Equally important, I personally feared that vital documents yet to be reviewed might be further obstructed, or might even disappear.
When the news finally broke, the result was a profound Holocaust revelation that shook countries and institutions, as well as scholars and other individuals. In many ways they are still shaking. So am I. Here is the story behind that upheaval.
Much has been written about the book’s secrecy. Indeed, the book was not made public until February 12, 2001. But more than a thousand people in numerous countries were involved in its creation. There was no other way to achieve the level of precision and review required for such a project, and to ensure the book’s message would not be exaggerated or misconstrued.
I began sharing information with others two years before publication. About a hundred researchers, historians, and volunteers searched the files of some fifty archives and research libraries in seven countries. Throughout the actual writing in 2000, some thirty-five world-class Holocaust historians and other experts reviewed my work, chapter by chapter, as the text rolled off the word processor. Actually, I had invited nearly double that number of reviewers. No scholar was off limits, but there was a condition: Each reviewer had to agree to read every page in order, no skipping around. Hence, this would be no quick weekend skim, but a protracted, line-by-line effort. For example, noted historian Gerhard Hirschfeld, president of the International Committee for the History of the Second World War, took six months to finish his methodical review. In this way, each scholar would absorb the complete story in context, regardless of specialty. We refused to rush anyone. Not all I contacted had the ability or inclination to invest so much time. But several dozen did (see the Acknowledgments). Scores of marginal notations were made, and many consultations ensued. Virtually all suggestions and corrections were adopted. Then the revised text was resubmitted over and over again until approved by each reviewer. Thus, IBM and the Holocaust became an extraordinary collaborative effort of international Holocaust and technology expertise.
My finished manuscript went to some of the finest editors and translators in the book world, located on three continents, nearly all boasting a thick portfolio of Holocaust publishing credentials. The publishers then commenced their own painstaking reviews, positing numerous questions and requests for written clarifications. Original French, German, or Dutch documents were shipped to each foreign publisher for independent translation and verification. Most publishers requested that their own local Holocaust specialists read the text as well. Because IBM and the Holocaust was a global release, it was imperative that my manuscript be bulletproof not only in America, but also in the academic corridors of England, Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Poland, and the several dozen other countries in which it appeared. This imposed a welcome duty to harmonize with local experts on the most subtle points. For example, Auschwitz historian Franciszek Piper, who meticulously read every page, requested numerous minute changes from a strictly Polish perspective; among them was that we not refer to concentration camps in Poland, but rather occupied Poland. We adopted all his corrections in as many editions as possible.
Then came the lawyers. My manuscript needed to pass the scrutiny of attorneys throughout the Americas and Europe, each applying the most conservative standards prevalent in his country. In some nations, such as England, known for its tough publishing laws, the test was more than rigorous. Factual backup—often sentence by sentence—was sought on point after point. It was provided, and all were satisfied. In one case, I carted sixteen boxes of documentation into a lawyer’s conference room for a two-day hairsplitting challenge. I welcomed all such challenges. My files are arranged so that any sentence in the text can be completely documented at the thirty-second pull of a folder. Defensive documentation has always been my rule.
Finally, the world’s major media was invited to launch its own independent pre-publication review. The most respected networks, newspapers, and magazines in the world assigned their most senior historical journalists known for Holocaust coverage and expertise. For weeks before publication, and in some cases months, a caravan of hardened and skeptical print and broadcast journalists trekked to my basement outside Washington, D.C., poring over my files, examining and filming documents, interviewing experts, and questioning me. Concomitantly, many launched their own investigations in Europe, carefully scouring local archives and questioning experts to independently verify my information.
The long roster of distinguished media included Der Spiegel and Stern in Germany; the Sunday Times in England; L’Express and Le Monde in France; Newsweek, The Washington Post, and Reform Judaism in the United States; Algemeen Dagblad in Holland; and many more. The media group also included major TV networks in Germany, France, Poland, Holland, the United States, and numerous other countries. Each network dispatched its most accomplished historical journalists with acknowledged Holocaust expertise.
Der Spiegel independently discovered the Abteilung Hollerith in Stutt hof. Algemeen Dagblad, in Amsterdam, flew in its senior Auschwitz expert, Theo Gerritse. ZDF-TV in Germany dispatched Ralf Piechowiak, noted for work on other respected Holocaust documentaries. NBC in America spent almost a year before publication flying film crews and researchers to concentration camps, archives, and eyewitnesses to meticulously verify the book, deploying knowledgeable producers who had previously investigated Chase Manhattan Bank’s connection to the Third Reich.
While the media was reviewing the manuscript and files, numerous Jewish leaders in America and Europe were sent copies as well. Under no circumstances would I launch a book of this nature without briefing the Jewish and Holocaust survivor leadership. Many of these leaders cope with complex Holocaust issues every day; they are among the best informed on the topic, and offer an indispensable perspective. For example, David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, displayed an uncanny eye for detail and contributed a number of precious pre-publication suggestions.
By February 2001, hundreds of copies of the original and revised manuscripts were circulating, and as many as a thousand people on three continents had access to the information. Archivists and scholars throughout the world were anxiously anticipating the release. Scores of journalists and their research staffs in a dozen countries were filming, inquiring, and interviewing. Throughout it all, the publishers, my agent, and I were determined to release the information in as responsible a fashion as possible. Each publisher contractually agreed to avoid any insensitive or sensationalist marketing, and we extracted similar pledges from as many of the other media as possible. I even listed four terms that my publishers were forbidden to use: exclusive, secret, unknown, and first-time.
Historical context, proper explanations, and a non-sensationalist approach continued to guide our every move. Jewish leaders scheduled several historical presentations to answer community questions immediately after publication. The most important one would be held just days after the book’s release at Temple Beth Ami outside Washington, D.C. It was sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League, the Braun Holocaust Center, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and a consortium of other organizations and synagogues. I would speak, and openly show documents for anyone to examine. Academic presentations would also be offered by two of the world’s leading scholars on the period and topic: Robert Wolfe, retired chief of captured German documents for the National Archives and arguably the world’s leading expert on Nazi documentation, and William Seltzer, the foremost expert on the use of population statistics and Hollerith technology to persecute minorities during the Holocaust. Hundreds of people were invited in advance to a Holocaust presentation days before the book’s publication, and none of them knew the specifics. C-SPAN would broadcast the session.