Assignment To Action T4 Killing Program
Becker remained with RSHA Amt VI until December 1939, when, shortly before Christmas, he received an order by telephone to report to Oberführer Victor Brack in the Reich Chancellery (Reichskanzlei). Becker went to Brack's office that same day. Brack was part of the office of the Führer Chancellery (Kanzlei des Führers). According to Becker, Brack told him the following:
- At the personal command of (Reichsführer-SS) Himmler, Becker was deputed to Brack;
- Becker's assignment would be to carry out a "euthanasia" program to destroy all idiots and mental patients;
- The killing would be done with carbon monoxide gas. This gas had already been studied by a chemist, Dr. Albert Widmann, with the Office of the National Criminal Police (RKPA) in Berlin to assess its utility.
- Becker "didn't need to have any scruples with this thing, because the killing of these people would be made lawful by a Führer directive.
This program came to be known as Action T4.
Read more about this topic: August Becker
Famous quotes containing the words action, killing and/or program:
“Mountains are to the rest of the body of the earth, what violent muscular action is to the body of man. The muscles and tendons of its anatomy are, in the mountain, brought out with force and convulsive energy, full of expression, passion, and strength.”
—John Ruskin (1819–1900)
“It’s a very delicate surgical operation—to cut out the heart without killing the patient. The history of our country, however, is a very tough old patient, and we’ll do the best we can.”
—Dudley Nichols, U.S. screenwriter. Jean Renoir. Sorel (Philip Merivale)
“The principal saloon was the Howlin’ Wilderness, an immense log cabin with a log fire always burning in the huge fireplace, where so many fights broke out that the common saying was, “We will have a man for breakfast tomorrow.””
—For the State of California, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)