'I suppose you know who I am? I was in charge of the actions in Germany and Poland and Czechoslovakia. I am prepared to sell you one million Jews: Goods for blood ... Blood for goods.' These were the chilling words uttered by one of the most notorious Nazi bureaucrats, SS Colonel Adolf Eichmann, to a young Jewish businessman called Joel Brand in the spring of 1944. Brand embarked on a desperate mission to persuade the Allies to barter with Eichmann - and failed. At the same time, the SS deported hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz-Birkenau packed in cattle trains. The majority were gassed, then incinerated. For decades after 1945, many blamed the Allies for callously abandoning a million Hungarian Jews to their fate. In Deception, Christopher Hale presents a new account of the 'Brand Mission' based on evidence in the national archives of Germany, Hungary, Britain and the United States. Hale reveals that Eichmann's offer formed one part of a monstrous deception designed to outwit the leaders of the last surviving Jewish community in Europe. The deception was more complex and - from the German point of view - more successful than any operation mounted by the secret services of the Allied governments.

About the Author
CHRISTOPHER HALE is a non-fiction author and film maker who has worked all over the world, making documentaries for most of the major broadcasters including the BBC and National Geographic. His first book Himmler's Crusade (Bantam, 2004), won the prestigious Gambrinus 'Giuseppe Mazzotti' award in 2003.

Reviews
Hale takes the reader through the myriad connections which make this story so compelling. This impressive study is a surefire addition to the literature of contemporary Holocaust History and Memory Studies. -- Dr Paul A. Levine
Hale offers a compelling mix of micro detail, combing the records, piecing together a shattered narrative, alongside a masterful overview of the Holocaust as a whole ... Superb and very chastening. -- Martin Davidson



Book Information
ISBN 9780750988179
Author Christopher Hale
Format Hardback
Imprint The History Press Ltd
Publisher The History Press Ltd