Contents
- General
This trip to Warsaw
is the fourth one I undertook after the outbreak of the German-Polish War
(December 1939, March and August 1940). I must say that my impression of the German rule
becomes more pessimistic each time. Namely, the public
sentiment in the German-occupied areas, under the General
Government, deteriorates more and more. The high-handed policies of the German
authorities, coupled with the complex economic
situation particular to this area, are fanning anti-German sentiment
among the local population. On the other hand, the progress of the so-called
rebuilding program is producing expected results thanks to the earnest efforts of the authorities. However, on the whole, its pace is extremely slow, and there is
nothing really impressive.
1a Transportation
Except for the Jews, travel within the General
Government is allowed. However, a special permit is required to travel between
Germany proper and the General
Government area by those other than government or military personnel on official
business. Poles in principles are forbidden
to travel outside the General Government area.
1b. Post
…re-organization of personnel (Poles are
replaced by Germans), confiscation of radio sets (Germans, Ukrainians, Belarussians, and White Russians are exempted from
this).
1c. Monopoly
1d. Currency
1e. Mining and Industry
1f. Labor Coupon
1g. Agriculture and Forestry
1h. Judicial Matters
1i. Public health
1j. Press and Publication
….
Among the newspapers listed above, Gazeta Judoska
published its first issue in mid-July 1940. It is the
Polish-language newspaper for Jews
under the General Government (hence there is no newspaper in Hebrew).
Its content is roughly the same as other Polish-language newspapers, and mainly consists of articles relating to the Jews.
While it publishes articles pertaining to General
Government’s
policies concerning Jews,
there are also sections on literature and children. In the Politics sections, it prints German reports without
adding any commentary.
To name something of interest to us, the second issue of this newspaper published on July 22, 1940 printed an
item with considerable details under Necessary Procedures for Emigrating to Shanghai.
1k. Radio
Based on Regulations Concerning Confiscation and Returning of Radio
Sets of December 15, 1939, Jews
and Poles are ordered to turn in all radio
sets by January 15, 1940. Those in violation will be
tried under special courts and may be fined or subject to long-term corporeal
punishment. Germans, Ukrainians, Belarussians, and White Russians may possess radios.
1l. Cinema and Theater
1m. Education of Germans
1n. Other
In Warsaw the water
supply and sewage are only partially restored. The same is with the telephone; although it
is being partially restored, the number of its users has fallen to 1/20 of the prewar
level.
The streets are still full of collapsed houses from artillery attacks by the German army
and chaotic. Moreover, as many human and animalcorpses are buried under the rubbles, the city shrouded in a certain
stench. In March 1940 I saw dead horses in the middle of the
street; now they are gone.
Immediately after the war in 1939
plans were drawn up to move Jews to
the east and to rebuild urban Warsaw. Concerning the former, no further concrete decisions have been
revealed and the plan has been shelved; as for the latter, except the opening of a few news
streets, it appears the plan has been grounded. It can be imagined rebuilding has many
difficulties ahead.
Lublin and its
vicinity were designated as area of Jewish
residence. However, subsequently no movement of Jews
from Warsaw and the
Krakow region
have taken place. This plan seems to have been abolished. There has been no rebuilding or
restoration in Lublin. Water supply and sewage are being restored in Krakow, where rebuilding
effort has developed the furthest.
1o. Summary
While the rebuilding efforts have just started under the General
Government as stated above, given the abundant labor
force and the superior organizational capacity of the authorities, the efforts should bear fruit. At the party congress held in
Krakow at the
beginning of 1941
Governor General
Dr. Frank outlined major rebuilding projects for 1941
and underscored their importance. This plan includes the dredging of the Vistula River,
re-organization of industries, and building of housing
and roads.
- Politics
2a. Administration
2b. Policies
The policy of the German authorities toward Poles in areas
under the General Government has always been total oppression. Its ultimate political objective appears to be erasing Polishness from
Eastern
Europe, or at least preventing Poles from becoming a political force in the future. This is done through
depriving them of ethnic identity by destroying their cultural
roots so that they are reduced to a mere geographical existence.
2c. Compulsory Labor
2d. Destruction of Human Culture by means other than Compulsory
Labor
2e. Restrictions on Education
2f. Destruction of Museums and Statues
2g. Control of Books
-
Economy
- Currency
- Prices (a list is attached)
- Living Conditions
- Peasants
- Ethnicities
Population under the jurisdiction of General
Government by ethnicity is as follows:
Poles 17 million
Jews 2 million
Ukrainians 1 million
In addition, there are about 250,000 Germans, 20,000 Belarussians, totally approximately 20 million.
For comparison, the population by ethnicity in Poland before the
war is
Total population of Poland 33 million
Poles 22 million
Jews 4 million
Ukrainians 5 million
Belarussians 1 million
Germans 1 million
Accordingly, compared with the ethnic breakdown of population under the jurisdiction of
General
Government, approximately one million Poles, two million Jews,
one million Belarussians, four
million Ukrainians have been assigned
to the new Soviet
territory, whereas approximately four million Poles and one million Germans assigned to new German territory (namely the corridor and Upper Silesia).
4b. Hierarchy of Ethnic Groups
4c. The Tragedy of Ethnic Groups (pp. 109-
-
The two-million Jews ruled by the General
Government are experiencing a tragedy which they had never imagined.
Namely,
- according to the
Regulation concerning armbands of Jews
dated November 23, 1939, Jewsover the age of ten are obligated to wear Stars of
David (a combination of two blue triangles over white) on their right arms.
Those in violation are subject of long-term hard labor or a large fine(its amount not specified)
- Based on
Laws of Implementing Forced
Labor against Jews
dated October 26, 1939, the First
and Second Regulations of Implementation of the above law dated December 1 and
December 12 of the same year, all Jews under the jurisdiction of the General
Government, between the age of twelve and the age of sixty, regardless of
gender, in principle, are subject to forced
labor immediately. The term of labor is two years (but rules of extension
exist). In addition, from January 1, 1940, change of
residence is forbidden. A curfew between 9pm and 5am is established.
- In January 1941 the Law of Confiscating Real Estate Property of Jews is promulgated.
- The Jewish area of residence in Warsaw is surrounded by
a concrete wall of 2[?] meters. Contact with the outside is completely cut off.
- No school system exists.
- Limitation of food is extremely severe.
- As they cannot receive work coupon that was established in January 1941, they cannot find employment
- By the decree of the Magistrate of the Warsaw region, half of
the business tax that have been levied in the past goes to the budget of the Judenrat, a special tax is to be paid….. This special tax is to be paid by
those Jews and Jewish
entities who are obligated to pay business tax for engaging in business or running commercial or industrial
enterprise in the Jewish area. This tax is paid one year in advance in one lump sum (without
the benefit of paying in installments)
2. The tragedy of the Jews is physical tragedy; the tragedy of Poles is mainly spiritual tragedy. Namely, (1)
as the Poles are sent to Germany
by the compulsory labor system, their tragedy is a separation of families. As Jews
engage in labor in areas of their residence, they do not experience such tragedy. (2) The
repeated mass arrests [of Poles]
without any justification everywhere mean permanent separation of victims from their families. Such arrests are limited to Poles; on this issue the Jews
are doing better.
4d. Resistance of Ethnic Groups (pp. 114-
- The Question of the Jewish people
Currently, approximately two million Jews
live under the General Government. The authorities are taking a cautious consideration in dealing with them. Namely,
initially they were to be concentrated in certain parts (Lublin District) so as to be
cut off from interactions with the German and Polish peoples. Due to technical difficulties, this was not a success. Hence, the policy
of local (settlement) was adopted, so as to deal with them in their current areas of
inhabitance. The law forbidding Jews to
use the railway, enacted on January 26, 1940, is an
affirmation of the principle of local rule.
However, Jews
were expelled from Krakow (August 1940). It appeared like the
principle of local illegiblewas to be abandoned. However, no
further development has happened till the present. In Warsaw, a relatively high
concentration of Jews
live. It is worth noting that in Warsaw, Radom, Lublin and other major cities, the Jewish
areas are completed cut off from the rest by concrete walls. The authorities set up administrative units called Judenrat to deal with the Jews.
By controlling the masses through Judenrat the authorities seek to simplify their rule.
These Judenrat are based on the Law
establishing Judenrat, promulgated on November 28, 1940. The content of
this law is as follows:
- Judenrat is to be established in each city, town, and villages
- Localities with 10,000 or less residents shall select twelve members; localities with
over 10,000 residents shall select 24 members from Jews
residing in these localities.
- Judenrat shall select a Chairman and
a Vice Chairman from the members.
- Mayors (or heads of districts in the city) can order the replacement of members of
Judenrat.
-
Through its Chairman
and Vice Chairmen, the Judenratis obliged to follow orders from the German Authorities; it is also responsible for fully implementing these orders. Jews must faithfully follow orders issued by Judenrat so as to implement the orders from the German Authorities. Although
Judenrat vary in size from locality to locality, they generally have the
following agencies:
- Department of Public Affairs
- Department for Refugee Relief
- Committee for Jewish Assistance
- Finance Department
- Department of POW Assistance
Other public welfare facilities concerning the Jews
(hospitals, orphanage, senior
citizens’ home, facilities for malnourished children and so on) are under the
jurisdiction of Judenrat. However, as Nazi
Germany knows international Zionism
very well from its bitter experience in the past, it pursues repressive rule vis-à-vis the
two millions Jews by introducing Force
Labor system or confiscation of their property. It is believed that (the German
authorities) strives for a final solution of
the question of the Jewish question