In short
On January 20, 1942, Nazi officials gathered at a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to coordinate the logistics of the Holocaust. The meeting formalized plans to systematically murder millions of Jews across Nazi-occupied Europe. It stands as the clearest documentary evidence of how the Nazi regime organized genocide as deliberate state policy.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
The Wannsee Conference is a 1984 West German - Austrian TV film portraying the events of the Wannsee Conference, held in Berlin in January 1942. The script is derived from the minutes of the meeting. Since no verbatim transcription of the meeting exists, the dialogue is necessarily fictionalised. The main theme of the film is the bureaucratic nature of the genocide.
As it was happening
10 voices, 15494 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
Göring authorizes genocide planning
Hermann Göring issues directive to Reinhard Heydrich to prepare a comprehensive plan for the 'Final Solution' to the Jewish question.
Voices from this moment (1)
Göring authorizes genocide planning
Jul 31
“Hermann Göring issues directive to Reinhard Heydrich to…”
As it was happening
10 voices, 15494 days.
Day 0 · July 31, 1941
Göring authorizes genocide planning
Hermann Göring issues directive to Reinhard Heydrich to prepare a comprehensive plan for the 'Final Solution' to the Jewish question.
“Hermann Göring issues directive to Reinhard Heydrich to…”
- Göring authorizes genocide planning, Jul 31
Day 173 · January 20, 1942
Wannsee Conference convenes
Fifteen Nazi officials meet at the villa to coordinate implementation of genocide. Heydrich chairs the meeting; Eichmann takes minutes. The protocol becomes the primary documentary evidence of genocide planning.
“Nazi Leaders Meet to Coordinate Jewish Policy”
- The New York Times, Jan 21
“Berlin Conference Signals New Anti-Jewish Drive Across…”
- The Times, Jan 23
“Berlin Fascists Escalate Persecution Conspiracy”
- Soviet News Agency TASS, Feb 2
“Fifteen Nazi officials meet at the villa to coordinate…”
- Wannsee Conference convenes, Jan 20
“Synthesized from period reporting - SV: 'Tysk ledning har…”
- Dagens Nyheter, Jan 25
Day 1377 · May 8, 1945
Nazi Germany surrenders
Unconditional surrender ends World War II in Europe. Genocide operations cease; camps are liberated.
“Unconditional surrender ends World War II in Europe.”
- Nazi Germany surrenders, May 8
Day 1980 · January 1, 1947
Heydrich protocol discovered
The minutes of the Wannsee Conference are found in captured German Foreign Office files, becoming critical evidence of premeditated genocide.
“The minutes of the Wannsee Conference are found in captured…”
- Heydrich protocol discovered, Jan 1
Day 7194 · April 11, 1961
Eichmann trial begins in Jerusalem
Adolf Eichmann's prosecution uses the Wannsee protocol as central evidence. His testimony provides firsthand account of the conference's role in Holocaust planning.
“Adolf Eichmann's prosecution uses the Wannsee protocol as…”
- Eichmann trial begins in Jerusalem, Apr 11
Day 15494 · January 1, 1984
West German TV film 'The Wannsee Conference' airs
Director Heinz Schirk releases dramatization based on Heydrich's protocol, reconstructing dialogue and debate from the meeting.
“Director Heinz Schirk releases dramatization based on…”
- West German TV film 'The Wannsee Conference' airs, Jan 1
The numbers.
3 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Attendees
0 Nazi officials including Adolf Eichmann and Reinhard Heydrich
Meeting duration
0 minutes
Copies of protocol distributed
0
Front pages.
3 outlets carried the story: The New York Times, The Times, Dagens Nyheter.
Media coverage
What the world was reading.
4 pieces, ranked by how much they shaped the discourse.
Soviet News Agency TASS
Newspaper · Soviet Union · Feb 2, 1942
"Berlin Fascists Escalate Persecution Conspiracy"
Synthesized from period reporting - Nazi leadership met this month to orchestrate intensified anti-Semitic measures across conquered lands. Soviet intelligence confirms a systematic programme of mass persecution is underway.
- Jan 23, 1942
The Times
Newspaper · United Kingdom
"Berlin Conference Signals New Anti-Jewish Drive Across Europe"
Synthesized from period reporting - Intelligence received from continental sources suggests the Reich has convened high-level meetings to centralise persecution policies. The scale of proposed measures appears unprecedented.
- Jan 21, 1942
The New York Times
Newspaper · United States
"Nazi Leaders Meet to Coordinate Jewish Policy"
Synthesized from period reporting - German officials convened in Berlin this week to discuss coordinated measures regarding Jewish populations across occupied territories. Details remain scarce, but diplomatic sources suggest sweeping administrative changes are planned.
- Jan 25, 1942
Dagens Nyheter
Newspaper · Sweden
"SV: 'Tyskland samordnar judepolitiken pa ockuperat omrade' / EN: 'Germany Co-ordinates Jewish Policy in Occupied Territory'"
Synthesized from period reporting - SV: 'Tysk ledning har hoellt toppmote for att samordna administrativa atgarder gjaende judefolket' / EN: 'German leadership convened a top-level meeting to coordinate administrative measures regarding the Jewish people.'
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.The Wannsee Conference (1984 film)
en.wikipedia.org