As shocking as it may seem, no order for the extermination of the Jews written or authorized by Adolf Hitler has ever been discovered. Popular media frequently suggests that there is a significant amount of material from Hitler's hand that ordered a vast extermination program. The historical evidence is just the opposite. The result of this situation is that many historians presume that the order was transmitted orally or through "winks and nods." Such a position is purely theoretical and is often used to support a predetermined historical or political bias. What follows is a series of quotes from various historians, writers and thinkers who have examined this question. "There does not exist then, anything like a written order signed by [Hitler] for the extermination of the Jews in Europe." Colin Cross, Adolf Hitler, (Milan, 1977), p.313.
