A Holocaust and wartime triangle: "The protocols of Auschwitz" reach Chaim Barlas, Angelo G. Roncalli and Pius XII

Since the end of World War II, much has been written about Pope Pius XII and his conduct during the Holocaust. Among the many questions raised are a few that concern the details the Pope had on the plight of European Jewry, and especially the information he received and the dates on which it reached him. This paper is an attempt to elaborate on these issues by using the documents and short memoirs in the private archive of Chaim Barlas, head of Jewish Rescue Delegation in Istanbul during the war.