SOBIBÓR - Holocaust Handbooks

198 J. GRAF, T. KUES, C. MATTOGNO, SOBIBÓR
7.2. The Madagascar Plan
On 3 July 1940, Fritz Rademacher, head of the Jewish section in the
foreign ministry, drew up a report entitled “The Jewish question in the
peace treaty,” introducing it as follows: 576
“The impending victory gives Germany the possibility and, I
think, makes it our duty, to resolve the Jewish question in Europe.
The most desirable solution is: All Jews out of Europe.”
Rademacher goes on to explain that France – in a peace treaty considered
to be imminent – would relinquish the island of Madagascar as a
mandate, with all European Jews to be deported there, forming an autonomous
state under German supervision:
“Germany will be given the island as a mandate. […] Within this
territory, the Jews will be given autonomy in other respects: their
own mayors, their own police, their own postal and railroad services
etc. The Jews will be solidary debtors for the value of the island. ”
Ribbentrop approved the project and forwarded it to the RSHA,
which was to take care of the material preparations for the resettlement
of the Jews on the East-African island and for the supervision of the
evacuated Jews. 577
This was precisely the “final solution of the Jewish question on a territorial
basis” imagined by Heydrich.
On 30 August 1940, Rademacher elaborated a paper entitled “Madagascar
project.” Its section on “Financial considerations” begins with
the words: 578
“The execution of the final solution proposed requires considerable
means.”
Hence, “the final solution of the Jewish question” meant nothing but
the resettlement of the European Jews on Madagascar. On 12 July 1940,
Hans Frank, Governor General in Poland, made a speech announcing
the decision 579
“to ship the whole lot of Jewry from the German Reich, the General
Government, and the Protectorate to some American or African
colony as soon as this can be done after a peace treaty. Madagascar
is being considered, and is to be ceded by France for that purpose.”
576 NG-2586-B.
577 NG-2586-J.
578 NG-2586-D.
579 PS-2233. IMT, vol. XXIX, p. 378.