The Architect of Genocide: Himmler and the Final Solution (Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry Series)

Drawing upon previously untapped primary sources - including Himmler's own appointment books and office logs - the author conclusively counters efforts to portray the Holocaust as unpremeditated, the result of bureaucratic improvisation under wartime constraints. Breitman thoroughly examines Heinrich Himmler's character and life and explores the racial ideology and planning that led to genocide. He finds Himmler and Hitler to be complementary figures: Hitler envisioned the Nazi policy toward the Jews, and Himmler, the master organizer who controlled the SS and security forces, turned it into horrific reality.