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| Eichmann on trial in Israel |
On June 1, 1962, the nation of
Israel hanged former Nazi Lt. Colonel Karl Adolf Eichmann in one of the most
memorable post-World War II legal events since the conclusion of the initial
war crimes trials. Eichmann had been the
model of the talented, fanatic technocrat, being responsible in large part for
the logistics that made it possible for the Nazis to murder millions of
European Jews in the 1930s and 1940s. He
escaped from Germany to Argentina after the war, where he was caught by Israeli
secret agents and smuggled out of the country.
He was tried in Israel, convicted, and hanged fifty years ago today. The whole story is described in Hanna Arendt’s
1963 book Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report
on the Banality of Evil, which captures one of the most fascinating aspects
of the story – the ice-cold, efficient and business-like approach of a “modern”
government to genocide.
How does this further our
understanding of the 1960s? Aside from
the interesting historical fact, it is a reminder that World War II was not ancient
history – the participants were still very much on the scene. Remember, those 18 year olds who enlisted on
the day the war began for America were no more than 40 in 1962. Also, it helps us understand the mindset of
Israel, which is indispensable for understanding the Middle East in the 1960s
(or any time, for that matter).
NOTE – The last three posts have
been very serious, so we will shortly go off on a more entertaining tangent – the
musical world of 1962. Stay tuned ….
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