Source: the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem, 25 April 1961, Criminal Case 40/61. [Lindenstrauss was a Berlin lawyer, was active in the Emigration Department of the Jewish Community. He was a member of the delegation of Jewish leaders to Vienna in 1938, sent by Eichmann's office. He described his meeting with Eichmann. The text is from the transcript of the simultaneous translation and therefore may include linguistic errors.]
A: Eichmann began, and spoke about the bad situation in the Old Reich [Germany]. He was not satisfied that things kind of do not work, that all this is slow.
Q: What was he referring to?
A: That all the emigration is too slow and unsatisfactory in his absence…and things must be accelerated, the emigration must be accelerated….He had the impression that while he was absent, this had a kind of influence. We could create contacts, and this held up the whole activity of emigration.
Q: Was this true?
A: …The situation was objectively very bad. There was the wish of all the Jews in Berlin and the provinces. There were telephone calls and telegrams day and night. I had to work day and night and answer all these calls. There was enormous demand for emigration, but we could not fulfil all the requests. Later he said that this must be put right, that emigration must be accelerated at all costs and by all means. He said, you must accelerate the tempo of the emigration. The accused [Eichmann] said: I demand that I receive one thousand passports every day. This will be the minimum quota.' The Chairman of the Jewish community, the late Dr. Stahl, tried to explain to the accused that there are many factors, which do not enable us to carry out this quota. There is great excitement and the will to emigrate, but it is just impossible. The accused said he had no interest and this did not concern him – the details do not concern him. If there are no ways of emigrating, we should see to that and find the ways and supply one thousand passports daily. Then he went over to the financial field and said: you must, if the situation in Berlin improves, you must in future collect a travel tax, an emigration tax.' We said, that as far as we understand the order, we must use those monies to finance emigration of Jews from Germany. To this he reported in a very high voice that this does not come into account. I wish to quote him, although he was very rude. He called out: a way to feed your old sacks', then he continued and said that the system in Vienna is very effective and advised us and told us that we stay on a day or two in Vienna to learn conditions there and to learn the system. He praised the system, which brought better results than in Berlin. Later this was the conclusion of this meeting.
Q: Just a minute, Mr. Lindenstrauss. How did he speak? What was his behaviour during the course of the conversation?
A: All the conversation was in very rude language. The atmosphere was very inconvenient and all those who came were very disappointed and depressed because we realised that all this matter of asking to copy the system followed in Vienna would change the policy for emigration from Germany. We saw this with great concern.
