Information Of Interest
Blueprints believed to be used in the construction and the expansion of a Nazi death camp at Auschwitz during World War II were discovered in a Berlin apartment. The documents which were not authenticated yet at the time of the press release, were found while the apartment was being cleaned out.With high detail, they are very interesting to say the least.New York Times: Blueprints for Auschwitz camp found in Germany (November 10, 2008)
Authenticity Questioned
On November 10, 2008, Historian Robert Jan van Pelt claimed that the material released was not new and that "If they are original drawings from which blueprints were made, this would be an interesting story but there are tons of such drawings in 300 boxes at Auschwitz ... copies of the originals." Van Pelt later went on to express his frustration by stating, "Everyone is repeating the same nonsense, and the deniers are having great fun because it shows how people are gullible."Jpost.com: Expert says Auschwitz documents not new (November 10, 2008)
Van Pelt also noted in a separate interview that the plans could possibly be fakes, meant to be sold in the profitable Nazi memorabilia market. Van Pelt went on to question the signature of Heinrich Himmler which reportedly appeared on one of the documents. He believes that Himmler would not put his signature on sensitive materials like the blueprints found.Haaretz.com: Auschwitz expert: Blueprints found in Berlin not of death camp (November 10, 2008)
