The Holocaust in Slovakia 2 (President, Government, Assembly and the State Council on the Jewish Question). Documents. Preface.

 

The persecution of the Jewish population in Slovakia in the period from 1939/1945 is one of the most frequently discussed problems of the domestic politics of the Slovak Republic of that time. It permanently impacted all areas of public and social life. The highest constitutional authorities systematically and purposefully dealt with its agenda, initiated and directed it. Since its establishment the state had fought a domestic war against 89,000 local Jewish citizens whom they labeled as an “alien force”, as a permanent enemy of the Slovak state[1], as a nation with an incurable disease that wants to live at the expense of other nations.”[2] As a result of these earlier assessments, Jewish citizens were gradually deprived of their economic, social, civil, and ultimately of their basic human rights as well. This trend necessarily and logically led to the tragedy resulting in the deportation and subsequent extermination of three quarters of Slovak Jews.

The highest constitutional authorities, who conscientiously initiated, realized, propagated, as well as approved of all the anti-Semitic measures issued by the state, bore direct as well as indirect, political and moral responsibility for this development (even though the degree of their responsibility varied according to the actual steps undertaken by them). The tragedy of the Jewish citizens did not begin in the trains deporting them. It did not even start at the gates of the extermination camps or gas chambers – this was “only” where they reached their culmination point. Its pernicious roots should be looked for in the dissemination of the malevolent anti-Semitic propaganda that was advanced and directed by the state; in the first anti-Semitic steps that were given a monstrous legal underpinning by the laws and decrees; that were ideologically justified and backed up by the fictitious vital interests of the Slovak state and nation, sometimes even by religious reasons.

The highest constitutional legislative, as well as executive, institutions of the wartime Slovak state were: the Assembly, the Government, the President and the State Council. All these authorities participated to an extensive degree in the anti-Semitic politics of the state – regardless of the fact whether their members had the same opinion on this problem or if they foresaw the consequences of “the solution” of the Jewish question. Encroachments of the constitutional authorities were either direct (the enactment and especially the enforcement of hundreds of laws, decrees and regulations); or indirect: mandatory official assumption of the attitude towards the legal, political as well as moral anti-Semitic politics of the state; approval, justification, explanation and sometimes criticism of these policies. Despite their varying position or authority, the highest constitutional authorities of the state were mutually interlinked on the level of personnel as well as of their competencies because their members belonged to the highest group of officials, they shared the same ideology as well as the everyday political practice of the governing state-party – the HSĽS. The first Prime Minister (later president) J. Tiso was also a chairman  of HSĽS, the “leader of the nation”.  The second Prime Minister, V. Tuka, like the chairman of the Assembly, M. Sokol, belonged  to the elite leadership of the HSĽS, as well as to the State Council. Most ministers, representatives and members of the State Council simultaneously held high positions in the governing state-party, whose leading position in the state was rooted in the Constitution and thus bore full responsibility for everything that was going on in the state – i.e. also for the anti-Jewish politics and its tragic consequences. Moreover, the solution of the Jewish question had become an  instrument frequently used in fighting on the level of competencies, power and personnel among the above-mentioned constitutional authorities or among their highest representatives. Sometimes it is quite difficult to identify statements and actions of the highest constitutional representatives – from the point of their state as well as party functions.

From the constitutional point of view it was logically presumed that the main decision in the so-called “solution of the Jewish question” would be made by the Assembly that was responsible for “enacting laws which would solve the Jewish question in Slovakia” and thus this institution was supposed to “get great credit for the healthy development of the nation”[3]. However, the Slovak Assembly did not participate in the solution of the Jewish question to the extent as had originally been intended, although several of the legal norms passed by it played a key role in this area. Among these are: “the Land Reform Act”, “Jewish Enterprises and Jewish Employment Act” (the so-called “First Arianization Act”)[4], “the Execution Act” and mainly the constitutional acts authorising the Government in the solution of “the Jewish question” or the deportation of Jews from the territory of the Slovak Republic.[5]

By passing anti-Semitic regulations the Assembly helped to initiate and legalize not only the mechanism of anti-Jewish policy in the everyday practice of the regime, but also in the name of the accepted ideology they intentionaly reneged on their fundamental mission, i.e., protection of the law. Last of all, the representatives themselves admitted it when they commented that “(…) the legal order is (in the course of the solution of the Jewish question – editors’ note) broken here only to such an extent as the aim requires[6]. (…) Nowadays we live in such times that the directives of the constitutional act must very often be eliminated”[7] (…) “In the spirit of the new Europe we needed to pass many new laws and decrees in Slovakia and the Slovak Parliament, in agreement, with the head of the state and the Government, tried to put their stamp of approval on them.”.[8] Since 1943 the Asembly of the Slovak Republic partially tried to revise some of their own legal norms, but especially the governmental anti-Jewish ones, because “at the moment when they authorized the Government, nobody in the Assembly thought of such a solution of the Jewish question as it later turned out to be”.[9] However, these endeavours at revision never did touch upon the moral essence of the so-called “solution of the Jewish question”. They only vainly tried to rectify some of the economic damage that accompanied the arianization process. The legitimacy of the anti-Semitic politics of the state was never challenged in the Assembly; only their methods were critised. The Parliament, like the rest of the highest constitutional authorities of the state, never found the political courage or moral power to revise the anti-Jewish ideological doctrine and its practical consequences.[10]

The key role in the process of enforcing of anti-Jewish proceedings was played by the Government and its state authorities or its lower institutions, such as the Office of Propaganda, the Economic Office of the Presidium of the Government, the Central Economic Office, Department of the Ministry of Interior number 14, the Central Job Centre, etc. (Other volumes of this documentary series still in preparation will deal with the anti-Jewish activities of the above-mentioned institutions – e.g. deportations, aryanization, Jewish labour camps, etc.). Although there was a great diversity of opinion among its individual members, the Government was not only the body enforcing the anti-Jewish measures, but also initiated them. The absolute majority of anti-Semitic legal norms were issued in the form of governmental decrees or decrees with power of the law as well as in the form of regulations from the individual ministries. Their initiators and authors openly declared their rejection of the principles of democratic liberal legislation and claimed that “the same laws can apply to all people only then when all of them are of the same opinion and of the same moral principles.… The same laws cannot be applied to cannibals and civilised people, that is why they cannot apply to the Jews and others.[11]

Immediately on March 14, 1939, the Government was vested with the authority to “perform all that is required for keeping order and securing the interests of the Slovak State in the period of transformation”.[12] The same power was given to the Government by §44 of the Constitution – in cases when  “(…) the economic, financial or political interest of the state requires it (…)”.[13] Although the Assembly had the power to veto governmental decrees for up to three moths, in the case of the anti-Jewish measures they never used this right. On the basis of the above-mentioned authorisation, Jewish citizens were systematically excluded from public and economic life and discriminated against on all social levels as early as in the first year of the existence of the state. Regional, local, and notary authorities, as well as the police, who were directly subordinate to the Government, were the ones to take the actual steps in this process.

In the autumn of 1940, after the partial reconstruction of the Slovak Government and after the infiltration of the National-Socialistic ideology and its methods into political practice in Slovakia, the Government assumed an even more important, and for some time unwavering, position in “the solution” of the Jewish question. The Assembly fully respected the Government’s position by passing the constitutional act which gave the Government for one year full powers to completely exclude Jewish citizens from Slovak economic and social life and to confiscate their property[14] because “the solution of the Jewish question must be based on a completely new foundation”; it must submit to “the speed of the present times”; and “in the course of the solution of such a serious issue it is necessary to proceed swiftly”.[15] This constitutional act, number 210/1940, was signed by the president J. Tiso.

After the passage of the enabling statute, hundreds of decrees and orders were issued in the course of a year; these were inspired by the Presidium of the Government, individual ministries or by the Central Economic Office. These steps not only concluded the process of excluding Jews from economic and public life by confiscating all their property, but they also deprived them of their basic civil, personal and human rights. This trend culminated in September 1941 in the passage of the so-called “Jewish Code” (decree number 198/1941 SlC) that became one of the cruelest anti-Semitic laws in modern European history. Moreover, this law based “the solution” of the Jewish question in the Slovak state on the principle of race.[16] Soon the Government, especially the Prime Minster and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vojtech Tuka, and A. Mach, from his double position of Minister of Interior and commander-in-chief of Hlinka’s Guard, started the actual preparations that were immediately followed by execution of the deportations of Slovak Jews into Nazi extermination camps. The above-mentioned governmental officials not only participated in the forced expatriation of the Jews in the course of its organization, but they had also been preparing this action and justifying it in propaganda, presenting it as one of the main conditions of a happy future for the state as well as for the nation. Likewise they justified the deportations as a certain compensation for the lower number of Slovak workers in the 3rd Reich or as a replacement for committing a higher number of Slovak soldiers to the Eastern front. Although some Cabinet members expressed some doubt about the legal and moral side of the deportations, after the explanation of – or rather pressure from Tuka and Mach – “we did not put forward any radical objections against it”[17] (against the deportations – I.K., E.N.) The Cabinet, especially through the Department of the Ministry of Interior number 14 (the so-called “Jewish department”), stipulated the progress and pace of the transports; maintained their general organization, expenses, transportation, etc. From March to October 1942 there were 57,628 people deported from Slovakia to the extermination camps, or about two thirds of the Jews living in the territory of the Slovak Republic at that time. The Slovak Government paid 500.00 Reich marks (about 5,000 Slovak crowns) to Germany for each deportee.[18] However, the individual ministries as well as the Central Economic Office, subordinate to the Presidium of the Government and later to the Ministry of Economy, granted work permits that became a temporary but nevertheless uncertain protection from the forced expatriation from the territory of the state.

Even after the first phase of deportations ended in the autumn of 1942, the Government continued to be the most important constitutional authority directing further steps in “the solution” of the Jewish question. The operational thesis was that it was necessary “to take the strictest approach in dealing with the Jews (…)”, because “(…) even though they have been granted dispensation, they are still a dangerous ulcer on the body of Slovakia, destroyers of the healthy and sober judgment of our people (…)” so that “if we are considerate towards them, we are committing a crime against ourselves”.[19] In spite of the fact that in the spring of 1943 some radical members of the Government[20] attempted to resume the deportations, they were not able to renew the transports.[21] Under the supervision of the Government Jewish labor camps and centers were built in Slovakia. The Government continued to supervise the observance of the previous anti-Jewish discrimination decrees and performed repeated registrations of the remaining Jews; they confirmed the Jews’ working permits and unsuccessfully tried to remedy the increasing economic damage caused by the aryanization process. In the spring of 1944 the remaining Jewish citizens from the Šariš and Zemplín Regions were forcibly evacuated to Central and Western Slovakia. After the German occupation of the Slovak territory in the autumn of 1944 the governmental authorities participated again not only in the malevolent anti-Semitic propaganda, but also by participating in the arrest and deportation of the remaining Slovak Jews into the Nazi extermination and concentration camps and death marches.[22]

President Jozef Tiso had also participated in the “solution” of the Jewish question from October 1939 onwards. For almost sixty years there have been many passionate debates in historiography, historical publications and in Slovak society about the president’s legal, political and moral responsibility for the tragedy of Slovak Jews. Many legends have been created, most of them originating from ideological motives or the lack of knowledge of the facts of that time or their context. The Constitution vested the president with ample possibilities to intervene in the so-called solution of the Jewish question. The head of state approved all the laws passed by the Assembly and could give his opinion on them or return them to the Assembly for new deliberation. It is necessary to say that president J. Tiso signed all the anti-Jewish laws (including constitutional acts number 210/1940 SlC authorising the Government to “solve” the Jewish question for one year and constitutional act number 68/1942 SlC – allowing the deportation of Jews) and, with only one exception (in the case of the law about Jewish business and Jews employed in these enterprises – 113/1940 SlC) he never interfered in their wording.[23] Moreover, before October 1939, during his time as Prime Minister, J. Tiso signed all the anti-Jewish decrees of the Government.[24]

Very often the fact that J. Tiso did not sign the Jewish Code (decree number 198/1941 SlC) is cited. However, this regulation was in the form of a decree passed within the bounds of the full authority vested in the Government regarding “the solution” of the Jewish question. This authorisation of the Government was based on constitutional act number 210/1941 SlC that was passed by the Assembly of the Slovak Republic and signed by the president. Thus both of the above-mentioned constitutional authorities  gave total authority to the Government. Nevertheless, they inevitably bear political responsibility for these measures.  The President did not sign governmental or other decrees, not even in “non-Jewish” matters, because the Constitution did not assign him this task. However J. Tiso knew the text of the Jewish Code before its enactment and through the presidential office he expressed his opinion on it. He did not protest against its wording, but only reserved to himself the right to grant dispensations from its vigor.[25] He never publicly challenged the wording, or the racist and inhumane character of this governmental decree. On the contrary, in many of his official speeches or in public appearances J. Tiso justified and approved of all the anti-Jewish measures, including deportations. He explained them in the context of fictitious interests of the nation and of the country, even citing religious reasons for this. “I will not let the nation perish because of the Jewish commonality. Nation means more for me than Jews. I will say it in a Christian way – first me and then you…”[26] Is what is happening to the Jews Christian? Is it human? It would have looked even worse if we had not cleansed ourselves of them in time. And we have done it according to God’s commandment.”[27] The President deliberately renounced his original promises and resolutions that  “(…) they will not proceed with hatred, roughly and brutally”[28] in the course of “the solution” of the Jewish question. It is astounding that even in the autumn of 1944 J. Tiso defended his attitude towards the persecution of the Jewish population in a letter addressed to Pope Pius XII, in which he claimed that “(…) Jews have had a very comfortable life in the five years of the existence of the Slovak Republic,” despite this fact they have incited uprisings against the state. He also marked reports “(…) about the cruel measures undertaken by the Government in opposition to the principles of humanity towards persons because of their nationality and religion” as an act of hostile propaganda. He explained and justified the deportations as “(…) freeing Jews for work in Germany.”[29] The President’s political responsibility for the “solution” of the Jewish question grew due to the fact that J. Tiso was a member of the leadership of the only governing state-party, and from this position he was also a commander-in-chief of Hlinka’s Guard, which participated to a great degree in the brutal realization of the anti-Semitic decrees until the end of the existence of the Slovak Republic. The president’s moral responsibility arises from the fact that as a priest, with indisputable authority in the society, approved of the state’s anti-Jewish policies, justifying them by fictitious religious motives.

The State Council which, according to the original concept, should have been one of the most important constitutional authorities of the state with far-reaching controlling authority (a certain kind of “Upper House” of the Slovak Parliament[30]), was sometimes also confronted with the process of “the solution” of the Jewish question in Slovakia. Members of the State Council, who represented political, economic, cultural as well as Church elites of the society at this forum, commented on this problem only occasionally but usually only on the most delicate issues, such as aryanization and mainly the deportations of Jews to the extermination camps. Regarding its actual authority, in the totalitarian regime the State Council was basically degraded to the level of a non-obligatory consultative constitutional body. Despite this fact they could also have some small influence on the course of “the solution” of the Jewish question by expressing their opinion and by their declared moral authority. Nonetheless, this institution did not challenge the “justifiability” of discrimination against or persecution of Jewish citizens because “the Jewish population breaks down the social order through its world organization and undermines civilization and the dignity of humankind by its Bolshevism … The Slovak nation should be cleansed from Jews immediately.”[31] The State Council most often criticized some of the methods used by the state authorities against the Jewish population, especially against the converts. In the beginning this criticism was primarily aimed at the aryanization process, which degenerated into corruption scandals and the uncontrollable damage of the economic interests of the state: “There is no more national idealism in our towns. The towns live in the atmosphere that the Jewish question is an issue of those doing the aryanization and of their interests.”[32]

At the beginning of the deportations in March 1942 there was a warning issued at the State Council meeting that not only was this action incongruous with the economic interests of the state but it also broke Slovak as well as international legal principles and it also “(…) went against the natural law as well as God’s law and evoked general scandal.”[33]. Nevertheless, after a heated discussion the State Council did not refuse to allow the deportations to begin; they merely recommended that the president grant dispensations especially to the converts and expressed their concern for space for the deported Jewish converts to perform their religious duties in their “new homes”[34]. In the subsequent period the State Council offered their comments on the Jewish question only sporadically, and they did not react at all to the new wave of deportations in the autumn of 1944. One of its members characteristically expressed its moral and political responsibility, and consequently the State Council’s attitude towards the deportations or towards the whole solution of the Jewish question: “Thank God that it is over. May they [the Jews - editors’ note] never return, not even in the future.”[35]

The highest constitutional authorities of the Slovak Republic thus bear full, although distinct legal, political and moral responsibility for the so-called “solution of the Jewish question” in Slovakia and for its tragic consequences. The published materials vividly account for, reconstruct and concurrently point out the tragedy of this process that logically led to the mass murders and the subsequent trauma of the Slovak society. The activity of these institutions from the aspect of their personal structure was not monolithic in its views, nor unchangeable; however, it was differential in its attitude towards the “solution” of the Jewish question and underwent its own inner development, influenced by foreign as well as domestic political and ideological factors.

 

Phases of the legal modifications of the Jewish question in the period of the Slovak State

1.          From March 14, 1939 until the passage of the Constitution on July 21, 1939 anti-Jewish regulations were passed in the form of governmental decrees based on act number 1/1939 SlC  regarding the independent Slovak State. In § 4 this law vested the Government with authority by means of decrees to perform all that was deemed necessary for the preservation of public order and for securing of the interests of the Slovak State in this transitional period.[36]

2.          From the passage of the Constitution on July 21, 1939 until September 11, 1940 the highest number of anti-Jewish regulations based on § 44 of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic were passed in the form of decrees with force of the law.[37]

Only some anti-Jewish regulations were passed in the form of laws in this period. It was especially act number 113/1940 SlC regarding Jewish enterprises and Jews employed in enterprises (the so-called “First Aryanization Act”) and act number 163/1940 SlC about the temporary regularization of executions and tenders that were introduced thanks to Jewish proposals.

3.          The next phase began on September 11, 1940 when constitutional act number 210/1942 SlC, authorizing the Government for the period of one year “to solve” the issue of Jews, came into force.[38]

By passing this constitutional law the President and the Assembly of the Slovak Republic authorized the Government to resolve the situation of the Jews according to their own conviction. Therefore, these two constitutional authorities did not interfere in the situation of the Jews for almost a year. In fact, constitutional law prevented the Assembly of the Slovak Republic from deliberating about individual governmental decrees for a period of three months as the Constitution empowered the Assembly to do in the case of “ordinary” governmental decrees.

From September 11, 1940 until September 11, 1941 almost no anti-Jewish regulations were passed in the form of decrees based on this constitutional act, including decree number 198/1941 SlC – the so-called “Jewish Code”.

After the passage of constitutional act number 210/1940 SlC the Government passed decree number 222/1940 SlC by which the Government delegated its authority to the established Central Economic Office (CEO).[39] This law subsequently put in force most of the anti-Jewish agenda – including the liquidation and aryanization of Jewish shops and enterprises according to decree number 303/1940 SlC (the so-called “Second Aryanization Act”). Decree number 198/1941 SlC – the so-called “Jewish Code” gave extensive authority to some administrative offices. The Central Economic Office was given power in aryanization and economic matters, the Ministry of Interior (newly created Department number 14 – so-called “Jewish Department”) was authorized in the issues of police and security. Based on this authorization both offices issued statutes of implementation in the form of edicts published in the newspaper “Úradné noviny”.

Until the Jewish Code was passed the Ministry of Interior issued its statutes on the basis of act number 190/1939 SlC about public domestic administration.[40]

4.          After September 11,1941, i.e. after the expiration of authorization of the Government ruled by the act number 210/1940 SlC the situation went back to the same status prior to September 11, 1940.

Regulations about the modification of some questions about retirement insurance of Jews who were self-employed in higher services were passed in the form of a law (act number 278/1941 SlC), as were regulations on securing husbandry at agricultural estates maintained by Jews (act number 108/1942 SlC) as well as regulations limiting the number of Jews for adoption (act number 138/1942 SlC).

At first the Government enforced regulations related to the deportations based on § 22 of decree number 198/1941 (the so-called “Jewish Code”).[41] Since the deportations of Jews brought a partial change in the provisions of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, they were “amended” by the enactment of a constitutional act (Constitutional act number 68/1942 SlC)[42]

 

Archeographical Note

The edition of the documents presented here is based on research done in the Slovak National Archives (see Archives where the research was done). Only several documents come from the Yad Vashem archives in Jerusalem.

The authors are aware that a great number of important documents are not included in this edition. First of all, we have found only some of the minutes from the Government; almost all of them from 1942 have been found, but for 1943 and 1944, only a part of them can be found. Even the minutes that have been found offer only a very succinct account of the decisions made by the Government in the Jewish agenda, without providing any details of the discussion raised by individual ministers about the given question. With very few exceptions, we have not found any minutes of the Government from 1939-1941 – or those of its deliberations about the very significant decisions – e.g. in the case of the passing of governmental decree number 63/1939 SlC (the definition of a Jew) or decree number 198/1941 SlC (the so-called “Jewish Code”). Regarding the legislative process there have been only some governmental bills published (e.g. regarding act number 113/1940 SlC or constitutional act number 68/1942). There are no documents in this book that would deal with the Central Economic Office that was directly under the Prime Minister (nor are there any documents from the CEO’s predecessor – The Economic Office of the Presidium of the Government). We are planning the publication of a separate volume containing materials from these important offices. There are no documents from the Ministry of Interior either (nor from Department number 14, the so-called “Jewish Department”). Documents of this provenance will be included in at least two other volumes on Jewish labor camps and the deportations.

Based on the available documents we also have very little information about decisions made by President J. Tiso. In this case we have also used several of his speeches that were published in the press of that period.

The documents from the Assembly of the Slovak Republic are better preserved. Most of all there are minutes from the sessions written in shorthand, as well as many preparatory documents (such as deliberations in individual committees). Discussions that took place in individual committees are preserved only in a very succinct form in the Fond of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic in the Slovak National Archives.

The best-preserved documents are those of the State Council. Despite the fact that this office did not have a great deal of authority, important representatives of the state were sitting there (e.g. the Prime Minister, V. Tuka and several other ministers – A. Mach, F. Čatloš, the head of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic, M. Sokol and others); therefore, we are much better informed about their attitude towards the Jewish question than in the case of documents from the Assembly or from the Government.

Further research in the archives of these institutions can then shift the picture that we are presenting in this collection of documents.

Documents are published according to the established rules for publishing sources concerning modern history. They are mostly published in their full wording. Due to a lack of space we left out introductions to the documents in cases of the shorthand written minutes from the Assembly sessions that would be repeated in the same wording in each document. In each case, if only a portion of the document is published, it is noted; omissions are marked by an ellipsis (…). Any eroded or illegible passages are marked graphically with […]. Documents are published in their original language – in Slovak or in German, with a translation of the German documents in footnotes. The editors sought to interfere minimally into the text of the documents. The original spelling is preserved. Only evident misspellings in the cases of proper names are corrected.

If the original documents were not preserved in the archives, editors rarely used the documents published in the press of that period (especially from the newspapers “Slovák” and “Gardista”). We have used the press mostly in the case of J. Tiso’s speeches.

In the preparation of footnotes the editors included them to identify persons only the first time the name was mentioned. For this reason we advise the use of the index of names when searching for this data.

The inner structure of the book is based on the chronological principle. In the head of each document there is a content annotation (in italics) that was written by the editors. This is followed by the text of the document itself, which is then followed by a citation of the source (archives, fond, number), which is again in italics. The source citation includes some abbreviations that are explained in the section on archives.

Just a note regarding the use of the word “Jew”. In the documents the wording is preserved according to the original spelling. In the period of the First Czecho-Slovak Republic the lower-case form “jewish” referred to the religion (Orthodox Jews in Slovakia were perceived in this way), while the upper-case form “Jewish” referred to the nationality. (Zionists were perceived in this way in Slovakia). Since only a part of the Jews acknowledged Slovak nationality, it is necessary to write about Jews in Slovakia, not Slovak Jews.

Finally, we would like to express our gratitude for their willingness and assistance during our research in the Slovak National Archives in Bratislava especially to Dr. V. Vrabcová, B. Slezáková and P. Magura.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS[43]

Document 1. An article from the Jewish Newspaper regarding an audience given to the representatives of the Central Jewish Office by the Prime Minister of the Autonomous Government  J. Tiso in January 1939.                                                                                        (25)

Document 2. The Government of the Slovak Country on January 23, 1939 formed a committee for the solution of the Jewish question in Slovakia. Its members were: Karol Sidor, Minister of State, Mikuláš Pružinský, Minister of Economy, Pavel Teplánsky, Minister of Finance, Ferdinand Ďurčanský, Minister of Transportation and Public Works, and  Julius Virsík, Attorney at Law.                                                                                                         (25)

Document 3. Excerpt from an article published in the newspaper, Slovak Politics on January 27, 1939 in which there is a declaration offered by the Prime Minister of the Slovak Autonomous Government, J. Tiso, to foreign journalists in which he discusses “the Jewish question”.                                                                                                                            (26)

Document 4. Excerpt from the radical speech of representative A. Mach in Rišňovce on February 5, 1939 relating to the Jews.                                                                               (27)

Document 5. Part of the Government’s proclamation referring to the Jews, presented by the Prime Minister of the Autonomous Government, J. Tiso, at the meeting of the Assembly on February 21, 1939.                                                                                                                     (27)

Document 6. Speeches of representatives F. Karmasin, P. Čarnogurský, G. Rehák, V. Moravčík, J. Maguth, and A. Mach in the Assembly of the Slovak Country on February 21- 23, 1939 relating to the Jews.                                                                                              (28)

Document 7. Letter of the Presidium of the Government to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dated July 15, 1939, on the issue of the regulation of Jews studying in secondary schools.                                                                                                                                        (30)

Document 8. Excerpt from the shorthand written record of the 15th session of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava on Tuesday, November 21, 1939. The passage from the Government’s proclamation on the Jewish question was presented by the vice-chairman of the Government, F. Ďurčanský.                                                                                                   (31)

Document 9. Undated report of the Government citing the motivation behind the various stipulations of the Act about Jewish Enterprises and Jewish Employees (the so-called “First Aryanization Act”).                                                                                                               (32)

Document 10. A February 2, 1940 report of the Economic Committee about the governmental bill about Jewish Enterprises and Jewish Employees (the so-called “First Aryanization Act”).                                                                                                                                         (37)

Document 11. Excerpt from the shorthand written record of the 26th session of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic from February 22, 1940 where they deliberated on the law about land reform that legitimized the aryanization of Jewish land.                                                         (38)

Document 12. A February 23, 1940 report of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic’s Committee on Constitutional Law on the governmental bill about Jewish Enterprises and Jewish Employees (the so-called First Aryanization Act).                                                       (40)

Document 13. Excerpt from the shorthand written record of the 27th session of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic from February 29, 1940, in which the Jewish Enterprises and Jewish Employees Act was passed.                                                                                                   (42)

Document  14. A March 19, 1940 letter of President J. Tiso, Prime Minister V. Tuka, and Minister of Economy G. Medrický to the chairman of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic, M. Sokol, with objections to the prepared law about Jewish Enterprises and Jewish Employees in these enterprises.                                                                                        (69)

Document 15. Minutes from the meeting of the Economic Committee and the Committee on Constitutional Law of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic from April 11, 1940 in which they deliberated on objections raised by President J. Tiso to the Jewish Enterprises and Jewish Employees Act.                                                                                                               (70)

Document 16. The Government’s approval of the re-education of the Jews who want to emigrate, dated April 20, 1940.                                                                                         (73)

Document 17. Excerpt from the shorthand written record of the 33rd session of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic from April 25, 1940. The report of the Committee on Constitutional Law and Economic Committee responding to the President’s objections to the draft of the Jewish Enterprises and Jewish Employees Act.                                                                 (74)

Document 18. A May 8, 1940 ruling of the Government of the Slovak Republic that only written interventions regarding aryanization and Jewish issues will be accepted.                     (80)

Document 19. Report to the bill about the listing of the Jewish property from August 22, 1940 signed by the Minister of Economy G. Medrický.                                                                  (81)

Document 20. Prime Minister V. Tuka’s proposal about establishing the Jewish ghetto in Slovakia, sent to the Ministry of Interior on August 26, 1940.                                            (82)

Document 21. Undated report of the government’s bill regarding the repurchase of Jewish realties bought by the Jews at the executory auction.                                                        (83)

Document 22. Undated governmental bill of the constitutional law conferring the Government with the authority to solve the Jewish question.                                                             (85)

Document 23. A September 3, 1940 report of the Committee on Constitutional Law concerning the governmental bill entrusting the Government with the power to solve the Jewish question.                                                                                                                  (87)

Document 24. Excerpt from the shorthand written record of the 43rd session of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic of September 3, 1940, which passed Constitutional Act number 210, entrusting the Government with the power to solve the Jewish question for one year, as well as the Act about the Repurchase of the Jewish Real Estates bought by the Jews at the executory auction.                                                                                                                 (88)

Document 25. A September 6, 1940 letter of the Presidium of the Government to the Assembly of the Slovak Republic justifying the passage of a decree with the power of law about the listing of Jewish property.                                                                                          (102)

Document 26. Extract from the speech of President J. Tiso at the rally in Višňové about the Jewish question, published in the newspaper Slovák on September 24 – 25, 1940.          (103)

Document 27. Extract from the speech of President J. Tiso at a celebration in Ružomberok about the Jewish question that was published in the newspaper Slovák on October 1, 1940.                                                                                                                                     (104)   

Document 28. An October 18, 1940 letter of the Presidium of the Government to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking for the intervention on behalf of the Jews in Nazi Germany who are Slovak citizens.                                                                                                                     (104)

Document 29. December 3, 1940 intervention based on the order of President J. Tiso concerning the issue of aryanization.                                                                                      (105)

Document 30. December 21, 1940 intervention based on the order of President J. Tiso concerning the issue of aryanization.                                                                                    (106)

Document 31. Excerpt from the minutes and a shorthand written record of the February 12, 1941 session of the State Council in which the deliberation about the Jewish question took place. The chairman of the Central Economic Office A. Morávek presented a report.      (107)

Document 32. Comments of the vice chairman of the State Council B. Klima and the opinion of the State Council on the report of A. Morávek.                                                           (122)

Document 33. An April 7, 1941 request of Office of President J. Tiso to the Central Economic Office for information about the aryanization.                                                                        (123)

Document 34. Excerpt from a shorthand written record of the April 25, 1941 session of the State Council containing a discussion on the issue of Jews who had been baptized.  (123)

Document 35. Excerpt from the May 1941 report about the working of the State Land Office that was prepared for the State Council regarding the issue of Jewish land.                (124)  

Document  36. Two documents concerning the working duty of the baptized Jews.     (127)

Document 37. August 20, 1941 comments of President J. Tiso on the draft of the definition of the term “Jew”. A reply of the Presidium of the Government to J. Tiso on his comments. These documents originated before the passage of decree 198/1941 SlC, the so-called “Jewish Code”.                                                                                                                                (128)

Document 38. Information about aryanization from the Presidium of the Government, dated August 27, 1941, sent to President J. Tiso.                                                                                (132)

Document 39. President J. Tiso on the Jewish question on September 18, 1941.               (132)

Document 40. October 31, 1941 letter of the State Council to President J. Tiso concerning the legal status of the Jews. This letter is a reaction to the racial definition of the term “Jew” based on decree number 198/1941 SlC – the so-called “Jewish Code”.                    (133)

Document 41. A November 6, 1941 letter of the Presidium of the Government to the Ministry of Interior concerning the payment of the expenses of the Jewish concentration camps in Slovakia.                                                                                                                               (135)

Document 42. On November 25, 1941 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Presidium of the Slovak Government, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance, the Central Economic Office, and the Slovak National Bank that on November 21, 1941 they had been informed by the Germans about the preparations for the deportation of the Jews. The German party asked Slovakia to express their opinion on the deportation of the Jews who are Slovak citizens from Nazi Germany and from the Protectorate of Czech and Moravia as soon as possible.                                                                                                     (136)

Document 43. A December 10, 1041 Government ruling about extending the period for the practice of Jewish physicians.                                                                                       (137)

Document 44. Excerpt from a shorthand written record of the 77th session of the December 18, 1941 Assembly of the Slovak Republic. The report of the Committee on the Constitutional Law, Social, and Health Committees about the governmental bill modifying the questions of the retirement insurance of the Jews, who are private employees in higher service.                (137)

Document 45. Letter of the Slovak Embassy in Berlin to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bratislava about negotiations concerning the deportation of Jews from Slovakia. The letter mentions an agreement reached on December 2, 1941 in which the Slovak Government agreed to the deportation of the Slovak Jews residing in the Third Reich (including the Protectorate of Czech and Moravia as well as the so-called “Ostmark”, i.e. former Austria).                                                                                                                                    (139)                                                                                     

Document 46. Excerpt from the minutes of the Government from February 11, 1942 concerning Jews.                                                                                                                    (141)

Document 47. Excerpt from the minutes of the Government from March 3, 1942 where the Prime Minister V. Tuka and the Minister of Interior A. Mach informed the members of the Government that Jews will be deported from Slovakia.                                             (142)

Document 48. A March 4, 1942 letter of the Presidium of the Government to the Central Economic Office about the Government’s ruling on the confiscation of Jewish stamp collections.                                                                                                                               (143)

Document 49. The Presidium of the Government’s March 5, 1942 statute to the Central Economic Office for aryanizers to levy a part of the break-up value of the aryanized enterprises.                                                                                                                        (143)

Document 50. Excerpt from the minutes from the March 6, 1942 session of the State Council in which Prime Minister V. Tuka announced the deportation of Jews, that Slovakia will pay 500 RM (Reich Marks) for each deported person and that deported Jews will cease to be citizens of the Slovak Republic.                                                                                        (146)

Document 51. A March 19, 1942 letter of the Ministry of Defence to the Central Economic Office about the transfer of Jewish movables to the army.                                                          (148)

Document 52. A March 25, 1942 letter of the Presidium of the Government to the Ministry of Interior about loaning of the deportations of the Jews.                                                            (148)

Document  53. Abstract from the minutes of the Government from March 24, 1942 in which deliberations on the text of the constitutional act about the expatriation of Jews, which was submitted to the Assembly of the Slovak Republic, took place.                                        (149)

Document 54. A March 25, 1942 letter of the Presidium of the Slovak Government to the Presidium of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic informing them about delivering the governmental bill of the constitutional act about the expatriation of Jews. The Government asks the Assembly to deliberate on the constitutional act as soon as possible because the deportations will start in the immediate future.                                                                (150)

Document 55. A March 24, 1942 governmental bill and the rationale behind the constitutional act about the expatriation of the Jews; it is signed by the Minister of Interior A. Mach.    (151)

Document 56. A March 1942 governmental bill about disciplining Jews by caning.          (152)

Document 57. Minutes from the March 26, 1942 session of the State Council deliberating on the Jewish question. The chairman of the Central Economic Office, A. Morávek, presented a report at this meeting in which he informed the State Council about the progress of aryanization and liquidation of the Jewish firms and shops. There was a discussion among the members of the State Council about the Jewish issue or rather about the prepared deportations.                                                                                                                           (153)

Document 58. A March 26, 1942 letter of the State Council to President J. Tiso asking him to handle the requests of baptized Jews for dispensations so that the authorities would then know whom they can deport.                                                                                                  (178)

Document 59. A March 26, 1942 letter of the State Council to the Presidium of the Government about deportations.                                                                                               (179)

Document  60. General part of the rationale on the governmental bill about the Fund for establishing and running the enterprises for working duty of Jews from April 1, 1942. This rationale contains information on the pauperization of Jews resulting from the liquidation and aryanization of the Jewish shops, enterprises and firms.                                                            (180)

Document 61. The minutes from negotiations between Prime Minister V. Tuka and H. Himmler’s deputy about the deportations of Jews.                                                                 (181)

Document 62. Extract from the minutes from the Government’s session of April 22, 1942.                                                                                                                                       (182)

Document 63. The Government’s April 22, 1942 ruling concerning Jewish lawyers.     (183)

Document 64. Extract from the minutes and from a shorthand record of the State Council’s meeting of April 29, 1942.                                                                                                         (184)

Document 65. A May 5, 1942 letter of Prime Minister V. Tuka to the chairman of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic M. Sokol that was written as an attachment to the German verbal note sent by V. Tuka on May 1, 1942.                                                              (194)

Document 66. Extract from the minutes of the Government from May 7, 1942.                      (195)

Document 67. The May 11, 1942 report of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic’s Committee on Constitutional Law to the constitutional act about the expatriation of Jews.                 (197)

Document 68. A May 13, 1942 official report from the Secretariat of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic in which J. Martinka conveyed additional remarks of Prime Minister V. Tuka concerning the constitutional act about the expatriation of Jews.                                 (198)

Document 69. Extract from the minutes of the Government from May 15, 1942 where the Government took a stand on modifications enacted in the Assembly of the Slovak Republic’s Committee on Constitutional Law to the prepared constitutional act about the expatriation of Jews.                                                                                                                                       (199)

Document 70. Letter of Prime Minister V. Tuka to the chairman of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic M. Sokol with remarks of the Government from its session on May 15, 1942. These remarks differ from the ones written in the minutes from the Government’s session of May 15, 1942.                                                                                                                    (199)

Document 71. Shorthand written record of the 87th session of the May 15, 1942 Assembly of the Slovak Republic which passed Constitutional Act number 68/1942 SlC about the Expatriation of Jews, which became a legal ground for the deportations of Jews.                  (200)

Document 72. A May 22, 1942 letter of the President’s Office informing the Presidium of the Government about the transmission of a copy of the constitutional act signed by the President.                                                                                                                                             (205)

Document 73. Extract from the minutes of the Government’s May 22, 1942 session in which the Government entrusted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with enforcing the resolution of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic to the constitutional act about the deportations of Jews.                                                                                                                                          (206)

Document 74. Extract from the minutes and a shorthand record of the State Council’s May 27, 1942 session  deliberating on the issues of Jewish physicians and revisions of aryanization.                                                                                                                                            (206)

Document 75. Extract from the minutes of the Government’s May 29, 1942 session in which the Minister of Interior agreed with the Minister of Education to refrain from deporting teachers of Jewish schools before July 31, 1942.                                                                   (214)

Document 76. A May 29, 1942 letter of the State Council to the Ministry of Interior concerning Jewish physicians.                                                                                       (215)

Document 77. Extract from the minutes of the June 10, 1942 Government’s session concerning Jews.                                                                                                                       (216)

Document 78. Extract from the shorthand record of the 91st session of the June 16, 1942 Assembly of the Slovak Republic. Report of the Committee on Constitutional Law and Economic Committee on the governmental bill about ensuring farming of the land estates maintained by Jews.                                                                                                           (217)

Document 79. Extract from the minutes of the June 18, 1942 Government’s session.       (219)

Document 80. Slovak verbal note from June 23, 1942 containing the agreement to the payment of 500 RM for each deported Jew.                                                             (220)

Document  81. Extract from the minutes of the Government’s June 24, 1942 session containing a description of the course of preparation of the governmental bill executing some regulations of Constitutional Act 68/1942; the Government agreed that in some special cases the parents of the Jews who have been granted dispensation do not have to be deported.

                                                                                                                                             (220)

Document 82. Extract from the minutes and shorthand record of the State Council’s June 24, 1942 session where they observed the decree executing Constitutional Act number 68/1942 SlC about the Expatriation of Jews.                                                                                           (221)

Document 83. Extract from the shorthand record of the 92nd session of the July 2, 1942 Assembly of the Slovak Republic. Report of the Committee on Constitutional Law on the governmental bill about restriction of Jews in cases of adoption.                                          (223)

Document 84. Extract from the minutes of the July 8, 1942 Government’s session.          (225)

Document 85. Extract from the minutes of the July 18, 1942 Government’s session.            (225)

Document  86. Extract from the minutes of the August 11,1942 Government’s session in which they deliberated about further preparations for deportations.                         (226)

Document 87. Extract from President J. Tiso’s speech in Holíč in August 1942 where he spoke about the Jewish question.                                                                                      (227)

Document 88. Extract from the minutes of the September 11, 1942 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                      (228)

Document 89. A part of the protocol from the 5th common meeting of German and Slovak Governmental Committees from September 10 – 30, 1942 regarding the payment of 500 RM for each deported Jew.                                                                                                  (229)

Document 90. Extract from the shorthand record of the 95th session of the September 30, 1942 Assembly of the Slovak Republic. Report of the Committee on Constitutional Law on the governmental bill establishing a curator for the liquidation of attorney’s offices in the case of Jewish lawyers who were wiped away from the list of attorneys.                                         (230)

Document 91. Extract from the shorthand record of the 96th session of the October 8, 1942 Assembly of the Slovak Republic. Report of the Committee on Constitutional Law on the governmental bill about awarding claims and demands against the state ensuing from the translation of Jewish property to the state.                                                                                    (231)

Document 92. Extract from the minutes of the October 13, 1942 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                                       (233)

Document 93. An October 15, 1942 letter of the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Interior regarding payments for the deportees.                                                                      (234)

Document  94. An October 15, 1942 letter of the Presidium of the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Finance reporting the number of the deported Jews as 57,628.                       (234)

Document 95. An October 27, 1942 letter of Prime Minister V. Tuka to the Minister of Economy G. Medrický concerning the questionnaires about Jews.                                       (235)

Document 96. An October 28, 1942 letter of the Ministry of Finance to the Presidium of the Government about technical details of payments for the deported Jews.                           (236)

Document 97. Extract from the minutes of the November 4, 1942 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                        (238)

Document 98. A November 5, 1942 letter of the Presidium of the Government to the Ministry of Finance conveying the Government’s approval, given on November 4, 1942, to the transfer of deposits of the Fund for Supporting the Expatriation of Jews to a special account of the Ministry of Finance, thus making it possible to use this money to pay for the deportations.                                                                                                                                               (239)

Document 99. Extract from the minutes of the December 2, 1942 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                         (240)

Document 100. Extract from the shorthand record of the 104th session of the December 22, 1942 Assembly of the Slovak Republic. Report of the Committee on Constitutional Law on the governmental bill modifying the Act about awarding claims and demands against the state ensuing from the transfer of Jewish property to the state.                                                          (241)

Document 101. Extract from the minutes of the January 15, 1943 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                         (244)

Document 102. Extract from the minutes of the February 1, 1943 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                         (245)

Document 103. Extract from the minutes and the shorthand record of the February 3, 1943 State Council’s session in which the head of the 14th Department of the Ministry of Interior (the so-called “Jewish Department”), A. Vašek, presented a report about Jewish issues. It was followed by discussion on the Jewish issues.                                                                        (246)

Document 104. Extract from the minutes of the February 23, 1943 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                       (256)

Document 105. Undated proposal of the Ministry of Interior for the solution of the Jewish question (probably from March 1943).                                                                            (256)

Document 106. Extract from the minutes of the March 30, 1943 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                                       (258)

Document 107. Undated proposal of the Ministry of Interior for the further solution of the Jewish question (preparation of additional deportations).                                                    (258)

Document 108. An April 9, 1943 letter of the Presidium of the Government to all the Ministries containing the Government’s directives of April 8, 1943 regarding the Jewish question associated with the next stage of deportations.                                                      (259)

Document 109. An April 14, 1943 letter of the Minister of Interior A. Mach to the Presidium of the Ministry of Economy about the Government’s resolution about Jewish dispensations.                                                                                                                                     (260)

Document  110. Extract from the minutes of the May 12, 1943 State Council’s session. The chairman of the Central Economic Office Ľudovít Paškovič presented a report on the issue of aryanization.                                                                                                                             (262)

Document 111. A May 13, 1943 letter of the Presidium of the Government to all the ministers asking them to prepare reports for the next Government’s session about excluding Jews from economic and public life.                                                                                                  (274)

Document 112. Extract from the minutes of the May 15, 1943 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                                          (275)

Document 113. A June 11, 1943 letter of Prime Minister V. Tuka to the Minister of Economy G. Medrický about the Jewish dispensations.                                                                         (275)

Document 114. Extract from the minutes of the June 22, 1943 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                              (276)

Document 115. Extract from the minutes of the August 10, 1943 Government’s session in which the Minister of Interior A. Mach announced that the deportations would not continue.                        (277)

Document 116. Minutes from the session of the common committee of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic of September 3, 1943 in which the members deliberated on the Jewish question and the definition of a Jew.                                                                                    (278)

Document 117. Extract from the minutes of the September 9, 1943 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                      (279)

Document 118. An October 1, 1943 letter of the Secretariat of the Ministry of Interior to the 14th Department (to A. Vašek) about the dialogue between the Minister of Interior A. Mach and President J. Tiso. One of the outcomes of this dialogue were preparations for the establishment of a new Jewish detention camp.                                                                      (280)

Document 119. Extract from the shorthand record of the 121th session of the September 28, 1943 Assembly of the Slovak Republic in which the so-called “Jewish Code” was modified.                                                                                                                                     (281)

Document 120. A December 13, 1943 letter of the Presidium of the Government to the Presidiums of the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Finance about Jewish houses.                                                                                                                                               (292)

Document 121. A December 21, 1943 letter of the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioning the payment of 200 million crowns to Nazi Germany for the expenses for the deportation of Jews from Slovakia in 1942.                                     (292)

Document 122. Record of the meeting between President J. Tiso and a Nazi diplomat Veesenmayer on December 22, 1943.                                                                                   (293)

Document 123. Extract from the minutes of the March 21,1944 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                                        (295)

Document 124. Extract from the minutes of the Committee of Economic Ministers’ session of March 23, 1944.                                                                                                                   (295)

Document 125. Extract from the minutes of the April 26, 1944 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                                         (297)

Document 126. Extract from the minutes of the Committee of Economic Ministers’ session of May 16, 1944.                                                                                                                      (298)

Document 127. Extract from the minutes of the May 31, 1944 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                                          (299)

Document 128. Governmental proposal for the Assembly resolution agreeing with the June 7, 1944 verbal note regarding payments for the deportation of Jews in 1942.                          (300)

Document 129. A July 14, 1944 letter of the Government to the Presidium of the Ministry of Economy about using Jewish deposits for the payment of damage caused by the Allies’ air raids against Slovakia.                                                                                                          (302)

Document 130. Extract from the minutes of the August 8, 1944 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                                        (302)

Document 131. Extract from the minutes of the September 11, 1944 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                    (303)

Document 132. Extract from the minutes of the September 15, 1944 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                    (303)

Document 133. Extract from the minutes of the October 2, 1944 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                                      (304)

Document 134. Extract from the governmental program of Prime Minister Štefan Tiso of October 4, 1944 which he presented at the 141st session of the Assembly of the Slovak Republic.                                                                                                                                 (304)

Document 135. An October 8, 1944 letter of President J. Tiso to Pope Pius XII about the Jewish question.                                                                                                             (305)

Document 136. Extract from the minutes of the November 13, 1944 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                    (306)

Document 137. A November 13, 1944 letter of the Ministry of Defence to the Civic Notary Office in Bratislava serving notice of the concentration of Jews.                                    (307)

Document 138. Extract from the minutes of the November 22, 1944 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                    (308)

Document 139. A November 27, 1944 letter of Archbishop Eidem of Uppsala to President J. Tiso.                                                                                                                                     (309)

Document 140. A January 4, 1945 letter of President J. Tiso to Archbishop Eidem of Uppsala.                                                                                                                                            (309)

Document 141. Extract from the minutes of the January 30, 1945 Government’s session.                                                                                                                                         (310)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


[1] Slovak National Archives (SNA), Fond Ministry of Interior, 23619/1939, Instruction published by the Ministry of Interior for the District offices from October 1939.

[2] Minutes  from the Assembly of the Slovak Republic (hereafter TS SSR) written in shorthand. 27th plenary session, February 29, 1940. Regarding the beginnings of the Holocaust see NIŽNANSKY, E.: The Jewish Community in Slovakia between the Czecho-Slovak Parliamentary Democracy and Slovak State in the Context of Central Europe. Prešov 1999.

[3] Nástup, February 1, 1939; Slovák, November 30 1938.

[4] See also documents number 9,10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17.

[5] Slovak Code of Law 1940, act 46/1940 SlC; act 113/1940 SlC; constitutional act 210/1940 SlC – see also documents number 22,23, 24; Slovak Code of Law 1942, constitutional act 68/1942 SlC – see also documents number 54,55, 65, 67,68,69,70, 71, 72. NIŽŇANSKÝ, E.: Deportations of Jews from Slovakia in 1942 and passing of constitutional act number  68/1942 about  “resettlement of Jews“.  In: Studia historica Nitriensia X/2002, 85-156.

[6] TS SSR, 41st plenary session, July 4, 1940

[7] SNA, Fond National Court (NS), Dr. Karol Mederly, Tnľud 15/47.

[8] TS SSR, 96th plenary session, December 8, 1942

[9] SNA, Fond “The Assembly of the Slovak Republic”; deliberations of the committees, without number, box 272 (number of the box is not in accordance with the reality because in the course of preparations of this book the reconstruction of this fond was undertaken and the boxes were renumbered – I.K., E.N.) See document number 116.

[10] See KAMENEC, I.: The Assembly of the Slovak Republic and its Attitude towards the Problem of the Jewish Citizens in Slovakia in the Period 1939-1945. In: Historický časopis 17, 1969, issue 3, 329-362.

[11] Gardista, September  14, 1941. The article of  J. Martinka, the head of the Legislative Assembly of the Presidium of the Government.

[12] Slovak Code of Law 1939, act 1/1939 SlC.

[13] Slovak Code of Law 1939, act 185/1939 SlC.

[14] Slovak Code of Law 1940, constitutional law 210/1940 SlC

[15] TS SSR, 43rd plenary session, September 3, 1940.  

[16]  Slovak Code of Law 1941, decree 198/1941 SlC

[17] SNA, Fond NS, Július Stano, Tnľud 2/46.

[18] For more details see Nižňanský, E. - Kamenec, I.: Payments for the Deported Slovak Jews. In: Historický časopis, 51, 2003, issue 2, 311-342. NIŽŇANSKÝ, E.: Deportations of the Jews from Slovakia in 1942 and Passing of Constitutional Law number  68/1942 about the “resettlement of Jews”.  In: Studia historica Nitriensia X/2002, 85-156.

[19] SNA, Fond NS, Dr. Anton Vašek, Tnľud 17/46; Slovák, June 7 1944.

[20] E.g. The speech of A. Mach at the regional convention in Ružomberok in February 1943. “(…) One of our first duties after we have eliminated 80% of Jews will be to deal with the rest of them. Everybody can see what these 20 thousand Jews we still have here mean . If they are baptized or not, if they have the identification of this or that kind – all of them follow the same aim. But March and April will come and transports will leave (…)”. Gardista, February 9, 1943.

[21] For more details see documents number 105, 107, 108, 109, 111, 112, 115.

[22] See documents number 131,132, 133, 134, 137.

[23] For details see document number 14.

[24] Including governmental decree number 63/1939 SlC, where there is also included the definition of a Jew.

[25] For details see documents number 37 and 38.

[26] Slovák, August10, 1940.

[27] SNA, Fond NS Dr. Jozef Tiso, Tnľud 6/46, Reports of the Slovak Press Agency 

[28] Slovák, March 16, 1939.

[29] Vatican and Slovak Republic (1939/1945). Documents. (Editors: Kamenec, I.-Prečan, V. - Škorvánek S.) Bratislava 1992. Document number 138, 207-208. For details see document number 134.

[30] For details see KAMENEC, I.: The State Council in the Political System of the Slovak State in 1939-1945. In: Historický časopis 44, 1996, issue 2, 221-242.

[31] SNA, Fond Slovakia (S), 99-6; Fond S, 101-4.

[32] SNA, Fond NS, Otomar Kubala, Tnľud. 13/46, the minutes from the State Council meetings.

[33] SNA, Fond NS, Dr. Karol Mederly, Tnľud 15/47, the minutes from the State Council meetings; Fond S, 102-103.

[34] For more details see document number 57.

[35] SNA, Fond NS, Dr. Viktor Ravasz, Tnľud 22/45 , the minutes from the State Council meetings.

[36] Slovak Code of 1939. 1st law from March 14, 1939 about the independent Slovak State.

    (…) § 4. Government  is empowered through its decrees to enact all that is necessary for preservation of the order and securing the interests of the Slovak State in this transitional period.

[37] Slovak Code of 1939. Constitutional law number 185/1939 Sl. C. (…) § 44.

(1) If in order to forestall irrecoverable damage, the important economic, financial or political interests of the state require immediate measures, the Government can pass them in the form of a decree with the force of the law with the exception of the issues that belong to the sole authority of the Assembly or that according to the Constitution should be ruled by the law.

(2) This decree is valid only after being signed by the majority of the members of the Government as well as by the President.

(3)The decree with the force of the law simultaneously with its proclamation will be presented to the Assembly by the Prime Minister. The Assembly can in three months period express their disagreement with the decree that is to be declared according to § 29 with stating of the day when the decree loses its force or they can modify the decree and pass it as a law.

[38] Slovak Code of 1940. Constitutional law number 210/1940 SlC

§ 1

(1) The Government is authorized to undertake through the decrees all the necessary measures:

a) to exclude Jews from Slovak economic and social life;

     b) to pass the Jewish property into the ownership of Christians;

(2) This authorization according to the par. 1 is valid for one year from the day of this law coming into force.

§ 2 The decrees passed in accordance with § 1 have the force of the laws and they are signed by the Prime Minister and the respective Minister. They are declared as laws. (…).

[39]  Slovak Code of 1940. Decree number 222/1940 SlC (…) § 2. (1) Central Economic Office is in charge of enacting all that is necessary, according to the special regulations, to exclude Jews from Slovak economic and social life and to pass the Jewish property into the ownership of Christians.

[40] Slovak Code of 1940. Act number 190/1939 SlC. In § 2 of this law it is stated:

(1) Ministry of Interior and the subordinate offices of the domestic public administration are bound to watch over the public order, peace, public safety, morality, to ward off all the danger of this nature and eliminate all the existing disorder, if there are or will be no other offices or authorities entrusted with this task.

(2) If the regulations that have already been passed do not sufficiently protect public interests, the Ministry of Interior and the regional offices are allowed to issue for the specific cases prescripts and prohibitions in the form of general regulations that are needed in the public interest and they can order statutory fine from 10.00 crowns to 5,000.00 crowns or imprisonment from 12 hours up to 14 days and it can be also in the case that valid regulations rule the low punishment. Irrecoverable mulct should be changed into imprisonment for not more than 14 days.

(3) The prescripts and bans issued by the regional offices come to force only after their approval by the Ministry of Interior. In emergency and urgent cases the regional offices as well as the district offices can issue such prescripts and bans with additional approval of the Minister of Interior. If the Minister does not approve these regulations (prescripts and bans) in the course of 30 days, their validity will expire.

[41] Slovak Code of Law 1941.  Ordinance number 198/1941 SlC (…) Compulsory labour service. § 22.

(1)Jews aged between 16 and 60, if they do not perform labour according § 38 of the Defence Act are bound to perform works ordered to them by the Ministry of Interior

(2)Ministry of Interior provides jobs or organizes work and ordains working conditions for the above-mentioned persons in article 1.

(3)Regulations in the 1st paragraph do not apply to the Jews who have the permission according to § 43, article 1 or those who according to § 258, article 2 can stay in their present occupation, as well as those to whom apply the provisions § 256, as long as the due permission or dispensation is still valid.

[42] For more details see documents number 54, 55, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72.

[43] Abbreviation SlC means Slovak Code of Law.