Madagascar

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michael mills
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Re: Madagascar

#31

Post by michael mills » 23 Nov 2015, 11:14

The German-language text of Eichmann's draft of the Madagascar Plan is found on pages 341-348 of the book by Jensen, "Der Madagaskar-Plan: Die beabsichtigte Deportation der ewuropaeischen Juden nach Madagaskar".

It is in the form of a memorandum from Dannecker of Eichmann's office to Rademacher, dated 15 August 1940, and bearing the title "Madagascar Project". The covering letter states that another copy had been given directly to Ribbentrop.

Text (my translation):
1. Situation and Basic Information.

a) With the establishment of the Government-General Poland and the integration of the new German Eastern Gaus, large masses of Jews came under immediate German sovereign power. In addition there are the Jews living in the regions under German military authority. Previous practice showed that even the solution of the Jewish Problem in Reich territory including the Protectorate Bohemia-Moravia by means of emigration can hardly be achieved in the foreseeable future due to the emerging difficulties ( more severe immigration legislation of overseas countries, securing of passage and foreign currency etc). After the addition of the masses in the East, a settlement of the Jewish Problem by emigration has become impossible.

b) At the present time, a total figure of around 4,000,000 Jews is to be reckoned with, which is put together as follows:

1. Germany..........................circa....................743,000 (including the new Eastern Gaus - 500,000)
2. General-Government............circa..................2,300,000
3. Protectorate......................circa.....................77,000
4. Belgium............................circa.....................80,000
5. Holland............................circa....................160,000
6. Luxemburg........................circa.......................2,500
7. Denmark..........................circa.......................7,000
8. Norway............................circa.......................1,500
9. Slovakia...........................circa......................95,000
10. France............................circa.....................270,000

c) The following composition represents the reflection of the preliminary work performed up to now by the Security Police on the project of a placement of these 4,000,000 Jews in Madagascar.

In order to avoid any lasting contact of other peoples with Jews, an overseas solution of an insular character is to be preferred to any other one.
My comment: It is clear that only the Jews of Germany and regions under German occupation were to be transported to Madagascar. In the case of France, only the Jews of the occupied zone are included. The Jewish populations of Germany's allies (Italy, Hungary, Romania) are likewise excluded.

However, examination of the component figures shows that the total of four million represents an over-estimate of close to one million, due to the grossly exaggerated figure for the number of Jews in the Government-General.

That exaggeration is very easy to demonstrate. According to Eichmann's figures, a total of 2.8 million Jews is assumed to be present in the parts of Poland taken by Germany (2.3 million in the Government-General plus 0.5 million in the annexed territories). But there were another 1.1 million Jews in part of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union, which would yield a total Jewish population of Poland of 3.9 million in 1939, an impossibly high figure given that the 1931 census had found a total of three million Jews.

In fact, a census carried out in 1940 in the four districts of the Government-General had found a total of 1.3 million Jews, considerably less than the 1.6 million expected on the basis of the 1931 census. The difference between the expected figure and the actual figure was due to the movement of some 300,000 Jews from the German to the Soviet Zone of Occupation in the last months of 1939, a movement that was partly voluntary and partly forced by the Germans.

Thus, the total Jewish population of the German and Soviet zones in 1940 was:

German zone:..................1.8 million (G-G 1.3m, annexed territories 0.5m)
Soviet zone:....................1.4 million (1.1m native, 0.3m refugees from German zone)

Total:...........................3.2 million (which is consistent with the 3 million recorded in the 1931 census, taking into account population growth less emigration).

The conclusion must be that somebody in Eichmann's office mistakenly put down a 2 instead of a 1 in entering the figure for the General-Government.

If the true figure of 1.3 million is substituted for the incorrect one, the numbers given in section (b) add up to 2.736 million, a much more manageable number to settle in Madagascar.

More to follow.

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wm
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Re: Madagascar

#32

Post by wm » 23 Nov 2015, 23:29

The fact that the Nazis wanted to exploit the Jewish colonists in Madagascar economically proves the authors of the plans were armchair planners, people who never visited Madagascar or even Africa, and only consulted an encyclopedia for knowledge.
The plan would have to be modified to give those colonists a chance of survival.

Even a low standard of living is not possible in a place where there are no arable land available (2% in 1937, 5% today - it shows how hard is to create farmland there).
All the land was owned by the natives anyway, and the French were very careful not to offend their sensibilities in this matter. The land was some kind of common property, there were no private owners but more importantly there were no chieftains, headmen who had the right to sell land - making buying land almost impossible.

There were colonists in Madagascar in the thirties and many of them failed, no matter if they started with tractors and bundles of money or with bare hands. It was that hard.

The Polish commission estimated up to 20,000 could be sent there - and there was really good reasons for that. The book written by Lepecki lists in excruciating details all the problems, and it is a professional study of the island and its possibilities for colonisation.
Still it was only 20,000 and it should be remembered Lepecki was considered by his friends a happy camper, perennial optimist.


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Re: Madagascar

#33

Post by michael mills » 25 Nov 2015, 07:25

Continuation of memorandum from Eichmann's office of 15 August 1940.

Section II bears the title "Geographical Data", and is divided into these sub-sections:

a) Climate
b) Population and Land
c)Economy
d) Transport.

Those sections contain general information about the above items that are fairly well known. Some of the statements in them are relevant to the question of German intentions toward the Jews to be transported, and translations of those statements follow:

a) Climate:
The high rainfall determines the presence of many water courses and swamps. Naturally, as a result the danger of fever is present in the valleys. The spread of diseases could be countered through drainage works. For a work program there are already many tasks to be mastered in this area.

Comment by me: It appears that the RSHA is suggesting that the Jewish colonists would carry out the necessary drainage works. The language used implies employment opportunities for the colonists rather than forced labour, although it is impossible to tell one way or the other.

c) Economy:
The large cattle herd of around seven million beasts at the moment allows the export of meat. Accordingly, the food supply is secured even with the addition of four million Jews.
Comment by me: That statement shows that the RSHA accepted the requirement to provide food to the Jewish settlers, which counters the assumption that it was planning to dump them in Madagascar and leave them to starve.

How the meat would be made available to the Jewish settlers is not explained. Presumably the RSHA planned to confiscate the cattle, which of course belonged to the native population.

d) Transportation:
The railway network is only 600km long. Stable roadways and bridges still need to be constructed in large numbers. Also, regulation of the power supply is required to the widest possible extent. A large-scale work program for the extension of transport routes would provide work opportunities for years.
Comment by me: The language used suggests a recognition of the need to provide paid employment for the Jewish colonists, rather than their use for forced labour.
The local administration of the territory would have to take care to structure the economy of this land in an autarchic way, so that connections between the Jews and the rest of the world in the framework of international trade are excluded.

Where this cannot be achieved at the beginning, German trust companies are to be set up to solve those problems.
Comment by me: It is apparent that the RSHA envisaged a self-sufficient Jewish economy in Madagascar.

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Re: Madagascar

#34

Post by michael mills » 25 Nov 2015, 08:29

Further continuation.

Section III bears the title "Constitutional Form and Territorial Structure", and is divided into two sub-sections respectively. The first sub-section reads:
a) Madagascar is suitable for the formation of a Jewish reservation as a result of its insular character. Any attempt at Jewish sovereignty must excluded from the outset in the search for a constitutional form. At the same time it is necessary to prevent any attempts at intervention, especially from the USA.

For these reasons, the establishment of a Jewish settlement under German hegemony appears most appropriate as a constitutional form. However, in reality this mandate would have to be structured internally as a police state.

The necessary bases and landing grounds will be reserved for the navy and Luftwaffe.
Comment by me: The term "police state" probably means that the functions of the German State as the colonial ruler of Madagascar would be exercised by the Security Police, which would have authority over all parts of the German civilian administration.

Sub-section b) states that the island is to be divided into four districts for ease of administration. A Jewish council would be set up to assist the main settlement staff, with branches in each of the four districts.

The most significant statement in this sub-section is as follows:
The local French administrative apparatus would have to continue operating under the direction of the German authorities for the time being. An easing of the official burden on the settlement staffs, as well as of any other German authorities possibly present, would thereby be achieved.
That is a significant point, since the French administration had the necessary expertise to keep the place running during the period of Jewish settlement, and would be able to assist that settlement to proceed relatively smoothly. It shows that the RSHA realised that it did not have the necessary experience to manage the settlement of the transported Jews, and would need help. The continued presence of the French administration would help to ensure that the arrival of boatloads of Jews did not degenerate into a complete mess.

Section IV is called "Organisation".
A) Overall Direction

The overall direction rests with the Chief of the Security Police and SD, who has already been appointed as Special Commissioner for Jewish Emigration by the order of the Reichsmarschall of 24 January 1939. Upon him devolve the central guidance of the total evacuation and settlement, the regulation of transport matters, the total financing, both of transportation and settlement, and security surveillance.

B) Evacuation.

1. Technical Implementation.

For the technical implementation of the evacuation, the following evacuation staffs will be formed:

West: For France, Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg.

Centre: For the Altreich with the Sudetenland, including the new German Eastern Gaus, ostmark, Protectorate Bohemia-Moravia, Slovakia, Denmark, Norway.

East: For the Government-General Poland.
Sub-section 2 lists the various German authorities that would organise the evacuation in each of the above regions, mainly the local Security Police authorities.

Sub-section 3 is called "Preliminary Activities".
a) All offices tasked with the implementation have first to carry out a precise inspection of the entire Jewish population of their respective areas. They are responsible for applying for and issuing of all preliminary works necessary for the emigration of Jews, such as obtaining documents for individual Jews, registration and valuation of property, as well as distribution into transports. The first transports are to contain mainly agriculturists, construction specialists, manu7al workers and their families up to 45 years of age, as well as doctors. These will to a certain extent be sent in advance and settled as an advance guard for the purpose of preparing the accommodation of the following masses.
The sentences that I have highlighted are of the highest significance. They indicate clearly that it was not the intention of the RSHA to simply dump the Jews in Madagascar and leave them to die, but rather to make proper preparations for their arrival, eg to build accommodation and to have medical personnel on hand to look after the health of the incoming Jews.

More to follow.

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Re: Madagascar

#35

Post by michael mills » 26 Nov 2015, 11:54

Continuation of the Eichmann memorandum:

Sub-section 3 (c) of Section IV-B "Evacuation" states that the Jews may take up to 200 kg of hand luggage per person. The most important statement in this sub-section is this one:
Jewish agriculturists, artisans, doctors etc must take with them all the necessary equipment in their possession necessary for the exercise of their profession, to the extent available.
That is a further indication that the RSHA intended a genuine settlement of Jews in Madagascar, and wanted the colonists to have all the necessary equipment.

it would be idle to argue that the RSHA simply wanted to get its hands on the equipment of Jewish doctors etc, after the transported Jews had died, since if that was its aim, it would be counter-productive to have all that equipment shipped all the way to Madagascar.

Sub-section 3 (c) deals with the disposal of the property of the transportees:
The property of the evacuees left behind is to be reported to the "Trust Office for Jewish Property" to be established in each country especially for that purpose. The total proceeds from the sale of the immovable property will then be transmitted to a Central Evacuation Fund to be established, which will be structured on the model of the Emigration Fund in Vienna or the Emigration Fund Bohemia-Moravia, and which will make use of these funds and possible further regional funds as a sub-structure.
That shows that the settlement of the evacuees was to be funded by their liquidated property.

Section IV-C is titled "Transportation". It is essentially a theoretical exercise to determine the number of Jews that could be transported to Madagascar per year. Assuming the availability of 120 ships with an average capacity of 1500 persons, and a voyage time of 60 days there and back, it was calculated there could be two transports per day carrying a total of 3000 Jews, or around one million Jews per year.

It is also stated that after the conclusion of peace the German merchant marine would be required for other purposes, so it would be necessary to ensure that in the peace treaty both France and Britain would be required to provide the requisite shipping space for the "Solution of the Jewish Problem".

Sub-section (2) of this section is titled "Financing of the Transports", and reads:
The financing of the transports should be for the most part imposed on the Jewish populations of the Western Powers on the occasion of the peace treaty, as reparation for that damage inflicted by the Jews on the German Reich pursuant to the Versailles Treaty in the economic and other areas.
More to follow.

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Re: Madagascar

#36

Post by michael mills » 28 Nov 2015, 06:09

Continuation of Eichmann memorandum.

Sub-section D is titled "Settlement", and describes the structure of the German administration for the settlement process. There would be a Main Settlement Staff reporting to the Chief of the Security Police and SD (Heydrich). It role would be the overall control of the settlement process, including security, receipt and distribution of the transports of immigrants, communications, food supply, finance and currency matters, information, as well as establishment and control of the Jewish communal organisation.

There would be subordinate settlement staffs in each of the four proposed districts; they would control the Jewish community in each district.

The most significant statement in this sub-section is:
The main task of the settlement staffs in the districts is the supervision of the functional deployment of Jewish labour teams with the goal of securing the possibilities for accommodation of the following transports and of achieving an immediate integration into the production process to the extent necessary for meeting the Jewish requirements.
That shows an intention to put the Jewish settlers to work in a controlled way so as to produce their own food.

The mode of operation for each settlement staff would be for an advance guard to be sent into each district after determination of the district boundaries, for the purpose of determining its absorptive capacity. Then the quotas for the individual districts would be set. After reporting those quotas, the district settlement staffs would proceed to the stage of comprehensive planning, with the continuous participation of the main planning staff.

Sub-section E describes the role of the Jewish communal organisation.
As already stated, an operational Jewish organisation will be created, whose main activity will consist in carrying out the orders of the settlement staffs as quickly as possible. This method has proved itself the best in the work of the Central Office for Jewish Emigration, and diverts the greater part of the work onto the Jews themselves.

The Jewish district communities have to organise the local communities in such a way that a smoothly running process is evident during the implementation of the settlement. In addition, Jewish building tradesmen and trained agriculturists who come to the land with the advance guards are to proceed immediately to the construction and development of agricultural settlements within the individual Jewish communities, as well as the development of the transport network in the territory.

In addition, the Jews are to arrange for the well-ordered supply of food by means of the establishment of a distribution system on a co-operative basis.

In order to secure health care to a certain extent, the Jewish offices have to see to the correct distribution of all available doctors within the regions
.
The sections that I have highlighted are particularly significant. They show that the RSHA conceived of the Jewish settlement in Madagascar being essentially agricultural, no doubt on the model of the Jewish agricultural settlements in Palestine with which Eichmann was familiar through his work with Zionist organisations in arranging Jewish emigration to that country.

They also show that the RSHA was aware of the need to organise a food supply and health-care system for the incoming Jews.

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Re: Madagascar

#37

Post by michael mills » 05 Dec 2015, 06:28

Final section of the Eichmann memorandum:

Sub-section 4F: "Financing"
Implementation of the suggested Final Solution demands considerable capital. There must be a distinction made between capital procured for the evacuation of the Jews from Reich territory including the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia, the new German Eastern Territories and the General-Government and such capital as is taken into account for the evacuation of the Jews from the lands that are to be considered for the Final Solution. The procurement of the latter capital would be achieved by means of appropriate conditions on the occasion of the peace treaty negotiations, perhaps through imposition of a levy on the Jewish property of those lands.

These funds raised by levy may doubtless prove to be considerably greater than those to be procured within the Reich area including the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia, even taking into consideration the requisitioning of the entire Jewish private property in the Reich territory, Protectorate Bohemia-Moravia, the new German Eastern Territories and the General-Government. The requisite equalisation of these two procurement sources must be created by means of an appropriate distribution scale. Likewise, the question needs to be answered as to whether confiscatory measures appear appropriate in relation to the procurement of capital in the Reich territory, in the Protectorate Bohemia-Moravia, in the new German Eastern Territories and in the General-Government, or whether these funds were to be procured in the form of voluntary legal transactions with the participation of the Jewish religious communities of Prague and Vienna, the Reich Union of Jews in Germany and the Jewish Councils of Elders in the Eastern Territories.
Sub-Section 4G: "Preliminary Measures".
In the case of a definitive designation of Madagascar as the Jewish Homeland, it is suggested to send a Commando of the Security Police composed of appropriate professionals to be on the spot.

The task of this advance guard is to make the following determinations:

1. Total absorptive capacity.
2. Possibilities of extending the absorptive capacity through construction of camps etc.
3. Usability of the lower French administrative authorities in relation to the distribution and integration of arriving transports.
4. General food situation.
5. Agriculture and economy in general, employment.
6. Landing possibilities, transport routes.

After presentation of the report by the advance guard, preparatory tasks will be undertaken with the participation of the local French administrative authorities.

It is suggested that a delegate of the Reichsfuehrer-SS and Chief of the German Police be integrated into the peace negotiations for the area of this matter.
Comment by me: The various preliminary measures to be taken before the commencement of Jewish settlement suggest that what Heydrich's men had in mind was a genuine agricultural settlement of Jews in Madagascar in which they could support themselves by growing their own food, rather than some sort of death camp.

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Re: Madagascar

#38

Post by michael mills » 05 Dec 2015, 06:37

Here is a Polish-language paper on Polish plans for Madagascar
colonization: https://jii.moe/4yzUTQ2mg.pdf

English Summary:

"In the Poland of 1930s, which experienced serious
social, economic, political and ethnic problems, one of many ways of solving this situation was overseas immigration. As a result, colonial tendencies and aspirations were enhanced. The colonies could have served to relieve tension in overcrowded villages and to ease the swelling Jewish question. Why Madagascar? The encouragement was initiated by French colonial minister Marcel Moutet who offered such a solution in 1937. This initiative was taken by the Polish government and a special committee under the leadership of Mieczysław Lepecki was sent to the island to inspect it (1937). The outcomes of the committee actions were reflected not only in Poland but also in France, Germany, England, and the U.S. Several publicists acted as colonial experts, e.g. Maria Zakrzewska and Arkady Fiedler. Their concluding comments were less optimistic than those of M. Lepecki. The issue was abandoned when World War II broke out. However, it was still heatedly discussed in the summer of 1939."

Perhaps one of our Polish members might read through the linked article and let us know whether there is any additional interesting material in it not covered by the summary.

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Re: Madagascar

#39

Post by michael mills » 05 Dec 2015, 08:23

Here is a link to a paper on the Madagascar Plan in "Holocaust and Genocide Studies":

https://jii.moe/V1I_T7nXl.pdf

Abstract of the paper:
For all that is known of the infamous “Madagascar Plan” to send
European Jews to the Indian Ocean, both its origins and its de´nouement
remain shrouded in mystery. On the basis of primary research in archives
and libraries in Madagascar, the author of this article suggests that the
Madagascar Plan rested upon a widely held belief that the Malagasy
claimed a distant Jewish ancestry
. He then shows how local authorities,
contexts, and actors contributed to the demise of the project in the 1930s.

Here is another interesting statement in the paper:
Still, neither the stereotype of Madagascar as a dumping ground nor that of
the island as an underpopulated backwater can fully account for the endurance of
the Madagascar Plan in its various forms. The world, after all, abounded in theoretically
isolated regions. Certainly, Madagascar’s reputation as a grossly underpopulated
island24
made it a likely candidate for immigration projects of all sorts.
Voluminous files in archives, as well as lengthy columns in the press, trace a variety
of plans proposed between roughly 1918 and 1939 to bring Indian, Chinese, and
other foreign workers to Madagascar for everything from public works to agricultural
projects. But after an initial period during which Governor Joseph Gallieni
(1896–1905) and the colonial administration had promoted Madagascar as a settlement
colony, the general opinion shifted—in large part because even the island’s
interior, once touted as healthful, had revealed itself to be intensely malarial. The
reason for the island’s enduring association with projects for Jewish emigration
must again be sought elsewhere.

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wm
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Re: Madagascar

#40

Post by wm » 06 Dec 2015, 17:49

Interesting, what were the theoretically isolated regions?

The Freeland League and the Association for Jewish Emigration and Colonization weren't much successful to identify any useful, at least for mass emigration.

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Re: Madagascar

#41

Post by wm » 06 Dec 2015, 18:33

michael mills wrote:Here is a Polish-language paper on Polish plans for Madagascar
colonization: https://jii.moe/4yzUTQ2mg.pdf
The details of the draft plan sent to the Polish finance minister for consultation are there, it was:
3,000,000 francs (about $30,000,000 today) for land concessions in Madagascar (450,000 ha of land in total),
15,000 families in 10-15 years, 60,000 people in total,
9100 zlotys ($29,000 today) per family excluding travel expenses.

And, it was know but never stated clearly: initially Jews were to be sent, then (because there were doubts the nation of petty traders could have been successful as peasants) Jews and peasants, and in the end only peasants.

What is missing there I think is the background, that it was just one of the many colonization attempts by Poland.

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