Kurt Becher
Encyclopedia
Kurt Andreas Ernst Becher (September 12, 1909 – August, 1995) was an SS
Untersturmführer (lieutenant) and later a Standartenführer (colonel) who was Commissar of all German concentration camps
, and Chief of the Economic Department of the SS Command in Hungary
during the German
occupation in 1944.
that he had joined the SS because from 1932 he had been actively engaged in horseback riding, and in 1934, his instructor had advised him to enter the SS cavalry regiment (the Reiter-SS). Hannah Arendt
suggests that the only reason Becher stressed this story was that the Nuremberg Tribunal had excluded the Reiter-SS from its list of criminal organizations.
Becher served as an SS Major in Poland and Russia, as part of the SS-Totenkopfverbände
, which perfected the techniques for killing Jews. He was appointed Commissar of all German concentration camps
, and Chief of the Economic Department of the SS Command in Hungary, by Heinrich Himmler
. The "Economic Department" was tasked with extracting maximal economic value from Jews, which included confiscating goods and property, and selling or using belongings and body parts, including shorn hair for upholstery, gold extracted from teeth and the use of body fat for soap, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap made from human corpses although according to Yad Vashem, the rumor was "used by the Nazis to frighten camp inmates".
, he began to engage in a series of negotiations with the heads of several large Jewish business concerns. His later actions showed that his goal was rather to extort as much wealth as possible from Hungary's Jews on behalf of Heinrich Himmler
, the head of the SS.
From 1944 to 1945, Becher collected large sums of money, jewellery, and precious metals, worth an estimated 8,600,000 Swiss franc
s, from Hungarian Jews, a portion of which travelled with him in six large suitcases, in what became known as the "Becher Deposit". In January 1945, he was appointed as Special Reich Commissioner for all the concentration camps by Himmler. He was arrested in May, 1945 by the Allies and imprisoned at Nuremberg but was not prosecuted as a war criminal, serving only as a witness during the Nuremberg Trials
, as a result of a statement provided on his behalf by Rudolf Kastner
, a leading member of the Jewish Aid and Rescue Committee
in Hungary. Kastner was assassinated in Israel
in March 1957 in connection with allegations that he had been a Nazi collaborator.
The Becher Deposit was eventually sold for $55,000, far less than its estimated value. Some of the discrepancy was due to the hyperinflation which made the Hungarian pengő
worthless after the war, but the Hungarian officials had already confiscated most of the cash and foreign currency held by Jews, so most passengers paid "in the form of jewelry, gold (gold jewelry, gold bullions and Napoleon gold ), platinum, precious stones, and other valuables." Dagobert Arian of the Jewish Agency
suggested that Becher had hidden most of his loot before he was captured, and that this explained the difference.
Historian Yehuda Bauer
writes that Becher is known to have had specific Jewish treasures in his possession, which came from payments made to him by the Aid and Rescue Committee
, and from property he had confiscated in Hungary. Of the pieces of luggage that made up the Becher Deposit, Becher gave one piece to Moshe Schweiger (an associate of Rudolf Kastner), who had been released from Mauthausen specifically to take possession of the case. On May 24, 1945, Subsection B of the 215th American Counter Intelligence Corps
(CIC) detachment found 18.7 pounds of gold
, 4.4 pounds of platinum
, and some jewelry hidden under beds in a house Becher had been living in, and on May 30, the suitcase Becher had given to Schweiger was handed over to the CIC. On June 25, some other Jewish refugees Becher had been using as couriers handed in gold and paper shares.
. He was the president of many corporations, including the Cologne-Handel Gesellschaft, which did extensive business with the Israeli government. By 1960 he was one of the wealthiest men in West Germany
, with estimated assets of US$30 million. He came to public attention once again in 1961 when he served as a witness for the prosecution during the trial in Jerusalem of SS officer Adolf Eichmann
. He provided his testimony from his home in Germany
, because he was unwilling to travel to Israel.
He died a wealthy man.
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
Untersturmführer (lieutenant) and later a Standartenführer (colonel) who was Commissar of all German concentration camps
Extermination camps in the Holocaust
Extermination camps were camps built by Nazi Germany during the Second World War to systematically kill millions by gassing and extreme work under starvation conditions. While there were victims from many groups, Jews were the main targets. This genocide of the Jewish people was the Third...
, and Chief of the Economic Department of the SS Command in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
during the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
occupation in 1944.
SS Background
Becher was born to a wealthy family. He testified during the Nuremberg TrialsNuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
that he had joined the SS because from 1932 he had been actively engaged in horseback riding, and in 1934, his instructor had advised him to enter the SS cavalry regiment (the Reiter-SS). Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt was a German American political theorist. She has often been described as a philosopher, although she refused that label on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular." She described herself instead as a political theorist because her work centers on the fact...
suggests that the only reason Becher stressed this story was that the Nuremberg Tribunal had excluded the Reiter-SS from its list of criminal organizations.
Becher served as an SS Major in Poland and Russia, as part of the SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände , meaning "Death's-Head Units", was the SS organization responsible for administering the Nazi concentration camps for the Third Reich....
, which perfected the techniques for killing Jews. He was appointed Commissar of all German concentration camps
Extermination camps in the Holocaust
Extermination camps were camps built by Nazi Germany during the Second World War to systematically kill millions by gassing and extreme work under starvation conditions. While there were victims from many groups, Jews were the main targets. This genocide of the Jewish people was the Third...
, and Chief of the Economic Department of the SS Command in Hungary, by Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
. The "Economic Department" was tasked with extracting maximal economic value from Jews, which included confiscating goods and property, and selling or using belongings and body parts, including shorn hair for upholstery, gold extracted from teeth and the use of body fat for soap, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap made from human corpses although according to Yad Vashem, the rumor was "used by the Nazis to frighten camp inmates".
In Hungary
According to his own testimony, Becher became the main buyer of horses for the SS and, according to his own testimony, was sent to Hungary in March 1944, when Germany invaded that country, to buy 20,000 horses. Arendt writes that this story is unlikely to be true, because as soon as he arrived in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, he began to engage in a series of negotiations with the heads of several large Jewish business concerns. His later actions showed that his goal was rather to extort as much wealth as possible from Hungary's Jews on behalf of Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, the head of the SS.
From 1944 to 1945, Becher collected large sums of money, jewellery, and precious metals, worth an estimated 8,600,000 Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s, from Hungarian Jews, a portion of which travelled with him in six large suitcases, in what became known as the "Becher Deposit". In January 1945, he was appointed as Special Reich Commissioner for all the concentration camps by Himmler. He was arrested in May, 1945 by the Allies and imprisoned at Nuremberg but was not prosecuted as a war criminal, serving only as a witness during the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
, as a result of a statement provided on his behalf by Rudolf Kastner
Rudolf Kastner
Rudolf Israel Kastner was a Jewish-Hungarian journalist and lawyer who became known for facilitating the departure of Jews out of Nazi-occupied Hungary during the Holocaust...
, a leading member of the Jewish Aid and Rescue Committee
Aid and Rescue Committee
The Aid and Rescue Committee, or Va'adat Ha-Ezrah ve-ha-Hatzalah be-Budapesht was a small committee of Zionists based in Budapest in 1944-5, who were dedicated to helping Jews escape the Holocaust during the German occupation of Hungary.The main personalities of the Vaada were Dr...
in Hungary. Kastner was assassinated in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in March 1957 in connection with allegations that he had been a Nazi collaborator.
The Becher Deposit was eventually sold for $55,000, far less than its estimated value. Some of the discrepancy was due to the hyperinflation which made the Hungarian pengő
Hungarian pengo
The pengő was the currency of Hungary between 1 January 1927, when it replaced the korona, and 31 July 1946, when it was replaced by the forint. The pengő was subdivided into 100 fillér...
worthless after the war, but the Hungarian officials had already confiscated most of the cash and foreign currency held by Jews, so most passengers paid "in the form of jewelry, gold (gold jewelry, gold bullions and Napoleon gold ), platinum, precious stones, and other valuables." Dagobert Arian of the Jewish Agency
Jewish Agency for Israel
The Jewish Agency for Israel , also known as the Sochnut or JAFI, served as the organization in charge of immigration and absorption of Jews from the Diaspora into the state of Israel.-History:...
suggested that Becher had hidden most of his loot before he was captured, and that this explained the difference.
Historian Yehuda Bauer
Yehuda Bauer
Yehuda Bauer is a historian and scholar of the Holocaust. He is a Professor of Holocaust Studies at the Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.-Biography:...
writes that Becher is known to have had specific Jewish treasures in his possession, which came from payments made to him by the Aid and Rescue Committee
Aid and Rescue Committee
The Aid and Rescue Committee, or Va'adat Ha-Ezrah ve-ha-Hatzalah be-Budapesht was a small committee of Zionists based in Budapest in 1944-5, who were dedicated to helping Jews escape the Holocaust during the German occupation of Hungary.The main personalities of the Vaada were Dr...
, and from property he had confiscated in Hungary. Of the pieces of luggage that made up the Becher Deposit, Becher gave one piece to Moshe Schweiger (an associate of Rudolf Kastner), who had been released from Mauthausen specifically to take possession of the case. On May 24, 1945, Subsection B of the 215th American Counter Intelligence Corps
Counter Intelligence Corps
The Counter Intelligence Corps was a World War II and early Cold War intelligence agency within the United States Army. Its role was taken over by the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps in 1961 and, in 1967, by the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency...
(CIC) detachment found 18.7 pounds of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, 4.4 pounds of platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
, and some jewelry hidden under beds in a house Becher had been living in, and on May 30, the suitcase Becher had given to Schweiger was handed over to the CIC. On June 25, some other Jewish refugees Becher had been using as couriers handed in gold and paper shares.
Postwar activities
After the war, Becher became a prosperous businessman in BremenBremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. He was the president of many corporations, including the Cologne-Handel Gesellschaft, which did extensive business with the Israeli government. By 1960 he was one of the wealthiest men in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, with estimated assets of US$30 million. He came to public attention once again in 1961 when he served as a witness for the prosecution during the trial in Jerusalem of SS officer Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
. He provided his testimony from his home in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, because he was unwilling to travel to Israel.
He died a wealthy man.
See also
- Joel BrandJoel BrandJoel Brand was a Hungarian sailor and odd-job man who became known for his role during the Holocaust in trying to save the Hungarian-Jewish community from deportation to the Auschwitz concentration camp....
- Rudolf KastnerRudolf KastnerRudolf Israel Kastner was a Jewish-Hungarian journalist and lawyer who became known for facilitating the departure of Jews out of Nazi-occupied Hungary during the Holocaust...
- Kastner trainKastner trainThe Kastner train was a trainload of almost 1,684 Jews who, on June 30, 1944, escaped from Nazi-controlled Hungary, eventually arrived in Switzerland, while some 450,000 members of the Hungarian Jewish community were deported to the gas chambers at Auschwitz....
- Aid and Rescue CommitteeAid and Rescue CommitteeThe Aid and Rescue Committee, or Va'adat Ha-Ezrah ve-ha-Hatzalah be-Budapesht was a small committee of Zionists based in Budapest in 1944-5, who were dedicated to helping Jews escape the Holocaust during the German occupation of Hungary.The main personalities of the Vaada were Dr...
- Chaim Michael Dov WeissmandlChaim Michael Dov WeissmandlChaim Michael Dov Weissmandl was a rabbi and shtadlan...
- Rudolf VrbaRudolf VrbaRudolf "Rudi" Vrba, born Walter Rosenberg was a Slovak-Canadian professor of pharmacology at the University of British Columbia, who came to public attention during the Second World War when, in April 1944, he escaped from the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland with the first...
- Alfred WetzlerAlfréd WetzlerAlfréd Israel Wetzler , who later wrote under the alias Jozef Lánik, was a Slovak Jew, and one of a very small number of Jews known to have escaped from the Auschwitz death camp during the Holocaust. Wetzler was born on 10 May 1918, in the Slovak town of Trnava where he was a worker in the period...
- Adolf EichmannAdolf EichmannAdolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
- History of the Jews in HungaryHistory of the Jews in HungaryHungarian Jews have existed since at least the 11th century. After struggling against discrimination throughout the Middle Ages, by the early 20th century the community grew to be 5% of Hungary's population , and were prominent in science, the arts and business...
- Auschwitz concentration campAuschwitz concentration campConcentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
- The HolocaustThe HolocaustThe Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
- Ein Lied von Liebe und TodEin Lied von Liebe und TodEin Lied von Liebe und Tod is a 1999 film, a German/Hungarian co-production.Although the movie centers on a romantic love triangle with tragic consequences, it has a strong history background, set in Hungary during World War II...
Further reading
- Hilberg, RaulRaul HilbergRaul Hilberg was an Austrian-born American political scientist and historian. He was widely considered to be the world's preeminent scholar of the Holocaust, and his three-volume, 1,273-page magnum opus, The Destruction of the European Jews, is regarded as a seminal study of the Nazi Final...
. The Destruction of the European JewsThe Destruction of the European JewsThe Destruction of the European Jews is a book published in 1961 by historian Raul Hilberg. Hilberg revised his work in 1985, and it appeared in a new three-volume edition. It is largely held to be the first comprehensive historical study of the Holocaust. According to Holocaust historian, Michael R...
, first published in 1961, this edition Yale University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-300-09557-0
