8. Schindler was arrested at least three times while in Plaszow
In 1941, Schindler was arrested by the Gestapo and investigated for black market activities and bribery of corrupt officials. His standing with several senior Nazi leaders, including Admiral Wilhem Canaris, the head of the Abwehr, led to his being held for one night before he was released and the investigation dropped. In 1944 he was arrested a second time for the same reasons but under different circumstances. Amon Goth was arrested in September of that year and as part of the investigation into his black-market activities and bribes, because of his somewhat cozy relationship with Schindler – he had allowed the latter to build the sub-camp and house his workers separately – Schindler was arrested as well. On that occasion, he was held for a week in Gestapo cells but again, his relationship with leading Nazis in the military and business (including his knowledge of their complicity in corruption) led to his release.
On April 28, 1942, a birthday party was held for Schindler at his factory, attended by his staff and workers. During the party, Schindler allegedly kissed a young Jewish girl on the cheek while receiving good wishes for the day. The following day he was arrested by the SS for violating the Nuremberg Decrees, which prohibited such activity. The arrest also revealed to Schindler that there was at least one Nazi collaborator within his company, since the party was attended solely by his staff and employees. It took five days of extensive activities contacting Schindler’s allies within the Nazi hierarchy and bureaucracy before he was released from custody. Schindler’s arrest led him to believe that his activities needed to be covered under the blanket of maintaining production for the benefit of the German war effort, and his arguments for the benefit of his workers remained under that guise.