These jewelry items were then sorted in the valuables department in the Commandant's Office. I saw how precious stones were broken out of the jewelry and sorted out. In this department there were large boxes with valuables and money, which were initially kept there.

However, special foreign currency had to be sent to Berlin immediately. These were mainly American dollars, Swiss francs and English pounds. 

[answering a question]: I also learned that after gassing, gold teeth of the corpses were broken out and then melted down. This refinery or smelter was located in a small barrack near the effects camp. I once saw an SS man who transported gold teeth from the crematorium in a cardboard box on his bicycle. In this smelter dental gold was melted down into small ingots and then came to the valuables department.

[answering a question]: I did not see the breaking out of gold teeth of the gassed people myself, but only heard about it, since I had to deal with it. Gold bars had suddenly appeared somewhere, which demonstrably consisted of dental gold and had been misappropriated.

A few days after the gassing, which I had witnessed, I took a look at the crematorium, or rather one of the four crematoria, when it was not in operation. There I saw the incineration ovens, and according to my recollection there were about 5 muffle ovens. I was shown this crematorium by a Unterscharführer whose name I did not know. He explained to me how corpses were transported from the gas chamber to the ovens and where their gold teeth were broken out. I also saw a kind of dental forceps lying there. In one crematorium the gassing room was lower than the incinerators, while in another it was about the same height. However, I can no longer provide exact details. I visited the crematoria only to follow the course of the broken-out dental gold.

[...]

The head of the investigating commission, SS-court leader and Hauptsturmführer Dr. Morgen did not, to my knowledge, see gassings in Auschwitz in my presence. He was also not constantly in Auschwitz, but only came from time to time from Berlin and informed himself. He also went to the other concentration camps, where investigations of the same nature were being conducted.

[...]

My special pass for the investigations in Auschwitz roughly stated that I had to carry out criminal investigations and that all camp and Gestapo facilities had to be made available to me for inspection. On the basis of this pass, I could thus also visit the gassing facilities and crematoria.

(A couple of brief comments: the doors he saw could have been iron-reinforced wooden doors, misremembered or misinterpreted as iron doors; on the other hand at that time the Birkenau Kremas 2 and 3 had their gas chambers divided into two parts, so the description of the usage of two shafts is correct - and we don't really know how the inner door in the dividing wall looked like, it could as well have been an iron one, after all not all doors had to have the same construction; how corpses looked like after gassings differed from one time to another and no visible skin discoloration was likely a short time after the gassing as described here.)

Some mainstream authors put forth the hypothesis that Morgen intentionally confused things in order to defend the SS. But this explanation makes no sense whatsoever - surely Morgen knew that almost any other Auschwitz-related witness could destroy his testimony, had that been the case.

The best explanation therefore is that Morgen's mention of Birkenau was a memory aberration. How did it happen? 

During the interrogation on 13.12.1946 (NARA, RG 238, M1019, roll 47) Morgen said concerning another matter:

I handled 800 cases in one year and it was such a workload, I can't remember those details.

Had Auschwitz been his only case, the confusion would have been strange. But with hundreds of cases such mistakes are no longer improbable.