"On 20 January 1942, fifteen high-ranking Nazi Party, government, and SS officials arrived for a meeting in a luxurious villa on the shores of the Wannsee, a lake on the western outskirts of Berlin. The elegance and grandeur of the villa, with its exquisite lakeside position and opulent interiors, stood in stark contrast, however, to the purpose of that meeting: to discuss the implementation of the 'final solution to the Jewish question'." -- Inside front book jacket flap.

"First published as Wannseekonferenz: der Weg zur 'Endlösung'"-- Title page verso.

Prologue:A meeting followed by breakfast -- The location -- The initial invitation -- 1. The background to the conference: The 'removal of the Jews', 1933-1941 -- 'Territorial solutions' -- Mass shootings and genocide in the Soviet Union in summer 1941 -- Deportations -- Regional 'final solutions' -- Threats of extermination -- 'Action needed': the close of 1941 -- 2. The Wannsee Conference -- The participants: a 'final solution' based on a division of labour between the SS and the bureaucracy -- Representatives of the 'central authorities' -- Representatives of the civil occupation authorities -- SS functionaries -- The minutes -- 3. The 'final solution' becomes a reality -- 'Extermination through labour' -- Deportations and mass murder in spring 1942 -- The escalation of 'Jewish policy' in May/June 1942 -- Appendix: original minutes.