Transcript: Proving The Truth Behind The Holocaust | Nov 29, 2017

(music plays)

Fast clips show images of the exterior of the Royal Ontario Museum.

Robert stands in "The evidence room" at the Royal Ontario Museum.

Robert is in his sixties, bald and clean-shaven and he wears a black coat, black trousers and a black sweater.

He says HOLOCAUST DENIAL

IS AN ASSAULT ON MEMORY.

IT'S AN ASSAULT ON THE MEMORY

EMBODIED IN HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS.

THERE ARE VERY FEW

HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

AND ESPECIALLY AUSCHWITZ

SURVIVORS LEFT.

WE ARE IN SOME WAY CONSIDERING

WHAT WILL BE THE FUTURE

OF HOLOCAUST MEMORY

WITHOUT THE SURVIVORS.

WE'RE HERE AT THE

ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

AND WE'RE AT THE ENTRANCE

OF THE EVIDENCE ROOM.

MY NAME IS ROBERT JAN VAN PELT

AND I'M A PROFESSOR AT THE

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO.

THE EVIDENCE ROOM HAS

ITS ORIGIN IN A TRIAL

THAT WAS HELD IN

THE YEAR 2000 IN ENGLAND.

IT WAS A LIBEL TRIAL, IN WHICH

THE HOLOCAUST DENIER

DAVID IRVING SUED

A HOLOCAUST HISTORIAN

DEBORAH LIPSTADT.

Pictures of David and Deborah appear on screen.

Robert says DEBORAH LIPSTADT HAD

ACCUSED DAVID IRVING

OF A BEING A FALSIFIER

OF HISTORY,

A HOLOCAUST DENIER.

IRVING DECIDED, IN 1996, TO SUE

HER IN A BRITISH COURT.

IRVING HAD CONVERTED TO

HOLOCAUST DENIAL IN 1988,

HERE IN TORONTO, WHEN HE

ATTENDED AS A WITNESS,

THE TRIAL OF HOLOCAUST DENIER

ERNST ZUNDEL.

DURING THIS TRIAL,

AN AMERICAN ENGINEER

NAMED FRED LEUCHTER

PRESENTED EVIDENCE

THAT THE GAS CHAMBERS IN

AUSCHWITZ COULD NOT HAVE WORKED.

A picture of Fred Leuchter appears.

Robert says THE TESTIMONY BY LEUCHTER

IN THE ERNST ZUNDEL TRIAL

HAD CONVINCED DAVID IRVING

THAT, INDEED,

THE HOLOCAUST WAS A LIE,

THAT IF AUSCHWITZ HAD NOT BEEN

AN EXTERMINATION CAMP,

THAT NONE OF THE EVIDENCE

COULD BE TRUSTED

ABOUT THE MASS KILLINGS OF JEWS

IN GERMAN OCCUPIED EUROPE.

AND HE BECAME THE MAIN

PROPAGATOR IN EUROPE,

BUT ALSO IN NORTH AMERICA

OF THE THESIS THAT

THE HOLOCAUST WAS, IN FACT,

A PLOY, FIRST BY

BRITISH INTELLIGENCE

AND LATER BY ZIONISTS,

TO SWINDLE THE GERMANS

OUT OF BILLIONS OF MARKS

AND THE PALESTINIANS

OUT OF A HOMELAND.

A caption reads "Robert Jan Van Pelt. University of Waterloo."

Robert says I WAS ASKED TO JOIN THIS TRIAL

AND TO TESTIFY ABOUT THE

EVIDENCE ABOUT AUSCHWITZ.

I HAD TO SHOW THAT THE EVIDENCE

PRESENTED BY LEUCHTER

WAS BASICALLY NOT WORTH THE

PAPER IT WAS WRITTEN ON.

A model of the Auschwitz camp appears on screen.

Robert says AND SO, HERE WE HAVE A MODEL OF

CREMATORIUM NUMBER THREE.

THIS IS ONE OF THE FOUR GAS

CHAMBER EQUIPPED CREMATORIA.

IT CONSISTED OF AN

UNDERGROUND UNDRESSING ROOM,

WITH THE VICTIMS ENTERING

AT THE FAR END.

An illustration shows children and adults in the gas chamber undressing room.

Robert says THIS WAS A VERY LARGE ROOM.

IT WAS OVER 250

SQUARE METRES LARGE.

ONCE THE VICTIMS WERE UNDRESSED,

THERE WERE HERDED

INTO A UNDERGROUND GAS CHAMBER.

THE UNDERGROUND GAS CHAMBERS

HAVE GAS COLUMNS,

THROUGH WHICH THE GAS WAS

INTRODUCED IN THE SPACE.

AND AFTER EVERYONE WAS KILLED,

THEIR CORPSES WERE BROUGHT

INTO A LITTLE ELEVATOR,

WHICH BROUGHT THE CORPSES

UP TO THE MAIN FLOOR.

AND THERE WERE 15 OVENS

IN FIVE TRIPLE ARRANGEMENTS

THAT COULD INCINERATE THE

CORPSES IN 24 HOURS.

An illustration shows soldiers putting corpses in the ovens.

Robert says NOW, WHAT HOLOCAUST DENIERS SAY

IS THAT THESE BUILDINGS WERE

NOT REALLY KILLING MACHINES.

THAT, YES, THERE A LOT OF OVENS,

BUT THAT THESE OVENS

HAD THE CAPACITY,

THE LATCH CAPACITY, THEY SAY,

THEY HAD OF 1500 CORPSES PER DAY

TO DEAL WITH THE VICTIMS

OF TYPHUS EPIDEMICS.

Robert stands next to a metal grid column and says THE GAS COLUMN

BECAME IN THE TRIAL

THE KEY PIECE OF EVIDENCE THAT

WAS CHALLENGED BY IRVING.

WHAT WERE THESE GAS COLUMNS?

THE GAS CAME IN TINS.

THE TINS WERE COMMERCIALLY

AVAILABLE TINS

OF DELOUSING AGENCY CALLED

ZYKLON OR CYCLONE.

NOW, WHEN THE GERMANS STARTED

USING THIS PRODUCT,

THIS TOXIN ON HUMAN BEINGS,

THEY DISCOVERED VERY QUICKLY

THAT WHEN PEOPLE WERE EXPOSED

TO A CONCENTRATION OF AROUND

300 PARTS PER MILLION,

THEY WOULD DIE WITHIN

FIVE-TEN MINUTES.

HOWEVER, THE DEGASSING

OF THE CYANIDE

WOULD CONTINUE FOR ANOTHER

23 AND A HALF HOURS.

THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM WHEN

YOU WERE INVOLVED IN...

IN OCCASIONAL KILLING,

LET'S SAY EVERY WEEK OR SO.

BUT WHEN TRAINS

STARTING ARRIVING

ON A 24 HOUR BASIS AT AUSCHWITZ

AND THE GERMANS WANTED TO KILL

PEOPLE ON A 24 HOUR CYCLE,

IN WHICH WITHIN 24 HOURS,

PEOPLE ARRIVE, ARE SELECTED,

BROUGHT TO THE UNDRESSING ROOM,

INTO THE GAS CHAMBER, KILLED

AND THEN THEIR CORPSE

ARE BEING INCINERATED

BEFORE THE NEXT

TRANSPORT ARRIVES,

THE CONTINUOUS DEGASSING

OF THE PALLETS OF ZYKLON

WAS A REAL PROBLEM.

A black and white picture shows people boarding a train.

Robert says SO, THIS IS WHY THEY CREATED

THIS GAS COLUMN.

SO, THIS GAS COLUMN

HAS THE PURPOSE

NOT SO MUCH OF

INTRODUCING THE GAS,

INTRODUCING THE ZYKLON

INTO THE SPACE,

BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT TO TAKE

IT OUT AFTER 15 MINUTES,

SO THAT THIS 24 HOUR

CYCLE OF KILLING

AND INCINERATION

COULD BE MAINTAINED.

THEN, AFTER THAT, THE

VENTILATORS COULD BE TURNED ON

AND THE SONDERKOMMANDOS...

THE SLAVE WORKERS WHO HAD TO

CLEAN THE GAS CHAMBER-- WOULD,

AFTER 10-15 MINUTES,

BE ABLE TO ENTER THE GAS CHAMBER

AND START THE GRUESOME WORK

OF REMOVING THE CORPSES,

RETRIEVING DENTAL

GOLD AND SO ON,

AND THEN BRING UP

TO THE INCINERATORS.

NOW, HOLOCAUST DENIERS

AND ALSO IRVING

HAVE MADE THE EXISTENCE OR

NONEXISTENCE OF THE COLUMNS,

IN SOME WAY,

THE KEY TO THEIR ARGUMENT.

THEY SAY "NO HOLES,

NO HOLOCAUST."

AND THE HOLE THEY'RE

REFERRING TO

ARE THE HOLES THAT EXISTED

IN THE CONCRETE ROOF

OF THE GAS CHAMBER THROUGH WHICH

THE CENTRAL COLUMN

CONNECTED TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

WHEN THE SS LEFT AUSCHWITZ

IN JANUARY 1945,

THEY DYNAMITED THE GAS CHAMBERS.

AND THIS MEANT THAT

THE ROOF COLLAPSED

ON THE FLOOR OF THE GAS CHAMBER.

Pictures show the remains of the collapsed gas chambers.

Robert says AND WE WERE,

IN THE TRIAL, ABLE TO PROVE TO

THE SATISFACTION OF THE JUDGE

THAT, INDEED,

THESE HOLES HAD EXISTED,

THESE PURPOSEFULLY

MADE HOLES HAD EXISTED

IN THE RUINED SLAB OF THE...

THAT COVERED THE GAS CHAMBER.

He stands next to a wooden door and says ONE OF THE PIECES WE SEE

IN THIS ROOM IS A DOOR,

A GAS DOOR.

THIS DOOR, BASICALLY,

HAS TWO SIDES.

THIS IS THE PLACE THAT WE CALL

IT THE PERPETRATOR'S SIDE.

AND WE SEE HERE TWO LATCHES

THAT ARE USED TO CLOSE THE DOOR

WHEN THE GAS CHAMBER WILL BE

BROUGHT IN OPERATION,

TO CLOSE THE DOOR AFTER ALL THE

VICTIMS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT IN.

ONE OF THE LATCHES MOVES.

(SLAMMING)

Robert says CAN BE CLOSED.

AND THIS IS THE LAST THING THAT

2000 PEOPLE WOULD HAVE HEARD

BEFORE THE GAS

WOULD BE INTRODUCED.

NOW, HOLOCAUST DENIERS SAY

THAT THIS GAS DOOR ACTUALLY HAD

NOT A GENOCIDAL FUNCTION.

THAT AIR RAID SHELTERS

HAVE GAS DOORS

BECAUSE DURING AN AIR RAID,

ONE COULD ALSO HAVE

ALL KIND OF TOXIC GASSES

THAT ARE BEING PRODUCED

BY THE BOMBING.

AND SO, A NORMAL PIECE OF

EQUIPMENT IN A GAS...

IN AN AIR RAID SHELTER

IS A GAS TIGHT DOOR.

NOW, WHY IS THIS NOT

A DOOR FOR AN AIR RAID SHELTER?

FIRST OF ALL, THE QUESTION IS IF

YOU WALK INTO THIS SPACE

THAT IS PROTECTED BY THE DOOR,

YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO BE INSIDE

WITH SOMEBODY ON THE OUTSIDE

BEING ABLE TO

CLOSE THE DOOR LIKE THIS.

YOU WOULD HAVE NO MEANS FROM THE

INSIDE TO OPEN THE DOOR AGAIN.

YOU ARE GOING TO BE LOCKED IN.

ALWAYS SOMEBODY ON THE OUTSIDE

WILL HAVE TO OPEN THE LATCHES

TO ALLOW THE DOOR TO OPEN AGAIN.

BUT WHEN WE GO TO

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR,

AND WE LOOK NOW AT THE DOOR AS

IT WOULD BE FROM THE INSIDE,

WE SEE ALSO THAT

FOR AN AIR RAID SHELTER,

THIS DOOR WOULD

REALLY NOT HAVE WORKED.

THE FIRST THING,

WHICH IS VERY CLEAR,

IS THAT THERE IS-- THAT THERE'S

NO WAY, ON THE INSIDE,

TO ACTUALLY

MANIPULATE THIS DOOR.

THERE'S NO WAY TO OPEN IT.

THERE'S NO HANDLE.

SO, ONCE YOU'RE INSIDE

AND SOMEBODY HAS CLOSED THE DOOR

ON THE OUTSIDE,

YOU'RE LOCKED IN.

THIS WE CALL

THE VICTIM'S SIDE OF THE DOOR.

PEOPLE WERE PUSHED IN THIS ROOM,

TEN PEOPLE PER SQUARE METRE,

AND WHEN THE GAS WAS INTRODUCED,

A PANIC WOULD HAPPEN.

THE PANIC WAS SUCH THAT WE HAVE

EYEWITNESS REPORTS

THAT THE VICTIMS TRIED TO BREAK

THE GAS OF THE PEEPHOLE.

THAT WAS THE ONLY AGENCY THEY

STILL HAD LEFT IN THIS PANIC.

AND THEREFORE, THE GERMANS

CREATED THIS

PROTECTIVE HALF SPHERE

MADE OUT OF STEEL

OVER THE PEEPHOLE.

AND, IN SOME WAY, IT IS THIS

PROTECTIVE DEVICE

THAT IN SOME WAY

GIVES AN INDICATION

OF THE TERRIBLE CONDITIONS THAT

WERE INSIDE THAT GAS CHAMBER.

IF THE ONLY THING THAT

YOU CAN STILL DO

IS TRY TO BREAK

THE GLASS IN THAT PEEPHOLE,

AS THE GAS ENTERS,

IT REALLY MEANS THAT

YOU HAVE NO AGENCY,

NO OPTIONS WHATSOEVER.

A newspaper article appears with a picture of Irving and the headline "Racist historian faces 2 million pound bill for libel defeat."

Robert says AFTER A TRIAL THAT

LASTED 33 DAYS IN COURT,

IRVING WAS DECLARED

THE LOSER BY THE JUDGE.

THIS CASE WAS VERY IMPORTANT

BECAUSE, FOR THE FIRST TIME,

BOTH HOLOCAUST DENIAL

AND THE THEORIES THAT SUPPORT

HOLOCAUST DENIAL,

AS WELL AS THE EVIDENCE...

IN THIS CASE,

FOR THE KILLINGS IN AUSCHWITZ...

HAD BEEN SUBJECTED

TO A JUDICIAL REVIEW,

AND A JUDGE WHO PRESIDED OVER

THE CASE WITHOUT A JURY

HAD COME TO THE CONCLUSION

THAT THE HOLOCAUST, INDEED,

HAD TAKEN PLACE,

AND THAT THE KEY PLACE IN THE

HOLOCAUST, AUSCHWITZ,

HAD BEEN AN EXTERMINATION CAMP

IN WHICH MORE

THAN A MILLION PEOPLE

HAD BEEN KILLED IN GAS CHAMBERS.

A picture shows a pile of victims’ clothing items.

Music plays as the end credits roll.

Producer, Wodek Szemberg. @wodekszemberg.

Editor, Ian Partridge.

Episode: Proving The Truth Behind The Holocaust