On June 4, 1944, Reuben Resnik, the Joint’s representative in Turkey, submitted a report based on his meetings and interviews with Joel Brand. There are plenty of books about the Brand affair, and this report is longer than I’m showing you here (I’m just showing you the intro). I’m just giving you a quick summary. Here goes.
Joel Brand was one of the leaders of a Hungarian resistance group in Budapest. After the Germans occupied Hungary, Adolf Eichmann held a series of meetings with Brand. In late May 1944, Brand was sent to Istanbul to present an offer to the Jewish organizations and to the Allied. In exchange for 10,000 trucks and other material goods, Eichmann promised to release Jews. The trucks and goods would only be used on the eastern front. There are various reports with various specific requests–and it changes over the summer. But that’s the basic idea. The plan, the first major ransom scheme presented to the Allies became known as “blood for trucks.” The WRB considered it.
