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Declassified Files Expose Jewish Pre-state Underground Militia’s Contacts With Nazi Germany

I am saying things disappear in the memory hole and that’s why they are archived.

Here, since you’re skurred:

In May 1941, Eliyahu Golomb, founder and de facto commander of the Haganah, the pre-independence army of the Jews in then-British Mandatory Palestine, spoke in a small forum: “I have information… about suspicion regarding a group of Jews who have connections with the enemy,” he said. At the time, during World War II, the enemy he referred to was the Germans. “According to the information, there is a man who contacted the Germans. This man is known; his name is S,” he added. “S” was Avraham “Yair” Stern, leader of Lehi, the pre-state underground militia also known as the Stern Gang. He had split from the Irgun because he believed the struggle against the British should continue even during the war. “The police are already talking about a Jewish ‘fifth column,’” Golomb added, referring to the British police. Golomb’s remarks were recorded in real time in a Haganah intelligence document filed under “Contacts with the Axis.” The file was kept in the IDF archives and later transferred to the State Archives. About three years ago, Haaretz requested that it be declassified. It was recently scanned and uploaded. Reviewing the file provides insight into material collected by the Haganah, and later by the Shin Bet and the IDF, regarding Lehi’s attempts to establish ties with the Axis powers, Italy and Germany. The idea of recruiting Nazi Germany to help liberate Palestine from British rule was conceived by Stern, who advocated uncompromising violent resistance to the British. His position contradicted that of most of the Jewish community, which had suspended its struggle against Britain in favor of fighting Germany. One document describes Stern’s ideology as follows: "With the outbreak of World War II… Stern argued that there is no better time for a war of independence than during wartime. Britain’s forces are tied down… and it would be possible to overcome them. The question of orientation seemed simple to him. “The Jews are a party in the war and therefore cannot be neutral. Britain betrayed the Jewish people and will never allow the establishment of a Jewish state. On the other hand, Germany has no special interest in Palestine, and since the Nazis want to cleanse Europe of Jews, nothing is simpler than transferring them to their own state.” The document further states that Stern believed “it is possible to reach a practical agreement with the Germans… negotiations should be opened, and Jews of Europe should be recruited into a special army that would fight its way to Palestine and conquer it from the British. The Germans, he argued, would agree because it would rid them of the Jews while also removing the British from the Near East.” Another document notes that Stern believed there were two schools of thought in Nazi Germany regarding the Jewish community in Palestine. One advocated closeness with the Arabs and supported the leadership of the Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husseini, because it viewed the Jewish community there as “more dangerous than any other Jewish community, since it was endowed with aggressive qualities and a desire for freedom.” The other school of thought, according to Stern, supported strengthening the Jewish settlement by bringing Jews from Europe, believing they would be grateful and would assist Germany. The file tracking Lehi’s contacts with the Axis powers also includes a document written in 1949. Its anonymous author claimed that he clarified with Stern, in real time, the “ideological foundation” of his position. According to the author, Stern said: “We will manage somehow with the Germans after they conquer the land, just as the Soviets managed with them when necessary.” Additional documents state that Stern aspired “to seize control of all of Eretz Yisrael by force with the help of a foreign power,” and that “it is clear he seriously considered becoming a ‘Jewish Quisling,’ with the aid of a foreign power.” The reference is to the Norwegian prime minister who collaborated with the Nazis and whose name became synonymous with treason. These plans were not merely theoretical. Historical research documents several attempts by Lehi envoys to contact German officials. One resulted in a document proposing “active partnership” with Germany in the war, based on “shared interests between German policy and Jewish national aspirations.” It also suggested that a Jewish state would form an alliance with the German Reich. These contacts did not succeed, but the Haganah monitored them closely. The file also records additional remarks by Golomb in 1941 in two closed forums: “There is no doubt there was an attempt to contact the Germans, and it is possible they promised something, perhaps an internal Jewish police force.” He added that the British government had obtained material that could be used politically against the Jewish community. "Several Jews were arrested, suspected of conne

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