Cross- Examining War Criminals in Yad Vashem Studies, Volume V

Cross-Examining War Criminals

The main purpose of cross-examining a witness who testifies on his own behalf is to prove that he is a liar. This may be difficult when dealing with brain-washed, dyed-in-the-wool Nazi officials. The trial of the main defendant, former Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering demonstrates some of the problems facing the cross-examiner. Excerpts are presented from the trials of Hans Lammers, Chief of the Reich Chancellery; Edmund Veesenmayer, Reich Minister Plenipotentiary for Hungary; and the guilty plea of Ernst Wilhelm Bohle, Gauleiter of the Foreign Organization of the Nazi Party (AO). The Eichmann Trial could have been wrapped up much earlier. However, the Israel government wished to showcase the proceedings around the world for educational purposes.