"The world now understands the concept of 'desk murderer'. We know that one doesn't need to be fanatical, sadistic, or mentally ill to murder millions; that it is enough to be a loyal follower eager to do one's duty."[Justice, Not Vengeance, 1988] - Simon Wiesenthal
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| Adolf Eichmann is flanked by guards in the Jerusalem courtroom where he was tried for war crimes (AP Photo) |
On this date, 15 December 1961, Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death after being found guilty by an Israeli court of 15 criminal charges,
including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people,
and membership of an outlawed organization.
Eichmann Trial Resumes Today;
Psychiatrist Says He is Completely Normal
April 24, 1961
JERUSALEM (Apr. 23)
An Israeli
psychiatrist, who had 30 sessions with Adolf Eichmann during his pre-trial
detention, was disclosed today to have reported that the defendant was a
completely normal person. The psychiatrist examined Eichmann in an effort to
detect the sources of his behavior in the crimes for which he is under trial
here. He was quoted as saying: “By purely psychiatric
tests, Eichmann seems more normal than I am by now. “
The trial of
Eichmann, accused of directing the annihilation of 6, 000, 000 Jews in Nazi
Europe, will resume tomorrow with Dr. Salo W. Baron, professor of Jewish
History at Columbia University, on the witness stand. He will testify for the
prosecution as an expert on comparisons between the Jewish communities in
Europe in pre-Nazi and post-Nazi days, making the impact of the holocaust on
the entire Jewish people.
Prior to
calling Dr. Baron to the stand, the prosecution will complete the playback of
the lengthy statement made by Eichmann during the police interrogation in the
Israeli jail where he was held before the trial opened. In the playback, this
weekend, Eichmann claimed that Gestapo chief Heinrich Himmler wanted to meet
the late Dr. Chaim Weizmann to discuss with him the notorious “trucks for
blood” proposal. However, Dr. Weizmann rejected the offer.
Dr.
Weizmann’s rejection came, according to Eichmann, through the late Dr. Israel
Kastner, a leader of Hungarian Jewry who was assassinated in Israel three years
ago. It was Dr. Kastner whom the Nazis used to present their ransom offer to
Zionist leaders in Palestine.
There was a
strong dramatic moment in the court this weekend when Eichmann said that he
would have killed his own father, if requested to do so while serving the
Hitler regime. “If somebody had told me ‘your father is a traitor’ and ordered
me to kill him, I would have done it, ” Eichmann said during the police
interrogation. Asked whether he would not have requested proof before carrying
out the order, Eichmann replied, as recorded on the tape: “Such considerations
did not exist at the time. “
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