Published: 14/03/2008 00:00 - Updated: 19/02/2009 00:30

Historians discuss the holocaust at Bletchley Park

BY STEVE LOWE

HISTORIANS gathered to discuss whether Second World War codebreakers knew of the holocaust included one who has been accused of denying there was a holocaust.

Among the guests at a Bletchley Park lecture given by author and journalist Michael Smith on Thursday night was David Irving.

Mr Irving first came to prominence as the historian who wrote a book on the destruction of Dresden He wrote many more novels and was the first historian to challenge the authenticity of the 'Hitler Diaries'.

His fame turned to notoriety as he challenged the facts of the holocaust and displayed sympathy for Hitler and the Nazis.

In a book called Hitler's War, he said Hitler had never ordered the mass extermination of Jews and as was unaware of it until late 1943.

In 2005 he was jailed in Austria after pleading guilty to the charge that he had said the Holocaust never took place but said he had no other course of action and has always denied he is a holocaust denier.

On Thursday Mr Smith, who among other books, has written Station X - The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park, asked if the codebreakers ignored mass murder.

Mr Smith pointed out the codebreakers were aware that the German army was systematically killing Jewish people and that Churchill was kept informed.

Winston Churchill described this activity on radio as a 'crime without a name'.

Information from Chicksands Priory passed on to Bletchley Park showed there were camps but it was less clear whether the codebreakers or MI6 knew that some of these camps were extermination camps.

There were records of the gas, Zyklon B being delivered but this was mainly used as a pesticide, so its real purpose was not realised.

One crucial piece of evidence discussed was the Hofle telegram. This lists the number of people at four concentration camps: Lublin, Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka.

The telegram was sent by SS Commandant Hofle to Adolf Eichmann.

Mr Smith said the numbers referred to arrivals at the camps.

After the talk Mr Irving questioned this and said he believed it referred to the number of people who had been 'processed'. Mr Irving also said some had questioned the reliability of the telegram but both agreed on its authenticity.

After the meeting, the reporter asked Mr Irving about his views on the document and the holocaust.

Mr Irving said he has to be careful what he says as free speech is under threat and he was nearly jailed for 20 years in Austria.

Michael Smith said: "In some ways Mr Irving's view of the meaning of the telegram is harsher than mine."