Leuchter report

The Leuchter report is a pseudoscientific document authored by American execution technician Fred A. Leuchter. In the defense of Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel at his trial, Leuchter compiled the report in 1988 with the intention of investigating the feasibility of mass homicidal gassings at Nazi extermination camps in particular, at Auschwitz. However, during the trial Leuchter was dismissed as expert witness as he had neither the qualifications nor experience to act in such a position. Leuchter chiefly cited the absence of Prussian blue in the homicidal gas chambers in support of his view. However, residual iron-based cyanide compounds are not a categorical consequence of cyanide exposure, yet by not discriminating against that, Leuchter introduced an unreliable factor into his experiment, and the outcome was seriously flawed as a result. In contrast, fair tests conducted by Polish forensic scientists which discriminated against iron-based compounds confirmed the presence of cyanide in the locations and manner in accordance with where and how it was claimed it was used. The discredited report is still widely distributed among Holocaust deniers