During the Nuremberg trials, Dr. Leon Goldensohn–a psychiatrist for the U.S. Army–monitored the mental health of two dozen German leaders charged with carrying out genocide. These recorded conversations have gone largely unexamined for more than fifty years, until Robert Gellately–one of the premier historians of Nazi Germany–made them available to the public in this remarkable collection. Here are interviews with the likes of Hans Frank, Hermann Goering, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, and Joachim von Ribbentrop–the highest ranking Nazi officials in the Nuremberg jails. Here too are interviews with lesser-known officials essential to the inner workings of the Third Reich. Candid and often shockingly truthful, The Nuremberg Interviews is a profound addition to our understanding of the Nazi mind and mission. - goodreads
Even if you don't have a strong interest in World War II history, I would still highly recommend reading these interviews as a reminder of how "great" evil can be perpetrated by seemingly ordinary individuals - men who loved their families, kissed their wives as they left home each morning, celebrated their children's birthdays and relaxed on holidays. And we need to remind ourselves that any of us are capable of doing the exact same thing.
Click here for an interview with a German who served as interpreter for the psychiatrists who "studied" the Nazi leaders awaiting trial for their war crimes.
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