Heydrich, Reinhard

One of the main architects of the "Final Solution," Reinhard Heydrich was head of the Nazi intelligence service, the SD (Sicherheitsdienst), since 1931 and led the combined police forces of the SiPo (Security Police) from 1936. In September 1939, Heydrich was appointed head of the newly-established Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), reporting to Heinrich Himmler.

Heydrich was behind some of the most brutal policies of the Holocaust, including orders to consolidate Jewish populations in eastern Europe in concentration camps and ghettos, the deportation of Jews from Germany, and the use of Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing squads).

Authorized by Hitler’s deputy Hermann Goering in January 1939 to develop plans for a “Final Solution to the Jewish Question,” Heydrich convened the Wannsee Conference in January 1942, where logistical plans for the “Final Solution” were presented to a small group of Nazi officials.

In September 1941, Heydrich was appointed governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (Czechia). He was assassinated by Czech agents in spring 1942.