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THE ACTUAL EVENTS - Operation Embellishment
On June 23, 1944, the Nazis permitted an inspection by the Red Cross in order to dispel rumors about the extermination camps.
To minimize the appearance of overcrowding in Theresienstadt, the Nazis deported many Jews to Auschwitz. Also deported in these actions were most of the Czechoslovakian workers assigned to 'Operation Embellishment.' They also erected fake shops and cafés to imply that the Jews lived in relative comfort. The Danes whom the Red Cross visited lived in freshly painted rooms, not more than three in a room. The guests enjoyed the performance of a children's opera, Brundibar, which was written by inmate Hans Krása.
The hoax against the Red Cross was so successful for the Nazis that they went on to make a propaganda film at Theresienstadt.
After the shooting of the film, most of the cast and even the filmmaker himself, were deported to Auschwitz.