Historians at the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial: Their Role as Expert Witnesses

Description

The Frankfurt Auschwitz trial was a milestone event in West German history. Between 1963 and 1965, twenty-two former Auschwitz personnel were tried in Frankfurt am Main. It was a trial that saw the engagement of four of the nation's leading historians as expert witnesses - Martin Broszat, Hans Buchheim, Helmut Krausnick, and Hans-Adolf Jacobsen - appointed by the prosecution to give evidence pertaining to the historical and organisational context of the Holocaust. Following the trial, the reports of these historians were published in a bestselling book, Anatomie des SS-Staates (Anatomy of the SS State) and Mathew Turner here investigates the relationship between the trial and this publication. In recent years, more attention has been paid to the intersection between history and law that accompanies historians' entry into the courtroom. Very little, however, has been written about this intersection with a focus on a single case study. Based on original research in several German archives and first-hand interviews, Turner addresses these connections through a study of West Germany's most famous trial, and the monumental work of history produced from the engagement of historical expertise in court. About the Author Mathew Turner is a Lecturer in History at Deakin University, Australia, from where he gained his PhD. He has been a Guest Scholar at the Jena Center for Twentieth Century History in Germany. Cover Author Biography Title page Copyright Dedication Contents List of Plates Acknowledgements Introduction The Expert Witness Historian Plausible versus Probable: History and Law Locating the Paradox: Historical Knowledge as Legal Evidence The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial Experts: Existing Literature Praising Anatomy Book Structure and Chapter Synopsis 1. Background to Frankfurt: The IfZ, Gutachten and the Ulm Trial Gutachten and the Institut fu¨r Zeitgeschichte The Ulm Einsatzkommando Trial 2. The Law Courts History: Pre-Trial Preparations A Perfect Sturm: Bauer and the IfZ, 1959–1962 A Perfect Sturm: Bauer and the IfZ, 1959–1962 Drafting the Gutachten ‘Gutachten are worthless here’: A Judge’s Pre-Trial Verdict 3. Giving Evidence: The Historians’ Court? Or, Historians Caught? ‘An Historical Seminar’: Buchheim, 7 February 1964 The Director’s Drama: Krausnick, 17 February 1964 ‘Compassion has no place’: Broszat, 21 and 28 February 1964 Buchheim Returns, 3 July 1964 The Last Chapter: Jacobsen, 14 August 1964 4. Judgement Day: Hofmeyer Reaches a Verdict Parting Shots: Kaul and Laternser Hofmeyer’s Final Judgement Judging History, Making Law: How the Historians Fared 5. Publishing Anatomy: Gutachten to Chapters The Paperback Gutachten ‘A Guide to Barbarism’ 6. Responding to Anatomy: Scholars React Reviewing Anatomy: English Take the Lead Dissecting Anatomy: The Future of the Past The ‘Burning Questions’: Herzfeld and Ainsztein 7. Receiving Anatomy: How the Book Made History Laternser’s Lies The Road to Auschwitz The Debate Begins: Krausnick versus Broszat Creating History, Informing Research Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index