The Protocol IV

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From page 10, the fourth and final section documents the attempt to establish clear rules on which people should be deported. The protocol elaborates the various relationships in a family, including the so-called first- and second-degree Mischlinge – persons with Christian and Jewish parents or grandparents – as well as the question of ‘mixed marriages’. In some cases, exceptions for imminent deportations would be possible, but only for those who underwent voluntarily sterilisation in order – as it says surprisingly clearly on page 11 – Quote  - ”to prevent any progeny and to settle the Mischling problem once and for all”.

While apparently the gathered ministry officials had no objections to the proposed deportation of 11 million people from across Europe, the protocol notes on page 14, for the first time a reservation. Wilhelm Stuckart, State Secretary in the Ministry of the Interior, feared the proposed measures would entail – quote – ‘endless administrative work’. His proposal was blanket compulsory sterilisation for all those categorised as Mischlinge. So his reservations came from purely practical concerns, only related to the administrative processes. In addition, Stuckart suggested resolving the question of ‘mixed marriages’ by introducing legislation to dissolve all these marriages at one fell swoop. Those present remained sceptical about this proposal – possibly due to worries over the reaction of the churches and, in particular, the Catholic Church.

There was no final answer to the question of who was to be deported and who not. Later meetings to discuss this issue also failed to establish clear dividing lines. Admittedly, the Wannsee meeting participants assumed in any case the so-called ‘final solution to the Jewish question’ could only be comprehensively dealt with after the end of the war.