Interrogations: Inside the Minds of the Nazi Elite [Paperback]

Winston Churchill and the Nazi leadership shared one thing in common - they both expected the latter to be shot out of hand. What prevented it happening was the determination of the United States and, ironically, the Soviet Union, to make a public spectacle of Nazism as an aggressive and destructive force which should be exposed for the rotten system it was and represented. In essence -notwithstanding the "crimes against humanity" - the Nuremberg trials were political in nature.

Churchill was not alone in his view which was widely held in his War Cabinet and beyond. Lord Simon, the Senior Government Legal Adviser, proposed the Nazis be treated as common outlaws and executed without the inconvenience of a trial. In general terms this remained the British Government's position through to 1945. Even during the trial (or tribunal as it was called) Anthony Eden thought the mass suicide of all the defendants would save a lot of trouble. The Americans by contrast wanted to ensure that the Nazi leadership had their full rights as individuals respected according to American legal theory although they also adopted the principle of group responsibility in respect of organisations such as the Gestapo.

Leading individuals were absent. Hitler, Himmler and Goebbels had all committed suicide while Borman was missing (his remains were found in Berlin in 1972) and Eichmann fled to South America. This provided an opportunity for those facing trial to blame the absentees (especially in relation to the extermination of the Jews). Some denied responsibility notably Ernst Kaltenbrunner whose ministerial remit included the genocidal policies implemented by the Gestapo. Hess drifted into and out of a paranoiac world, seemingly at will, while the universally detested Julius Streicher was declared legally sane but was clearly mentally deluded.

On the other hand Goering was completely unrepentant, accepting responsibility for waging war but blaming Hitler and Himmler for the Holocaust. Rudolf Hoess, Commandant of Auschwitz-Birkenau, showed righteous indignation at the suggestion that he stole from Jewish victims but no remorse for murdering millions of them opining that, "as an old fanatic National Socialist" he took it as "truth without question" that the war was against World Jewry. Those who did not blame the war on the Jews blamed it on the British.

One of the most interesting documents is Albert Speer's assessment of Hitler who he portrayed as someone who succeeded when he followed his own instincts and failed when he did not. What was clear was that people working close to him were overwhelmed by the charisma he possessed (or possibly by the lack of their own charisma). While it is true that towards the end of the war Speer lost the feeling that Hitler was an effective leader, his own testimony was hedged with a degree of self serving through which he sought to limit his own responsibility. Goering beat the rope by committing suicide, as did Robert Ley but the chief officers of state were sent to the gallows and a further 200 Nazis were dispatched by Albert Pierrepoint over a period of time.

Historically Nuremberg has been presented as the triumph of good over evil and, in a very real sense it was. However, Overy's outstanding scholarship brings out the tensions that existed between the Allies, both before and during the Tribunal. The Soviets wanted a show trial and presumed guilt. The British (once they had given up the outlaw idea) wanted a public demonstration of responsibility by the Nazi leadership. Hitler's death avoided the tricky question of whether the effective Head of State could be put on trial by the victors and it was left to subsequent events to settle that issue.

Overy has written many books about the Second World War and Nazi Germany. His writing is clear, concise and comprehensive. He is rightly regarded as a leading expert in the field. For anyone interested in the subject this book is an essential read.

As the war in Europe approached its conclusion the Allied leaders were faced with the dilemmas of who should be held responsible for the atrocities of Hitler's Nazi State and what punishment should be applied to the perpetrators. Despite calls for summary executions the Allies chose to embark on a legal process which culminated in the Nuremberg Trials. In this book the author gives a detailed but readable account of the preparations for the trial. The first part of the book includes chapters concerning the judicial background to the trial, the selection of defendants, the charges they faced and denial strategies used by the defendants. The second part of the book contains extracts from the actual interrogation transcripts of some of the most pre-eminent defendants. These transcripts provide an unique insight to the workings of the Third Reich and the attitudes of its rulers following defeat. The book is well written and provides an interesting insight into the problems facing the Allies as they strove to convict their enemies of charges which seemed undeniable. The interrogation transcripts also provide a fascinating view of the Nazi regime from its leaders. They address all areas of the Third Reich including Hitler's pre-war plans, his attitude to his allies and enemies, the economic and industrial effort to supply the war effort and the origins and prosecution of anti-Semitic policies. An excellent book that will appeal to all those with an interest in World War Two.

This book is truely great.Beginning with lengthy comments to the lead-in to the Nürnburg trial, the author presents (virtually) unedited documentation related to the trial. The combination of analysis and raw documentation provides an outstanding opportunity for the reader to him-/herself evaluate the event. The documentation, in essence transcripts from the trial, gives shattering accounts of the numbed minds of Hitler's henchmen as well as important insights into the period following the war. Regardless of the reader's level of understanding/knowledge of WWII, this book gives a fascinating account of some of the darkest hours in human history.