# Is Himmler's memo about genocide authentic? Significant? Tags: world-war-two, nazi-germany, holocaust, nazism - Score: 10 - Views: 1024 - Answers: 3 - Answered: yes - Asked by: Jeff (3849 rep) - Asked: 2017-07-27 - Edited: 2017-07-27 - Site: history ## Question In this bio of Yehuda Bauer, we see mention of a Himmler memo to Hitler (dated May 25, 1940): Himmler states his rejection of "the Bolshevik method of physical annihilation of a people out of inner conviction as un-German and impossible," Is this considered authentic and if so, how important is this? It would seem to indicate that pretty late in the game Himmler at least, don't know about others at that level, was against mass murder and that they changed their minds pretty fast for an apparently trivial reason -- Madagascar became impractical/inaccessible. ## Answers ### Answer by Felix Goldberg (score: 12) Authenticity The memorandum, titled "Reflection on the Treatment of Peoples of Alien Races in the East", is certainly genuine. Though if I understand correctly, what we have is not the memorandum (said to be 6 pages long) itself, but rather Himmler's own summary of it and his further notes to self on diss