Dr. Walther Heess Certificate of Appointment, 1942 December 11

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Summary

Title:
Certificate of appointment for Dr. Walther Heess
Dates:
1942 December 11
Creators:
Heess, Walther
Abstract:
This document is a certificate of appointment by Adolf Hitler of Dr. Walther Heess to the rank of Civil Service and Police Director in Nazi Germany’s Reichskriminalpolizeiamt (RKPA). The document, dated December 11, 1942, is signed by Adolf Hitler and by Heinrich Himmler.
Extent:
1.0 Folder(s)
Language:
Preferred citation:

Certificate of appointment for Dr. Walther Heess - 1988.1201, Tauber Holocaust Library - JFCS Holocaust Center, San Francisco, California

Background

Scope and content:

This document is a certificate of appointment of Dr. Walther Heess to the rank of Civil Service and Police Director in Nazi Germany’s Reichskriminalpolizeiamt (RKPA) by Adolf Hitler. The document, dated December 11, 1942, is signed by Adolf Hitler and by Heinrich Himmler. It is an oversized document, handwritten with calligraphy in German, and includes gold lettering and an embossed stamp of the Nazi eagle with swastika. A translation of the document is available.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Walther Heess was born December 30, 1901 in Ludwigsburg, Germany. He studied chemistry at the Technical University in Stuttgart and in May 1925 graduated as a Doctor of Engineering. In May 1933 he joined the NSDAP – Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist (Nazi) party.

Dr. Heess was promoted in April 1938 to Director of the Technical Institute of Criminal Investigation (KTI). KTI was closely connected with Aktion T4, the killings of mentally ill and physically handicapped persons through the use of carbon monoxide gas. Dr. Heess was instrumental in the development of the mobile gas chambers, where truck exhaust fumes were used to kill those who inside the truck.

Dr. Heess disappeared at the beginning of May 1945 and was declared officially dead in December 1951.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Judith Janec
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2011-09-06T13:31-0700

Access and use

Restrictions:

There are no restrictions to access for this collection.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions to use for this collection.

Preferred citation:

Certificate of appointment for Dr. Walther Heess - 1988.1201, Tauber Holocaust Library - JFCS Holocaust Center, San Francisco, California

Location of this collection:
JFCS Holocaust Center
2245 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115, US
Contact:
(415) 449-3717
HolocaustCenter@jfcs.org
Website