Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

The scattered references provided by Professor Wyman do not show what he thinks they do. Of course the bombing of Auschwitz was publicly discussed in Jewish newspapers and news bulletins in the summer of 1944. But it is striking how little impact they made at the time. In 1942 and 1943 there were numerous large-scale demonstrations by American Jewish groups, attended by thousands, demanding the rescue of European Jewry. (None of their proposals included bombing Auschwitz, of course). When the suggestion to bomb Auschwitz first surfaced in May–June 1944, no demonstrations of any kind were held in favour of the bombings, and I must reiterate my point that the reception to the bombing proposals, among Diaspora Jewish groups, was generally either surprisingly lukewarm or overtly hostile. Most emphatically, it must be stressed that such proposals were not viewed at the time as a panacea and remained almost entirely unknown (see below) for several decades. There were two main reasons for this surprisingly ambiguous attitude. First, there was real and genuine concern that any bombing raids would simply kill more Jews (a concern which was probably quite well-taken). Secondly the bombing proposals coincided with D-Day and the opening of the Second Front, upon which the fate of Europe depended, and whose success alone would rid the world of the Nazi scourge. It is not surprising that most American Jewish leaders pinned their hopes on the Allied invasion and did not forcefully pursue the proposals to bomb Auschwitz, even if they viewed these as a panacea (which they didn’t).

An example of American attitudes at this time may be found in the following extract from a Report of a meeting between John W. Pehle, head of the War Refugee Board, and five prominent Jewish leaders on 16 August 1944. There is no reason to believe that either Pehle or the Jewish leaders were misrepresenting the prevalent view of the bombing question at this time.

“REPORT OF MEETING WITH JOHN W. PEHLE,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND MESSRS. LESSER
AND FRIEMAN OF THE WAR REFUGEE BOARD
August 16, 1944

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

The committee consisted of Mr. Eugene Hevesi, of the American Jewish Committee, Rabbi Abraham Kalmanowitz, of the Vaad Ha-Hazalah, Dr. A. Leon Kubowitzki, of the World Jewish Congress, Mr. R. Sherman of the Jewish Labor Committee, and I.L. Kenen, secretary, Rescue Commission, American Jewish Conference.

Mr. Kenen introduced the delegation as a committee representing all Jewish organizations, including those affiliated with the Conference and a number outside the Conference, such as the American Jewish Committee and the Vaad Ha-Hazalah. In addition, he continued, the World Jewish Congress was represented by Dr. Kubowitzki. The organizations had united to expedite rescue measures in view of the situation in Hungary. He said that it was the intention in the future to have representations to the Board made, if possible, by a committee representing all the organizations and thus eliminate duplication of activity. Mr. Pehle said that when he had first taken office, he had hoped that such a unified representation might be achieved but found it impossible at that time. . . .

Dr. Kubowitzki raised the question of the destruction of Nazi extermination facilities. Mr. Pehle doubted that this could be done. He said that a proposal to bomb the facilities had been objected to by Jewish organizations because it would result in the extermination of large numbers of Jews there, and the alternative, he said, was to send an underground detachment. He asked whether we had taken this up with the Polish Government in Exile and he expressed doubt that the Poles could muster the strength for such engagements. (Original at YIVO, AJC Archives, Waldman Series, Box 18, Folder 1.)”

Prof. Wyman’s handful of post-war, pre-1970s references to the bombing of Auschwitz must also be queried. First, however, since writing The Myth of Rescue I have become aware that these proposals were indeed mentioned at the time of the Eichmann Trial (1960–62), especially in the London Jewish Chronicle. One might, however, place this fact in a much wider context: since Prof. Wyman’s list...