The Nuremberg Interviews (2005)

In case one should wonder how many ways a Nazi can justify his behavior, this is an illuminating read. These were real humans, not monsters, and these notes constitute a terrific, first-hand account of the mind-works of some of the criminals of the Holocaust. For me personally, the fact that the psychiatrist is a Jew makes these interviews all the more astonishing for the impartiality with which he was able to conduct himself, even in his notes, most of the time. Those times when Goldensohn cannot help but insert his own personal thoughts and feelings creates even more interest. ( )

Leon Goldensohn was a U.S. Army psychiatrist who monitored the mental health of the top Nazi war criminals during the Nuremberg Trials. This work provides us access to a selection of Dr. Goldensohn's interviews with these prisoners.
Each individual's interviews are listed separately (for easy referencing). Included at the beginning of each interview is a photo of the war criminal, date of birth and death, their title in the Third Reich, crime(s) for which they were indicted, and their sentence. The interviews were conducted over a period of time by Dr. Goldensohn, and the dates that they took place are clearly noted in their individual section
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Although I was very much interested in reading this book, I remained a little skeptical as to how much I would learn about each individual from these interviews. These war criminals were awaiting trial and knew the possible outcome, including possible death. Just how much were they going to share?

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. I think there is much that can be learned about these individuals from their interviews. ( )

This book contains unique information collected through interviews with the Nuremberg trial defendants and some of the witnesses by the prison psychiatrist. A good general introduction to the history of the trials is given and then each individual is covered in a separate chapter.

Unfortunately, the list of defendants covered is not complete - no Seyss-Inquart or Raeder - and these omissions are not explained, nor is the single page devoted to Speer. One possible explanation for this might be due to missing notes, as the book was compiled by a historian years after the trials had finished (?). Each set of interviews also contained too much information about the subject's childhood and family which does not interest me.

The author makes clear that much of the material needs to be read with caution, given that those imparting the information were potentially facing the gallows, i.e. not objective. However, they are still their own words, assuming accurate transcription, and this consideration does not apply to the same degree with the witnesses.

I found the witness section the most interesting because of the high profile interviewees included and the more candid nature of the testimony. As alluded to above, this was partly due to the fact that they were facing no or lesser charges or, alternatively, were certain to hang whatever (e.g. Hoess). This didn't stop one or two of the SS lying through their teeth, however. The final chapter covering Hitler's interpreter and his opinions on foreign affairs makes excellent reading. Others include: Pohl, Schellenberg, Kesselring, Sepp Dietrich, von Manstein of a total of 14.

Writing this review has focused my attention on how much I liked this, despite some minor grumbles - highly recommended for those interested in the trials or the Nazi regime. ( )

You should read this book. Seriously. Go to Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com. Just order it. You will not be sorry. Easily one of the 10 best books I have ever read. It is sometimes painful, but the honesty. Well, if you want to try and really understand the types of people who can produce genocide...you just need to read this. Trust me. ( )