David Cole Interviews Dr. Franciszek Piper - Essay Example

David Cole Interview of Dr. Piper In David Cole’s interview with Dr. Franciszek Piper, he begins by questioning him about the authenticity of a building that is being exhibited by the guided tours of Auschwitz. He goes on to say that Dr. Piper was one of the primary influences of the revision of the death toll numbers being reduced from 4 million people to 1.1 million. This is horrendous, as the tour guidebook provided states specifically in three different accounts from three different organizations that the number is at minimum 4 million people killed in Auschwitz.

This statistic was held by the Soviets until 1989, leaving ample opportunity to create whatever numbers they so desired. Piper says that the gas chamber in question was in fact modified, as it was a gas chamber but later turned into an air-raid shelter. This is the cause for the building of new walls, a new door and the removal of the holes in the ceiling. The question remains as to why these changes of the gas chamber are hidden from the public, when in the past, this story was punishable and punished by the law.

In the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau, there are little traces of Zyklon-B residues, which were found by two separate tests. Both found that only one gas chamber had traces of Zyklon-B gas, the delousing chamber that was off the charts, while the remainder of the chambers in question, which were the homicidal ones, did not. When Cole asked Dr. Piper about this, Dr. Piper claimed that the delousing chamber was used “day and night” whereas the homicidal chambers were used “20, 30 minutes a day.

” claims were made that Zyklon-B was primarily used for disinfection, which is odd considering the desire of the Nazis that these encamped people be destroyed, their health status unimportant.Works citedCole, David. Interview with Franciszek Piper. David Cole Interviews Dr. Franciszek Piper (1992). Web. 02 May, 2011.