Heydrich Undermined Proposal To Limit Euthanasia

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30395, 20 March 1964, Page 11

Heydrich Undermined Proposal To Limit Euthanasia

(NX. Press Asm.—Copyright) LIMBURG, March 19. A former Nazi official. Dr. Hans Hefelmann, told a Limburg war crimes court yesterday the S.S. security chief, Reinhard Heydrich, had wantted the Nazi “mercy killing" campaign to include healthy people who were “asocial." “Asocial” would include Jews, gypsies, tramps, enemies of Nazism and almost anyone the Government did not like, he said. Hefelmann, aged 58, a former member of Hitler's Chan-

cellery, was giving evidence in his trial on charges of - mnnn killing 73,000 people under the Nazi euthanasia programme. He said that Heydrich—“the hangman"—prevented efforts to limit the “mercy killing” by law. He had intervened with Hitler to keep the killings secret so they could be expanded, Hefelmann said. Hefelmann also complained Heydrich stopped his efforts to ship all the Jews to the African island of Madagascar and thus save them from being murdered.

“It was after France fell in 1940—1 took up the plan of some Zionist leaders to transport all the Jews to Madagascar (the present Malagasy Republic). “Hitler approved in principle again. But Heydrich undermined the idea and it collapsed,** he said. Only once did he manage to stop Heydrich, Hefelmann claimed. “It was my initiative that saved at least three German Catholic bishops who protested against the mercy killings from being arrested. “Heydrich and his boss, the Nasi S.S. chief Heinrich Him-

n mler, demanded their arrest f I saved them.” h Hefelmann did not name i- the bishops or explain how he i- was said to have saved them. Hefelmann said many leadi- ing Nazis believed during h World War H that the Allies - would stop bombing German cities if they knew the cities i contained Jewish hostages, i Some of his colleagues drew up a plan to resettle Jews in t ghettos within the Reich in j the hope that the allies would :■ then cease their air attacks i on civilian and industrial centres. . The plan was never realised. . he said. The trial continued.