Simon Wiesenthal

Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal corresponds with Maurice Frankenhuis requesting information

DOKUMENTATIONSZENTRUM BUNDES JODISCHER VERFOLGTER DES NAZIREG?MES
10 10 WIEN I, RUDOLFSP LATZ 7/111
BAN KVERBINDUNG
AILGEMEINE WIRTSCHAFTSBANK WIEN
KONTO NR. 306/00
DRESDNER BANK, FRANKFURT
KONTO NR. 18/236100
WIEN, den December 19th,1967
Telefon 63 90 932, 63 30 302

Mr. M. Frankenhuis
221 West 82nd Street
New York 24, N.Y.
U SA

Dear Mr. Frankenhuis,

I am sure that you are informed about the collaborator of Eichmann, Erich R a j a (Rajakowitsch) whom I described in my book and has now a few proceedings against me.
He can afford it as he is a multimillionaire.

Raja has been condemned in Vienna to 2 1/2 years of jail for having send a cable ordering the deportation of 83 dutch Jews from France to Auschwitz, where only one survived.

We have a list of the 82 Jews who did not return and among
them is:
Charles Frankenhuis, born September 30th 1890
at Olderzatzl and lived in Ryskwylk.

We would like to know if he might be related to you?
This is most important as we are looking for relatives or successors of these deported persons who could personaly proceed against Raja.

May I ask you to answer as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Wiesenthal, Dipl.Ing.

THE FRANKENHUIS COLLECTION
1914-1918
1939-1945

M. FRANKENHUIS
221 WEST 82ND STREET
NEW YORK. N. Y.10024
ENDICOTT 2-6758

December 27, 1967

Mr. Simon Wiesenthal, Dipl. Ing.
Dokumentationszentrum des Bundes
Judischer Verfolgter des Naziregimes
1010 Wien I.
Rudolfsplatz 7/III

Dear Ing. Wiesenthal:

This is in reply to your letter of December 19, in connection with ERICH R A J A (Rajakowitsch), Adolph Eichmann’s collaborator. That he has the audacity now to have, as you say, “a few proceedings against me” [you] is truly shocking: even if he is a multimillionaire, society should prevent him from getting away with it. According to the teachings of humanity, we Jews as well as non-Jews of integrity should join in the struggle to bring to justice and punishment criminals such as he whose malevolence is witnessed by history.

The crime for which R A J A paid by spending less than 2 1/2 years in a Vienna prison was that of having ordered the deportation of 83 Dutch Jews from France to Auschwitz — only one of the victims having survived. Charles Frankenhuis was among those killed, and as he was Dutch and of my name I shall be glad and possibly able to help you trace his relatives or successors if any.

The following information may be of assistance: His first name probably is Karel (not Charles), born in Oldenzaal and residing in Rijswijk. In my possession is a genealogy of my family dating back to about 1725, showing as a first entry my ancestor born in Frankenweinhausen, in Bavaria. Karel Frankenhuis is of a different line and not directly related to me.

I can refer you to one possible offspring: E. Frankenhuis, Marthalaan No.8, Enschede, Holland. The head of a large hardware concern, he is a wealthy industrialist. I have met him personally and, should it turn out that he is the son of Karel Frankenhuis, I am certain that no effort would be too great nor any financial outlay too high for him to back you in your attempt to avenge the wrong done to his father and others and bring this criminal to justice. Today I wrote a letter to Mr. Frankenhuis and enclose a copy for you. Although it is in Dutch I believe you wil1 understand it. As soon as I receive a reply I will let you know.

And now I would like to offer my own service: if it would in any way assist in bringing about a conviction of R A J A, I myself would be glad to go abroad to trace any survivors or relatives of the Dutch victims. My records are very complete on this subject, but I am certain that yours are also. Having lived in the Netherlands and suffered and witnessed the unspeakable crimes and inhuman acts of these monsters, during my stay in Westerbork and elsewhere, I regard R a j a among the worst of the bestial wrongdoers against Jews in the Netherlands.

I trust this letter and the enclosed to Mr. Frankenhuis will be of some help in your heroic task. You will hear further from me as soon as I have some news. In the meantime, please feel free to get in touch with Mr. E. Frankenhuis, who undoubtedly will do everything in his power to bring to fruition your plan of proceeding against this infamous character, Erich Rajakovich.

Sincerely yours,
Maurice Frankenhuis
Enc1.

Notes from the File of M. Frankenhuis
Re: Erich Rajakovich

Other newspaper clippings:
Netherlands papers

oct. 3, 1967 Het Vaderland
Oct. 5, 1967 Het Parool
Oct. 5, 1967 Algemeen Handelblad
Oct.14, 1967 De Telegraaf

That this murderer should still be at liberty is a sad commentary on justice. It is cynical, too, that a paper such as the New York Times should state:”. . . that he did not kill a single Jew.”

Erich (Dr. E.) Rajakovich was an arch Nazi criminal, a collaborator of Adolph Eichmann who should meet with the same fate. See “Ondergang” by Dr. J. Presser and note the role played by Rajakovich in 1942, etc.

How can the Germans expect forgiveness, as long as they show no repentance? They try to make excuses even for the most wicked crimes in the history of mankind. It is impossible, therefore, for the Jews, or mankind generally, to forgive the Germans.

In a synagogue this morning (Oct. 7, 1967) I listened to a three-quarter hour long sermon delivered by Rabbi Berkowitz under the title of “should we forgive?” At the end of the service, I asked him: “Should we forgive the Germans?” He replied that his speech was “on an individual basis.” I do not understand his meaning. I wonder how and from what source we will ever get the answer to this disturbing question.

Oct. 5, 1967
New York Daily News

Austrians Yell ‘Murderer’ at Nazi Who Fled

Vienna, Oct. 4 (Reuters)-
About 250 demonstrators shouting “Murderer!” marched behind an alleged former collaborator
of executed Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann today as he left a press conference here Erich Rajako-
vich, 61, sentenced here in 1965 to 2 1/2 years in jail for his role in the deportation of 83 Dutch Jews,
called the conference after arriving here yesterday and foiling a Dutch bid to have him extradited
Rajakovich was released last October after serving part of his sentence. Holland wanted to put him on
trial for arranging the deportation of 140,000 Dutch Jews during the Nazi occupation of Holland.

Treaty Protects Him

He was protected under the terms of an extradition treaty with the Netherlands that does not allow the surrender of Austrian nationals. Rajakovics said that he was in Yugoslavia when he realized that famed Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal, the man who helped find Eichmann, was hunting him.
He headed for Austria and crossed the border using an Italian identification card, he said.