I.G. Farben was a conglomerate of eight German chemical trusts, including Bayer, Hoechst, and BASF (Badische Anilin-und Sodafabrik), making it the world's largest chemical firm. The Zyklon B gas used to kill Jews in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau, was supplied by an I.G. Farben subsidiary. The Buna synthetic rubber factory at Auschwitz III was operated by I.G. Farben. The labor camp at Auschwitz West, called Buchenholz, also run by I.G. Farben, employed both slave laborers and conscripted civilian workers from occupied countries. Although the conscripts were forced laborers, they enjoyed privileges that were not accorded to slave laborers, including fewer mail restrictions. next >>

Below: A March 27, 1943, air mail letter and an April 24, 1943, special delivery letter from a French forced laborer at the Auschwitz West Buchenholz labor camp operated by I.G. Farben to his parents in Meaux, France. Both were censored at Frankfurt.