Kastner Case

by Lawrence M. Reisman

While I concede that Rudolf Kastner will always be a controversial topic, Jonathan Mark’s hostility (which I shared at one time) has interfered with his objectivity (“Sympathy For The Devil?” Oct. 30).

The accusation that Kastner saved thousands of Jews in exchange for facilitating the murder of hundreds of thousands is old and needs to be dealt with, but quoting Adolf Eichmann as a reliable witness is out of order. Eichmann and Kastner hardly negotiated as equals; Eichmann had the power to have Kastner killed at any time. Furthermore, Eichmann’s accusation that Kastner “agreed to help keep the Jews from resisting deportation and even keep order in the collection camps” was a self-serving declaration that doesn’t mention that all Hungary’s Jews had been “collected” and 400,000 sent to Auschwitz before Eichmann made his “Jews for trucks” offer. Eichmann didn’t need Kastner’s “help.”

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