Posters Artwork Documents

Euthanasia propaganda.

Unknown author/Ministry of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment

Image issued by the Nazi Ministry for Propaganda and Public Enlightenment, indicating that the daily cost to the State of keeping one congenitally ill person was RM 5.50 - the same amount, allegedly, that would keep one (congenitally) healthy German family (Mama, Papa and three children for a day. Eliminating the "worthless mouths" represented by groups such as the congenitally disabled and other people with serious chronic disabilities was an early one for the Nazis. It first broke cover as early as 1934, when the new government - allegedly in responsible from a family which had produced a congenitally injured baby - instituted a permissive programme of voluntary euthanasia, in which persons within certain categories of congenital and other chronic serious illness (or their guardians) could apply to have themselves/the person concerned euthanized more or less as an act of patriotism. It was not until the war came along that Hitler (and he was personally involved) felt bold enough to take the next "logical" step - compulsory euthanasia for "worthless mouths", principally children. This was effected through the top-secret Aktion T.4, an outfit run by the SS and compliant medics, and headed up by SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Philipp Bouhler, Chief of the Chancellery of the Fuhrer of the NSDAP (in effect, Hitler's business manager and general doer of dirty deeds). "T.4" had to be discontinued (at least officially) after (I think) about a year after the government received a very unusual (and very public) "belt of the crozier" from the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Munster in the matter. However, by that time, it had already "blooded" a number of capable mass murderers (Christian Wirth, Franz Stangl and others) who went on to develop distinguished careers in implementing the much broader "Holocaust" of Jews and other undesirables of various sorts - that might, where opportune, still include German "useless mouths" who lacked guardians willing to protect them. Best regards, JR.