“Order of Protective Custody” confining Josef Simon to Dachau. 29 August 1935. Translated into English. Virginia Holocaust Museum (Updated).

“The Camps.” The Holocaust Explained. The Wiener Holocaust Library. This digital exhibit includes many primary sources with explanatory content in three subsections: 1) The early camps, 2) Types of camps, 3) SS concentration camp system. Look for case studies on specific camps below.

Deportation Packing List. 10 September 1942. English translation on the right side. This primary source document serves as evidence of the German government’s use of deception. Victims were led to believe that they were going to be “resettled in the East.”

Margot Frank’s Call-Up Letter. English translation on the right side. This is the document that caused the Frank family to move to their hiding place a bit earlier than planned.

Photo of railroad cars used to transport prisoners to the camps. Smithsonian Learning Lab.

Photo of people in barracks of a camp. Probably taken after liberation, but it gives a sense of the crowded conditions in which prisoners lived. Smithsonian Learning Lab.

Map of Concentration Camp Locations – used during the Nuremberg Military Tribunals. National Archives Collection of World War II War Crimes Records. National Archives Identifier: 169155812

Concentration Camps Mauthausen and Gusen. Description from Report on Economic Life in Poland. 1 July 1942. National Archives.

Photos of prisoners at Dachau concentration camp found in Nazi Party archives. U.S. National Archives. Additional Dachau prisoner photos.

Dachau prisoners’ bodies piled up. Photo with caption. Smithsonian Learning Lab. Note: Graphic content.

Film of Dachau taken by U.S. Army Signal Corps. 30 April 1945. Imbedded into online exhibit at Dachau Museum.

Dr. David Wilsey, U.S. Army physician, helped liberate Dachau and nurse the prisoners back to health. Watch a short video about Wilsey. Read excerpts from the letters he wrote to his wife Emily. You may also search the entire collection of letters. Teachers, please notice the Educational Resources tab at the top of the screen.

1st Lt. William Cowling–in a letter to his parents and in a formal report to Headquarters–reports on the liberation of Dachau. Late April and early May 1945.

Harold Porter, an American serving with the 116 Evacuation Hospital in Europe, wrote a series of letters from Dachau to his parents on 7, 10, 13, and 15 May 1945 using Waffen SS stationery. Read a summary here. View the letters here; warning–the letters contain a few graphic photos.

Remarks of Brigadier General (ret) Felix L. Sparks–liberator of Dachau–at USHMM 8 May 1995 addressing those who say the Holocaust never happened.

Video testimony of Hans Gasparitsch, imprisoned at Dachau and other camps 1937-1944.

“Case Study – Bergen-Belsen.” The Holocaust Explained. The Wiener Holocaust Library.

“Case Study – Ravensbruck.” The Holocaust Explained. The Wiener Holocaust Library.

Mauthausen Death Book. Additional entries. U.S. National Archives.

Buchenwald: Report from Edward R. Murrow. 16 April 1945.

Three Survivors of Buchenwald Concentration Camp. 16 April 1945. Photo. Docs Teach. National Archives. Note: This photo has a graphic content warning. It shows three nude men. Two are seated with garments covering their laps. The other is shown from a side-rear view. The point of the photo is to show how emaciated the men have become. The caption says their average weight is 70 pounds.

Eisenhower views corpses at Ohrdruf. 12 April 1945. Photo. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Chelmno Death Camp, 1941-1945. This brief history explains the two periods of Chelmno’s operations. This page has an excellent photo of a gas van used at Chelmno.

View of the Village of Chelmno. Photo. 1939-1943. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Deportation to Chelmno. Photo. Lodz, January – April 1942. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Chelmno Artifacts – Evidence of the Crime.

Site of the Belzec Killing Center. Photo. 1944. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Majdanek – History of the Camp. There are multiple subcategories of information that you can explore from this link to the museum. Some of these contain survivor testimonies.

Majdanek Timeline 1941-44. Each event on the timeline provides a short explanation. Many events offer a link to a supporting primary source on the left side of the summary.

View of the furnaces remaining in the Majdanek camp by the time of liberation. Photo. After 22 July 1944. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Jews Deported from Würzburg, Germany (to Sobibor) 25 April 1942. Photo. German History in Documents and Images.

Sobibor. Faces of the Permanent Exhibition – Photographs. Short video, subtitled in English. This video is filled with primary sources, but you will have to do some further searching. For example, the photo in the background at moment 2:16 of the 4:19 minute video is Photo #66 of File 9 of the Sobibor perpetrator collection donated to USHMM by the family of Johann Niemann, the commandant of Sobibor. This collection is fascinating; see photos #1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 48, 50, and 86.

Read diary entries of a girl who lived in the Lodz Ghetto. Early 1942. Includes background information about ghettos.

The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. A Collection of Holocaust Photographs. Explore the Collection-The Chronicle. (2121 Results.) The 16 photos below are selected from this collection. Scrolling through the entire collection allows the viewer to gain a broad picture of the people in the Lodz Ghetto, their living conditions, the work they performed, the consistent presence of death, and the moments of joy (resistance) they created. NOTE: Some of these photos are graphic.

“Advanced training of youth workers, Labour Department.” 1940-42. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“The Jews are carrying their possessions into the Lodz Ghetto.” 1940-1944. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Boys pushing cart, probably a hearse.” 1940-1944. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Falling in the street from hunger.” 1940-1944. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Children eating from tin pans and lids.” 1940-1944. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Children digging for potatoes.” 1940-1944. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Childcare staff and children…” 1940-1944. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Portrait of two girls.” 1940-1944. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Portrait of two girls.” 1940-1944. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Jew who saved the Torah from the rubbles of the Synagogue…” 1940. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Man walking… in the remains of the synagogue…” 1940. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Lodz residents crossing the Zigerska Street bridge.” 1940-1944. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“The removal of feces in the ghettos…” 1943-1944. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Children talking through the fence…prior to deportation.” 1940-1942. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Children being deported to the Chelmno nad Nerem (Kulmhof) death camp.” 1940-1942. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Evacuation of the sick…” 1942. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

“Residents heading for deportation led by the ghetto police.” 1940-1942. The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Art Gallery of Ontario.

Footbridge that joined the two parts of the Lodz Ghetto. Photo circa 1941. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

A Resident of the Lodz Ghetto is Abused and Humiliated, 1942. Photo. German History in Documents and Images.

Chaim Rumkowski and the Deportation of Children from the Lodz Ghetto, 1942.

Children from the Lodz Ghetto are Transported to the Chelmno Death Camp, September 1942. Photo.

“Case Study – Theresienstadt Ghetto.” From “The Holocaust Explained” by The Wiener Holocaust Library. Contains several types of primary source documents related to Theresienstadt (map, letter, artwork, account book from ghetto bank) with explanatory text.

Historical film of an orchestra concert – staged by the Nazis – at Theresienstadt/ Terezin Ghetto. Summer 1944. See also.

Children’s Drawings from the Terezin Ghetto. Jewish Museum in Prague; this museum holds the largest collection (4,387) of drawings created by children who passed through the Terezin Ghetto. Most of this artwork was created in classes taught by Friedl Dicker-Brandies who collected and saved the children’s work.

Report on eyewitness accounts of Theresienstadt. 18 September 1945. Transcript in English provided. The National (UK) Archives.

“Case Study – Warsaw Ghetto.” From “The Holocaust Explained” by The Wiener Holocaust Library. Contains several types of primary source documents related to the Warsaw Ghetto (map, photos, reports) with explanatory text.

Life in the Warsaw Ghetto. Film clips, 3:58 minutes. c.1942 by Willy Wist, a German cameraman sent to shoot footage for a Nazi propaganda film. German History in Documents and Images.

“Das Ghetto” – During the creation of a Nazi propaganda film in the Warsaw Ghetto, Adam Czerniakow, the Judenrat Chairman, recorded events about it in his diary.

Adam Czerniakow, chairman of the Jewish council in the Warsaw Ghetto. 1942 historical film footage.

Excerpts from the Warsaw Diary of Ghetto Leader Adam Czerniakow, 1942. German History in Documents and Images.

Stroop Report on the final liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto, April-May 1943. Photos – make full screen, then scroll. Excerpts from the text of Stroop’s report.

Photographs from the Stroop Report (easier to navigate). U.S. National Archives. Read NOTE before proceeding through the scroll.

Deportation to Theresienstadt: Air Mail Communication Sent through the Foreign Service of the German Red Cross, 15 September 1942. (German History in Documents and Images.)

Boy with Hands Raised. Photo. Warsaw Ghetto. April 1943. U.S. National Archives.

Jewish managers from the Herman Brauer Firm. Photo. Warsaw. April 1943. U.S. National Archives

SS searching and interrogating Jewish people. Photo. Warsaw Ghetto. April 1943. U.S. National Archives.

Jewish civilians of Warsaw, Poland being escorted to Umschlagplatz. Photo. April 1943. U.S. National Archives.

Copy of German photo taken during the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto. Women prisoners. U.S. National Archives.

Copy of German photo taken during the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto. Jewish Rabbis. U.S. National Archives.

Veesenmayer Telegram ( 24 April 1944) reporting on collecting Hungarian Jews in ghettos and deporting them to Auschwitz. Veesenmayer became Reich plenipotentiary after the German occupation of Hungary. Note: This site offers first a German and then an English translation of the message.

Romani people. The Nazis used racial ideology to persecute the Roma, derogatorily referred to as Zigeuner (Gypsy). Note: This series of four articles is a secondary source.

“Pre-War Roma Life.” The Holocaust Explained. The Wiener Holocaust Library. This short digital exhibit features primary sources with explanatory content.

Photo of Johann Rukeli Trollmann with His Teammates. 1929.

A group of Roma in front of a caravan. Photo. Europe 1934-39.

Report written by Heinrich Himmler. “The fight against the Gypsy Nuisance.” December 14, 1938.

A chart detailing physical characteristics of a Romani (Gypsy) individual. Circa 1938. Product of the disproven eugenics “research” of Dr. Robert Ritter. Note: Although eugenics was a popular theory in both Europe and the U.S. during the early 1900s, it has been been disproven and is considered unethical today.

Resettlement of Roma from Vienna. Photo. Sept-Dec 1939.

Police Instructions Regarding Policy Against Sinti and Roma. Signed by Heydrich. October 17, 1939.

Criminal Complaint against Douglas Bamberger, a school pupil. January 25, 1940.

Photo of Deportation of Sinti People in Asperg, Germany. May 1940.

German police guard a group of Roma. Photo. Germany 1940-45.

Serbian gendarme escorts a group of Roma to their execution. Photo. Yugoslavia 1941-43.

The corpses of victims of the Jasenovac concentration camp floating in the Sava River. Photo. Yugoslavia 1941-45. CAUTION: disturbing image.

Translation of a confidential “Report on the Shooting of Jews and Gypsies.” 1 November 1941 near Pancevo, Serbia. Yad Vashem. Modern article (secondary source) that provides context.

An announcement in Polish and German restricting the area of residence of Roma in the Warsaw district. May 1942.

Deportation of Serbs and Roma to Kozare and Jasenovac, both Croatian concentration camps. Photo. Yugoslavia, July 1942.

Oral History with Karl Stojka about the day his family was deported – March 3, 1943.

Photograph of Theresia Winterstein and Gabriel Reinhardt. March 1943.

Oral History with Rita Prigmore, daughter of Theresia Winterstein.

Postwar Testimony of the  Hodoschi Family.

Letter from Otto Rosenberg to the Special Tracing Service for Concentration Camps. February 24, 1954.

“Eyewitness Account…a Roma woman from Austria.” Document of testimony given February 1958. The Wiener Holocaust Library.

“The Murder of People with Disabilities.” (Secondary source provided for background information.) Holocaust Encyclopedia, USHMM. Additional secondary source information on the Nazi Euthanasia Program from the Jewish Virtual Library.

Law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases. Passed by the Reich Government on 14 July 1933. Translated into English. Virginia Holocaust Museum.

“Nazi propaganda film on eugenics.” 1937. Nazi Office of Racial Policy. USHMM.

Heredity and Racial Science for Elementary and Secondary Schools by Karl Bareth and Alfred Vogel. 1937.

Racial Science posters created by Alfred Vogel for classroom instruction (see above).

Sterilization Order for August Alzen. May 1937.

Leaflet Advertising Nazi Magazine Neues Volk. 1937 or 1938.

Letter from Hitler to Dr. Karl Brandt allowing physicians to grant a “mercy death.” 1 September 1939. (Note the date.) Virginia Holocaust Museum. Photo of the letter with back story from USHMM.

Letter from Dr. Conti to the mental hospital in Kaufbeuren. Includes a patient assessment form to be completed by a doctor. 16 November 1939. Virginia Holocaust Museum.

Self-Portrait by Franz Karl Bühler. Murdered 1940.

Letter from the Bishop of Limburg protesting the euthanasia program. 13 August 1941. Virginia Holocaust Museum.

Robert Wagemann describes doctors’ plans to murder him as a child because of a disability caused during his birth. Robert was also persecuted as a Jehovah’s Witness. USHMM, video testimony.

Sign Language Testimony of Helga Gross.

Read the USHMM ID Card of Helene Melanie Lebel who was murdered in the T4 Euthanasia Program because of mental health issues. 1940. (Secondary Source.)

Read the story of Franziska Mikus, a German girl who was 14 when the Nazis took power. She was forcibly sterilized because she was deaf. Listen to Franziska’s audio testimony.

Students in an English class for deaf immigrants. Photo. Read the story of Hilda Rattner in the details. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Sworn Statement of Karl Willig, nurse at Hadamar T4 killing center. September 1945.

Testimony of Dr. Gerhard Schmidt about the euthanasia program. 28 March 1946. Virginia Holocaust Museum.

“The Doctors Trial… Nuremberg Proceedings.” USHMM, Holocaust Encyclopedia. Secondary source. Notice the chart (primary source) from the National Archives imbedded in this article; look for the names K. Brandt and Conti. December 1946.

USHMM. Holocaust Encyclopedia articles (secondary sources imbedded with primary sources): “Paragraph 175 and the Nazi Campaign against Homosexuality,” “Gay Men under the Nazi Regime,” and “Lesbians under the Nazi Regime.”

“Police maintain watch outside the ElDorado nightclub.” Photo. Berlin, 5 March 1933. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Photo Collage from a Nazi Magazine. March 1933.

Advertisement for “Violetta Ladies Club.”

Paragraph 175 – English translation of the 1935 German Law.

“Protective Custody Order” for Herbert Frolich. April 21, 1936.

Heinrich Himmler Speech on the “Question of Homosexuality.” February 18, 1937.

USHMM. Documenting Nazi Persecution of Gays: Josef Kohout/Wilhelm Kroepfl Collection (Curators Corner #13). This is a secondary source in which a USHMM curator shares information about the acquisition of a collection of artifacts including the uniform badge listed below.

Badge worn on the uniform of Josef Kohout, a gay concentration camp inmate. May 1940 to April 1945. USHMM.

Frieda Belinfante. Photo. Frieda was a half-Jewish lesbian who disguised herself to work in the Dutch resistance movement against and hide from the Nazis. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Excerpts of testimony from Pierre Steel, a Frenchman deported to Schirmeck concentration camp in 1941 because he was gay. NOTE: Contains graphic details of violence against prisoners; advised for high school.

Oral History with Teofil Kosinski on a censored letter that led to his arrest in 1942.

Gad Beck tells the story of rescuing his lover Manfred Lewin. Berlin-November 1942. USC Shoah Foundation video testimony. See a small hand-made book that Manfred gave to Gad in this USHMM Curator’s Corner. Read historian’s notes about the hand-made book that Manfred gave to Gad (secondary source). Read biographical information about Gad Beck (secondary source).

Official order incarcerating the accused in Sachsenhausen for the “offence” of homosexuality. Germany-July 1944.

USHMM Holocaust Encyclopedia article (secondary source): “Nazi Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” See primary sources imbedded within the article: Testimony about secret prayer meetings and “Notice of Gregor Wohlfahrt’s Execution.”

Victims of the Nazis: 1933-1945: Jehovah’s Witnesses. Booklet. Secondary Source with primary sources Imbedded:
1) Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Statement of Principles (1934)
2) Declaration Renouncing Beliefs
Also a letter from Wolfgang Kusserow to his family before his execution and photographs of victims.

Notice of Gregor Wohlfahrt’s Execution. Document. 7 December 1939. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

“Withdrawal of Child Custody of the Schmidt Family.” English translation of the transcript of the decision of the Briegen District Court. April 1938. Read the biography of Georg and Hanna Schmidt – the children affected by this decision.

Oral History with Robert Wagemann who was also targeted under the T4 program because of a physical disability.

Studio portrait of Lotte and Robert Wagemann, a Jehovah’s Witness mother and son.
Studio portrait of Robert Wagemann, a disabled Jehovah’s Witness child.

USHMM. The Nazi Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses: The Kusserow Collection (Curators Corner #21). This is a secondary source in which a USHMM curator shares information about the acquisition of a collection of artifacts including the photos listed below.

The Kusserow Family. Photo circa 1935. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Karl-Heinz Kusserow. Photo. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Wilhelm Kusserow. Photo circa 1940. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

The Kusserow family home. Photo circa 1933-1937. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Uniform jacket of Matthaeus Pibal, an Austrian Jehovah’s Witness. 1940-1945. USHMM.

Concentration Camp Uniform Jacket with Purple Triangle worn by Max Hollweg.

USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive: Victor Schnell.
(most pertinent info during the last 10 minutes)

Polish hostages arrested…. Photo. 9-10 September 1939. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Execution of Polish teachers. Photo. October – November 1939. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Execution of Poles in the Barbarka Forest. Photo. October 1939. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Execution of Poles near Bochina. Photo. 18 December 1939. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Badge worn by a Polish youth, Wojciech Hermanowski, imprisoned at Auschwitz and other camps. August 1944-May 1945. USHMM. See also firefighter’s armband.

Badge worn by a Polish youth, Zbigniew Piotrowski, who worked as a forced laborer near Breslau, Germany between August and November 1944. USHMM.

Forced labor badge worn by Krystyna (Kay) Nabel, a Polish Jewish woman living with a secret identity as a Catholic. 1943-1944. USHMM.

How did the Nazis consolidate their power? Secondary source with primary sources imbedded. The Holocaust Explained. The Wiener Holocaust Library.

“Political Prisoners.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM. Secondary source with primary sources imbedded.

“Prisoners arrested during the crackdown on political opponents.” Photo. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

“Political prisoners at Oranienburg.” Photo. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

ID photo of Erich Muhsam taken in Oranienburg. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

“Xaver Franz Stuetzinger.” Photo. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

“A group of leading Socialists arrives at the Kislau camp.” Photo. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Police search a messenger for a Social Democratic newspaper. Photo 3-4 March 1933. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Video testimony of Vera Laska who was active in the Czechoslovakian resistance. Eventually, she was arrested as a political opponent and imprisoned in several camps, including Auschwitz. (31 minutes). USC Shoah Foundation.

German soldiers guard Soviet prisoners of war. Photo. 1941. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Germans guard Soviet POWs in Rovno, Poland after 22 June 1941. Photo. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

German treatment of Soviet POWs. Photo. Ukraine. 14 August 1941. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Soviet POW camp Belzen Bei Bergen. Photo. Germany. 1941-1945. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Wounded Soviet POWs await medical attention. Photo. Poland, wartime. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM. Second photo.

Soviet POWs at forced labor. Photo. Circa 1943. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Living quarters for Soviet POWs. Photo. Poland 1941-44. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Abysmal conditions for Soviet POWs. Photo. Germany 1941-42. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Rations for Soviet POWs. Photo. Sack of wood flour. Poland 1942-43. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Soviet POWs in Mauthausen. Photo. January 1942. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Bodies of Soviet POWs. Photo. Uncertain place and date. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

“The Persecution of Black People in Nazi Germany.” Online Exhibit the Wiener Holocaust Library.

“German publication on multiracial children in the Rhineland.” Photo. 1936-1939. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Slide shown during lectures at Academy for Race and Health. Photo. Munich 1936. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

Q: How did Americans get the news in the 1930’s and 1940’s? A: Newspapers. Radio. Newsreels. What were the limitations of these methods for rural folks? Poor folks? Black or Hispanic folks? Farmer listening to a radio broadcast. Photo. August 1933. Clarkston, Utah. Docs Teach. National Archives.

During the 1930’s some Americans supported the Nazi party and wanted to spread its influence in the U.S. Learn about the German American Bund. From USHMM’s Americans and the Holocaust exhibit.

Code Switch podcast from NPR: “When the Nazis Took Manhattan.” Broadcast 20 February 2019. Secondary source with primary sources imbedded.

In 1938, as Germany was expanding its territory in violation of the Versailles Treaty, there were reasons why Americans did not want to get involved. Watch this short film to learn more. From USHMM’s Americans and the Holocaust exhibit.

When Germany annexed Austria in March 1938, Austrian Jews were suddenly subjected to all the laws enforced against Germany’s Jews between 1933 and 1938. Many Austrian Jews were desperate to leave their country but found it difficult to do so. Learn why. President Roosevelt calls for a meeting of 32 countries – the Evian Conference – to discuss the situation. From USHMM’s Americans and the Holocaust exhibit. Find docs concerning the Evian Conference under the DOCUMENTS tab.

Jan Karski played an interesting role in the history of the Holocaust. Learn more in this timeline of Karski’s life. Access resources on Karski through the Georgetown University Library. Read an article on the making of a documentary film about Karski; the article features Karski’s testimonial video.

Antisemitic propaganda in the US. Circa 1938-41. Holocaust Encyclopedia. USHMM.

“Couldn’t They Swap or Something?” 20 June 1938. History Unfolded. USHMM.

Correspondence from George Messersmith to Cordell Hull about the 1936 (Berlin) Olympics. 28 November 1933. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Letter from State Federation Committee of New Jersey to Undersecretary of State William Phillips about 1936 Olympics. 30 August 1935. Docs Teach. National Archives. See the reply to this letter.

Letter from Aaron Gamsey to President Roosevelt about 1936 Olympics. 26 September 1935. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Correspondence from George Messersmith to Secretary of State Cordell Hull about 1936 Olympics. 15 November 1935. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Correspondence between Senator Lonergan and Secretary of State Cordell Hull about 1936 Olympics. 9 December 1935. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Letter from Aaron Gamsey to President Roosevelt about 1936 Olympics. 13 January 1936. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Letter from Pastor Ernest Hall to President Roosevelt concerning the athletes of the 1936 Olympics. 5 August 1936. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Correspondence from William Dodd to Secretary of State Cordell Hull [following] 1936 Olympics. 2 September 1936. Docs Teach. National Archives.

President Roosevelt’s letter to New York Governor Herbert Lehman regarding German Jewish immigrants. 13 November 1935. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Declaration of Intention for Albert Einstein. 15 January 1936. Docs Teach. National Archives.

“Don’t be taken in by Nazi Ballyhoo” pamphlet. Circa 1938. Probably before the Max Schmeling-Joe Louis rematch on 22 June 1938. Docs Teach. National Archives. See also True Comics. See also photo. See also PBS.

Verbatim Report of the First Meeting of the Evian Intergovernmental Committee Conference. 6 July 1938. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Verbatim Report of the Second Meeting of the Evian Intergovernmental Committee Conference. 7 July 1938. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Letter from Ernest Klein to President Roosevelt concerning Kristallnacht. 12 November 1938.

Petition for a Constitutional Amendment to Hold National Referendums on Declarations of War. Circa 1938. (Notice the political cartoon on the petition.) Docs Teach. National Archives.

The Wagner – Rogers Act. 8 February 1939.

Bedside notation made by Roosevelt when informed about German invasion of Poland. 1 September 1939. National Archives.

Letter from Churchill to Roosevelt asking for help. 15 May 1940. National Archives.

U.S. State Department Memo on Immigration. 26 June 1940. U.S. National Archives.

Memorandum of Conference on Curbing Immigration Held in Breckinridge Long’s Office. 27 June 1940. National Archives.

Group Acts to Save Leaders in Exile. 15 August 1040. New York Times.

Telegram from Passengers on the Ship Quanza to President Roosevelt. 11 September 1940. Docs Teach. National Archives.

U.S. Declaration of War on Germany. 11 December 1941. Docs Teach. National Archives.

President Roosevelt’s Annual Message to Congress. “The Four Freedoms Speech.” 6 January 1941. National Archives.

Lend-Lease Act. 11 March 1941. U.S. National Archives. See also.

Letter from Varian Fry, Emergency Rescue Committee, to Marc Chagall. 17 December 1940. Marc Chagall’s official website.

Riegner Telegram. 10 August 1942. National Archives UK. Conveys information among members of the World Jewish Congress about news from inside the Fuehrer’s headquarters that plans are being made to murder all of Europe’s Jews. See USHMM for background information.

Letter from Rabbi Stephen Wise to President Roosevelt asking to meet with him about evidence that Hitler is murdering Jews. 2 December 1942. National Archives.

“Senator Harry Truman’s Speech Demanding the Rescue of the ‘Doomed Jews.'” 14 April 1943. Docs Teach. National Archives.

“Report to the Secretary on the Acquiescence of this Government in the Murder of the Jews.” Drafted for Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. in response to reports that the US State Department was actively blocking efforts to rescue Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe. 13 January 1944. This report led to the formation of the War Refugee Board (see below). National Archives.

Executive Order 9417 creating the War Refugee Board. Issued by President Roosevelt on 22 January 1944. National Archives.

Letter from Dr. Ernst Wolff to Eleanor Roosevelt regarding refugees interned at Ft. Ontario, NY. 1 February 1944. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Analysis of Messages Received by the President (concerning announcement of the War Refugee Board). March 1944. Docs Teach. National Archives.

President Roosevelt’s announcement to Congress about the creation of the Fort Ontario emergency refugee shelter. 12 June 1944. Provided on historian Rebecca Erbelding’s website.

The Vrba-Wetzler Report. Background info about and original document from two Slovakian Jews who escaped from Auschwitz in April 1944. See also for readability.

General Eisenhower’s Order of the Day, issued to encourage the troops who would participate in D-Day. 6 June 1944.

Telegram from War Relocation Authority to President Roosevelt. 17 August 1944. Concerning the refugees at Fort Ontario. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Telegram from Johnson in Stockholm to US Sec. of State about Raoul Wallenberg and the progress of the War Refugee Board. 30 October 1944. Docs Teach. National Archives.

“The Flower and I” by a teenage refugee at Fort Ontario, Oswego, NY. 1 November 1944 and 9 December 1944.

Agreement of US, UK, USSR, and France to prosecute and punish war criminals of the European Axis. 8 August 1945. National Archives. This agreement followed the Moscow Declaration Regarding Atrocities. 1 November 1943. National Archives.

Cable from Eisenhower to Marshall requesting a delegation of Congressional leaders and news editors to visit the recently liberated camps as witnesses. 19 April 1945. National Archives.

Letter from Francis Biddle, Attorney General, to President Truman concerning the 982 Jewish refugees at Ft. Ontario, Oswego, NY. 28 June 1945. Docs Teach. National Archives.

The Earl G. “Harrison Report” on the conditions of displaced persons in Europe immediately following WWII. Summer 1945. (The copy of the report linked above was that issued to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe.) See USHMM for background information about the Harrison Report.

Memorandum from Byron Price to President Truman on the post-war situation in Germany. 9 November 1945. Outlines critical decisions and actions that America must consider. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Truman Doctrine. 12 March 1947. Docs Teach. National Archives. Provided aid to Greece and Turkey to prevent the influence of Communism in those countries.

Law Establishing the European Recovery Act (The Marshall Plan). 3 April 1948. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Press Release Announcing U.S. Recognition of Israel. 14 May 1948. Milestone Documents. National Archives.

Newsreels shown in theaters between 1934 and 1938 kept Americans informed about world events in the era before television. This 6-minute compilation was created by USHMM for the Americans and the Holocaust exhibit.

“When Nazis Took Manhattan.” Radio broadcast 20 February 2019 on NPR’s All Things Considered. (Secondary source.) See also USHMM, Holocaust Encyclopedia: “German American Bund.”

“Charles Lindbergh, Isolationism, and the America First Committee.” The U.S. and the Holocaust (excerpt). PBS. (Secondary source; historical newsreel footage imbedded.)

“How U.S. Antisemitism Shut the Door on Countless Refugee Children.” The U.S. and the Holocaust (excerpt). PBS. (Secondary source; historical newsreel footage imbedded.)

“The American Journalists Who Defied Nazi Intimidation.” The U.S. and the Holocaust (excerpt). PBS. (Secondary source; historical newsreel footage imbedded.)

“FDR and the Lend-Lease Act.” PBS Learning Media. Permitted Use: Stream and Download only.

“What America Is Fighting For.” Radio address by Cordell Hull to the American people. 23 July 1942. Docs Teach. National Archives. Q: What might African-Americans, Hispanic migrant workers, and Japanese-Americans have thought about this speech listening to it in 1942?

Winston Churchill’s Address to Congress on the Allied Struggle. 19 May 1943. Audio. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Justus Rosenberg on the Emergency Rescue Committee. Clip from video testimony. USC Shoah Foundation.

“U.S. Haven from War.” Newsreel showing the arrival of Jewish refugees arriving at Fort Ontario in Oswego, NY. 6 August 1944. Docs Teach. National Archives. Look for related items in DOCUMENTS above.

Newsreel: “Allied Net Tightens on Germany.” 9 April 1945. National Archives.

Map of Concentration Camp Locations. 1946-1949. Used in war crimes trials. National Archives.

“Germany Put Under Police.” 28 February 1933. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Officials Suggest Personal View That Racial Activities In Germany May Prevent Olympic Games There.” 17 April 1933. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“REICH PASSES UP JEWS IN PICKING OLYMICS SQUADS.” 26 July 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Avery Brundage Says Racial Issue Will Hardly Enter Olympics.” 26 July 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“President is Drawn to Side of the Anti-Nazis as Pro-Nazis Boo His Name During Demonstrations.” 31 July 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Urges U.S. Remain In Olympic Games.” 2 August 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Seek Withdrawal Of United States From Olympics.” 6 August 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Entire Cancellation More Probable Than Change of Location.” 11 August 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Olympics Issue Heard By Senate.” 14 August 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“German Jewry Is Outlawed By Reichstag.” 16 September 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Member of Olympic Body Fears Jew Trouble Here.” 22 October 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Helene Mayer Accepts Bid to ’36 Olympics.” 26 October 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Mahoney Again Tells America to Quit Games.” 30 October 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Helene Mayer Demands Full Citizenship Rights.” 5 November 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Promises No Discrimination.” 6 November 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Denies Cautioning Negro Sprint Star.” 11 November 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Helene Mayer Accepts German Olympic Berth.” 26 November 1935. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“14 Coaches Oppose America Entering Olympic Games.” 3 December 1936. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Many Nations Favor Refugee Plan of Hull.” 1 April 1938. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“U.S. Lodges Protest with Nazi Germany.” 12 May 1938. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Open Gate Into Palestine Asked for Jews.” 3 July 1938. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“From ‘Round The World.” 6 July 1938. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“U.S. Delegation In A Warning To The French Meeting.” 6 July 1938. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“U.S. Demands World Action for Refugees.” 7 July 1938. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Nations Fail to Open Gates To Refugees.” 8 July 1938. History Unfolded. USHMM.

“Tentative Plan Agreed On At Refugee Talks.” 9 July 1938. History Unfolded. USHMM.

Child Refugee Bill Fails in Senate. History Unfolded. This link will connect you with information about the Wagner-Rogers Bill that was widely reported and heavily debated in the U.S. between February and July 1939.

“Group Acts to Save Leaders in Exile.” 15 August 1940. New York Times. Available to view on TimesMachine which may require a print or digital subscription to the New York Times.

“Refugee Board Setup by FDR.” 23 January 1944. History Unfolded. USHMM.

1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. Photo. Docs Teach. National Archives.

Olympian Jesse Owens. Also. Another. Circa August 1936. Photo. Docs Teach. National Archives. Research this: Owens was originally entered in three events at the 1936 Olympics, yet he won four gold medals. What circumstances led to the fourth medal?

Hitler watching the Olympic Games. Also. Circa August 1936. Photos. Docs Teach. National Archives.

German American Bund parade in New York City. 30 October 1937. Photo. Library of Congress.

Auschwitz-Birkenau Complex – Oswiecim, Poland. 26 June 1944. Aerial photo. Records of the Central Intelligence Agency. U.S. National Archives.

Birkenau Extermination Camp. 13 September 1944. Aerial photo. Records of the Central Intelligence Agency. U.S. National Archives.

See also AUSCHWITZ tab of Primary Sources for additional aerial photos of Auschwitz taken by US forces.

Loading aircraft (bombers) onto ships for Lend-Lease transfer to Allies. Also… Loading a tank. Library of Congress.

American-built howitzers shipped to England as Lend-Lease. Circa 1941. National Archives.

Lend-Lease gasoline being transferred from drums to trucks in Australia. Library of Congress.

American and British railroad crews taking Lend-Lease supplies to Russia. Library of Congress.

Lend-Lease shipment of dried whole eggs. Also… Cheddar cheese. Dried California peaches. Wheat flour. Library of Congress.

Preparing canned pork for Lend-Lease shipment to USSR. Library of Congress.

Clothes That Belonged to Prisoners at Dachau. 30 April 1945. Photo taken after liberation. National Archives.

121st Evacuation Hospital Provides Care to Nazi Concentration Camp Survivors. Circa May-June 1945. National Archives.

Looted Torah scrolls discovered in Frankfurt, Germany after V-E Day. 6 July 1945 National Archives.

“This is Nazi Brutality.” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

“Freedom from Fear” Poster. Artwork by Norman Rockwell. Inspired by Roosevelt’s annual address to Congress 6 January 1941. World War II Posters, 1942-1945. National Archives.

“Freedom of Speech” Poster. Artwork by Norman Rockwell. Inspired by Roosevelt’s annual address to Congress 6 January 1941. World War II Posters, 1942-1945. National Archives.

“Warning – Our Homes Are In Danger.” Propaganda poster from the Records of the Office for Government Reports. 1941-1945. Docs Teach. National Archives.

“We’re Fighting To Prevent This.” Propaganda poster from the Records of the Office for Government Reports. 1941-1945. Docs Teach. National Archives.

“The Sowers” by Thomas Hart Benton. Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives. Second example.

“Help Smash Hitler Now.” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

“Books are weapons in the war of ideas.” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

“Deliver Us From Evil.” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

“Teamwork Among All Nationalities.” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

“This World Cannot Exist Half Slave and Half Free.” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

“Silence Means Surprise.” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

“You Wouldn’t Knowingly Help the Enemy.” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

“Award for Careless Talk.” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

“Ask the women and children whom Hitler is starving…” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

“What Can You Spare That They Can Wear?” Propaganda poster from the Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. 1943-1945. National Archives.

A Rare Photo Reveals a Family’s Story: The Weilheimer Family Collection (Curators Corner #9). Kyra Schuster tells the story of a German family that was interned at Gurs, France. The collection includes a photo documenting the family’s religious practice in the camp.

To The Memory of My Parents: The Michael Kraus Collection (Curators Corner #10). Rebecca Erbelding shows us the illustrated diaries that Michael Kraus created immediately after his liberation from the Nazi camps. They share the story of his Czechoslovakian family.

The Fake Diamond Ring that Helped Save Three Lives (Curators Corner #31). In this video, Teresa A. Pollin tells the story of how a ring helped save the lives of Polish Jews.

Letters to Lodz: The Zineski Collection (Curators Corner #37). Kyra Schuster shares letters, photographs, and documents that tell the story of Wiesław Żyźniewski (later Wesley Zineski) and his mother Janina who were Polish Catholics from Lodz imprisoned for their resistance activities.

A Father’s Search: The Marokus Collection (Curators Corner #40). Using the letters and documents he saved, Suzy Snyder tells the story of Leon Marokus’ efforts to bring his family to the U.S. from Lvov, Poland before WWII and locate them after WWII.

A Life Left Behind: The Leah Grochowska Gutman Collection (Curators Corner #42). Suzy Snyder shares the story of Leah Gutman’s life as a young Jewish athlete in Bialystok, Poland. Leah immigrated to Palestine in 1938, leaving family members and friends behind.

Exodus 1947: 70 Years Later (Curators Corner #46). Using photographs from USHMM’s collection, Judy Cohen and Teresa Pollin talk about Exodus 1947, which sailed for Palestine from France in July 1947.