The BookThe Nuremberg Interviews is a book composed of interviews with the defendants and witnesses for the Nuremberg Trial. These interviews were conducted by an American psychiatrist named Leon Goldensohn, and later edited by Robert Gellately. The interviews span over the course of the Nuremberg Trials, and are with 19 defendants and 14 witnesses.
|
A Look into the Mind of a Nazi Leader
Hermann Goering |
The Nuremberg Trials says, "Hermann Goering was commander in chief of the air force, president of the Reichstag, and prime minister of Prussia. Found guilty at Nuremberg of conspiracy to commit crimes, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, he was sentenced to death by hanging. Two hours before his scheduled execution, on October 15, 1946, he committed suicide in his cell." Next in line after Hitler, he committed suicide by poisoning himself using cyanide, which made it so he was unable to take in oxygen.
|
Quotes from his Interviews |
Many wonder why no one tried to stop Nazi leaders from pursuing these terrible actions, or why the leaders themselves never tried to stop Hitler. While it seems quite hard to believe, some Nazi leaders claimed not to have known about the crimes and killings conducted within concentration camps. During a conversation (page 114) on May 24th, 1946, Goldensohn asked Goering, "Did not Goering introduce the first concentration camps in 1933 or 1934?" Goering replied, "Yes. I frankly admit concentration camps for Communists and other enemies of National Socialism at that time, but certainly not with the idea of killing people or of using them as extermination camps."
Another interesting topic Goering was questioned about was his display of anti-Semitism. He spoke of how he wasn't drawn to the Nazi party because they were anti-Semitic, but rather because they were seen as a group that could turn Germany around and help improve the country greatly. Goering also said (on page 116), "the only passages that were read to me were those which are damaging to me. The good passages were omitted — for example, where I said one can't let Jews starve. That was not read in court. The general anti-Semitic feeling had to be maintained by everyone. That was an order by Hitler." Goering also kept talking about another Nazi leader who had supposedly influenced him to house anti-Semitism. (Throughout a majority of his interview, he blamed this other Nazi leader.) Goering continued to say that he did not hate Jews, and that he even tried to help them. The court had continued to interpret his documents as showing anti-Semitism, Goering claimed. |
"The mass murder of innocent people such as the extermination of the Jews is unjustifiable." This is true, but while Goering had said this during an interview (page 116), he still had somehow not heard of the scandalous, inhumane, downright atrocious acts and crimes that were being committed right under his nose. As a leader of the organization conducting this, and as Hitler's successor, how would someone who claims to have helped Jews and thinks all the happenings and deaths at concentration camps were terrible have overlooked something so big? It seems very impossible.
And still, some deny the actions and many deaths inflicted by the Nazis, due to ghettos, transports, concentration camps, death marches, etc.
And still, some deny the actions and many deaths inflicted by the Nazis, due to ghettos, transports, concentration camps, death marches, etc.