German Workers Party

Hitler's first draft of the Holocaust: unique letter goes on show

A document understood to be the only existing written statement by Adolf Hitler in which he set out his belief in a systematic removal of Jews from society has been acquired by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles.

The four-page letter, typewritten on faded brown paper and bearing Hitler's signature, was shown in public for the first time in New York, in what is likely to be seen as a key artefact in the historical record of the Holocaust . It will go on display at the centre's Tolerance Museum in Los Angeles.

The centre's founder, Rabbi Marvin Hier, said it was one of the most important documents of the period, showing the development of Hitler's antisemitic thought, and proved he had in mind a governmental solution to the so-called "Jewish Question". "This is the most important item we have in an archive of more than 50,000 objects," Hier said, adding that it would be used to educate future generations and to counter Holocaust denial.

Though Hitler alluded to his plans to exterminate Jewish people in speeches and indirectly through his closest henchmen, his thoughts on the subject can be found nowhere else committed to paper.

Such is the prevalence of fraud in Hitler memorabilia that some experts remain to be convinced of the document's authenticity. But the Wiesenthal Centre said it had authenticated the letter.

Long known by historians of the Third Reich as "the Gemlich letter", the original signed copy has never before been seen in public. An unsigned copy exists in the state archives in Munich.

Hitler wrote the letter in Munich on 16 September 1919. Then aged 30, he was as yet unknown but was starting to show interest in politics. Shortly before writing the letter he attended a meeting of the German Workers' party, which later he took over and converted into the National Socialist German Workers' party.

At the time he was in a propaganda unit of the German army that tried to counter Bolshevik influences among soldiers returning from the Russian front at the end of the first world war. His commanding officer, Captain Karl Mayr, told Hitler to respond to an inquiry from one Adolf Gemlich, who wanted to know the army's position on the "Jewish Question".

In his reply, Hitler spouted an antisemitic diatribe, in which he said Jews were "pure materialists in thought and aspirations" and that their effect was "racial tuberculosis on the nation".

Crucially, he went on to set out his vision for a calculated antisemitism that would operate through strong governments rather than the emotion of the people. Emotional antisemitism, he wrote, merely ended in pogroms.

Stropi de Zâmbet: 10 Most Influential Leaders Before Leading A Country

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, commonly known as the Nazi Party. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and served as head of state as Führer und Reichskanzler from 1934 to 1945. Hitler is most remembered for his central leadership role in the rise of fascism in Europe, World War II and the Holocaust. Mao Tse Tung or also called Mao Zedong was born from a poor farmer family on December 26, 1893. His early live was filled with education from his father and local school. Out of his controversies against western democracy, He is one of the most influential Chines leader who turn Chinese republic to be one of the most powerful nation in the world in 21th century. He was born in August 13, 1926 and he came on earth to save millions of Cubans from political leaders who tried to rich themselves above the pain of the poor.He was not an evil communist leader and he knew how to take care Cubans without absorbing an American Democracy.It is not always good following US. I believe that what make him one of the most renown enemy of US government. Josef Stalin, a top former communist leader of the Soviet Union, or also called Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was born in 18 December 1878 and before he died, he was considered as the strongest enemies of Hitler and alliance troops. In 1930s, he launched Great Purge/ great terror and since that time, his name is listed as the cruelest leader in the world. Vladimir Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when president Boris Yeltsin resigned in a surprising move. Putin won the 2000 presidential election and in 2004 he was re-elected for a second term lasting until 7 May 2008.