spell binding and unmissable
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Gus Gilbert, had free access to all the defendents during the entire Nuremberg trials. He spent much time in discussion with all the Nazi defendents, Goering, Ribbentrop, Hess, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Sauckel, Speer, Schacht, Funk, Papen, Neurath, Schirach, Seyss-Inquart, Streicher, Keitel, Jodl, Doenitz and Fritzsche. Robert Ley had committed suicide in his cell prior to the trial.
The book is a record of the defendents thoughts and a diary of conversations and observations. It is facinationing. Author Gilbert was a psychologist by profession and also acted as a sympathetic ear and councillor for some of the defendents and in some cases really gained their confidence. I have a very big problem with this because he also used this information to suggest lines of attack to the prosecution in some prisoners cases, in particular Goering.
This said, you begin to feel that you knew the prisoners as individuals by the end of the book, which is all credit to the author. Also very interesting is the continued power struggle between some of the defendents even in captivity.
It is a very interesting exercise to compare your own verdicts with that of the judges. One suspects that justice had a little bit of a flexible quality about it.
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to put the book down once you have started reading it.
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Second Hand info from a First Hand Source
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International Law interests me and I have read alot of books on warcrimes and criminals, and had read Gilbert before. So I was looking forward to this book. But it's extreemely disappointing. There is nothing new here, and Gilbert's comments on the prisoners offer nothing new. The book feels like a brag, an account of how one american came face to face with the monsters, if Gilbert was not there I would have said that this was just another atempt at postering like the dreadful Nurmberg Tv series.
The only good parts of this books are the direct quotes from the prisoners, even then one can not help thinking that they have been carefully chosen and quoted to serve the authors end.
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Good but should have been better.
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I agree with the New York based reviewer below. The introduction of the psychologist's own opinions into conversations with the defendants and into descriptions of events in the text does spoil this book somewhat. The omission of coverage of a number of the defence cases 'for brevity' is very annoying. Another quibble is that the account presented is strongly biased towards coverage of conversations with Goering, Schact, Von Shirach, Ribbentrop, Frank and Speer - whether this is because the others (e.g. Frick, Funk, Kaltenbrunner) refused contact with Gilbert, coverage was simply omitted or if they were not approached at all is not made at all clear Finally, I would also agree with the sentiment expressing a desire for more (some!!) coverage of the scientific psychological examination of the defendants. This is, however, a very engaging account of the trial and the personalities of some of its protagonists, which is, by definition, unique. Those seeking a thorough description of the history of the trial, the legal issues, geopolitical wrangling and the prosecution characters will be better served with the excellent 'The Nuremberg Trials' by Ann and John Tusa. That said, this book really should not be overlooked, as it is an excellent read.
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Unique, in its own kind. I wouldn't miss it.
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I would recommend this book as it views the trial and above all the defendants from a perspective which no other book can possibly offer. I think it important for future reader that they are aware that this is hardly a complete account of the trial itself. Other books (The Nuremberg Trial, by Ann and John Tusa for example) achieve this well enough. This book brings you into the cells and lets you hear what the defendants thought about the whole situation, until you become familiar with their different personalities. I would recommend reading some other book before this, to gain better knowledge of the trial, but definitely I would not miss this one. It'd be like reading a book first, and then having a chance to meet the actors.
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AN EXCELLENT ACCOUNT FROM THE MAN WHO WAS THERE
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Gustav Gilbert gives a brilliant account of isstay at Nuremberg for the duration of the infamous trial. He exposes the men on trial not only as monsters but as humans. An account like no other as he remains steadfast to his work until the end when other such as Gen Kelley have left to return home and publish their own accounts. Gilbert allows us full access to these men as they realize what has happened and that they have no escape from their fate. He shows his own compassion for the condemed as he pays visits to their families to give them hop as well as get information vital to his book.
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