The Nazi Hunters

"To prevent escapes or uprisings, Eichmann planned to deceive the Jewish community leaders. He would meet them face to face and promise them that the restrictions were only temporary, the necessities of Germany's war with the Allies, which had been going on for four and a half years. As long as the leaders cooperated, he would reassure them, no harm would come to them or their community. [...]Even when they were forced onto the trains to the camps, the Jews would be told either that they were being moved for their own safety or that they were going to supply labor for Germany. […] Eichmann knew that these deceptions would buy time and acquiescence. Brute force would do the rest.”

This quotation is important as it shows not only Eichmann's complicity in the Holocaust, and his true intentions, butalso illustrates the role of deception in the Nazi regime. Having witnessed mass executions in earlier years, Eichmann knew that the Holocaust must be kept secret to have any chance at succeed. These constant deceptions played upon the hope and desperation of captured Jews.

"Despite his feelings toward Jews, Eichmann was unnerved by what he saw. But the fear of losing his job, and the power that went with it, outweighed his misgivings, and he accepted the need to rid Europe of the Jews though extermination."

This quotation demonstrates how Eichmann's morality was built, and the process by which he carried out genocide. It is important to note that Eichmann felt enmity toward Jews, but was still upset by the killings; this, by itself is not remarkable. What is important to note, however, is not just that Eichmann selfishly chose to retain his position and stature in Nazi Germany, but the belief that to "accept" the extermination of the Jews was morally distinct from promoting it enthusiastically or consciously. This is crucial to understanding Eichmann's mentality: that he purposefully saw himself as without a choice, in order to excuse his choices.

“Eichmann took on his new job with bloodless enthusiasm. He got rid of any guilt and discomfort aby telling himself that his bosses had 'given their orders.' He had not set the policy of annihilation, he reasoned, but it was his responsibility to make sure it was a success.”

The significance of this quote is the shift in how Eichmann views his own responsibility, and the priorities implicit in that. Specifically, Eichmann's responsibility shifts from a sense of morality to merely obedience.