The Nazi and the Psychiatrist

Hermann Göring, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of Minds at the End of WWII

De: Jack El-Hai

Narrado por: Arthur Morey

NOW THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE NUREMBERG STARRING RUSSELL CROWE AND RAMI MALEK

In 1945, an improbable relationship between the fallen Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goering, and ambitious US Army physician, Douglas Kelley, becomes a hazardous quest into the nature of evil

“The book is a page turner.”—NPR

In 1945, after his capture at the end of the Second World War, Hermann Göring arrived at an American-run detention center in war-torn Luxembourg, accompanied by sixteen suitcases and a red hatbox. Joining him in the detention center were fifty-one senior Nazis, of whom Göring was the dominant figure.

To ensure that the captives were fit for trial at Nuremberg, the US army sent an ambitious army psychiatrist, Captain Douglas M. Kelley, to supervise and evaluate them. To Kelley, it was the professional opportunity of a lifetime: to discover a distinguishing trait among these arch-criminals that would mark them as psychologically different from the rest of humanity. But Kelley’s quest would prove to be a dangerous one. The more he spoke with the Nazi captives, the more he began to understand and appreciate their perspective—and the more he would fall for their charms.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Ace reportage on the unique relationship between a prison physician and one of the Third Reich's highest ranking officials…. El-Hai's gripping account turns a chilling page in American history and provides an unsettling meditation on the machinations of evil.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Journalist El-Hai's haunting historical account raises questions about the human capacity to cause harm.... In this thoroughly engaging story of the jocular master war criminal and the driven, self-aware psychiatrist, El-Hai finds no simple binary." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Well researched and well written”—Library Journal

"Jack El-Hai's biography of Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley provides a riveting look at the top Nazis awaiting trial — and reveals the dangerous power of intimacy with evil."—Minneapolis Star Tribune

"If you liked Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt, try The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai."—Psychology Today

"With full access to Kelley's notes on Nazi psychology, El-Hai infuses his story with the messy, compelling details of people's lives. These tug the reader inside Kelley's head for an engrossing exploration of human nature, sanity and despair."—Science News

Psychiatrists either commit suicide or go crazy

Enjoyable book. Too bad “22 Cells in Nuremberg” is out of print and impossible to find. This read concentrated of Dr. Douglas Kelly but his top Nazis weren’t fully developed. He went into the psychoanalysis of Hermann Göring and the rest of the high ranking Nazis convinced there was common thread which caused them to become the perpetrators of the worst crimes against humanity in the history of the world. This bias affected his diagnoses of the high command. Which drove him to his own suicide.

Personal story of the psychiatrist.

Better understanding of the Nuremberg trial notables, and the cautions about another appearance of fascism in our own soil.

See also: Ordinary Men.

Great story. Great Narration. Highly recommended for anyone interested in history or, more specifically, psychology.

human behavior repeats itself, not history

Incredible story. This is one of several books that's helping me understand how these people and others like them can rise to power and do the awful things that they do. It's really two stories packed into one, one about the Nazi prisoners themselves (with an emphasis on Goering) and one about the life of Dr. Kelley. I found it to be engaging the whole way through. My only negative comment is about the performance - supposedly the narrator is a real person, but it sure doesn't sound like it. The volume and tone of some sentences, even single words, is shifty, especially while listening with headphones. It's poorly mixed and sounds like pieces were cut and pasted. That said, I wouldn't let it interfere with listening to this fascinating story.

Not Insane

I listened to “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” (2013) after I’d seen James Vanderbilt’s movie “Nuremberg” (2025) which was the based on the book. I was engrossed, and I wanted to know more, but not about Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe). I was more interested Douglas McGlashan Kelley, MD, (Rami Malek), the US Army officer who examined Nazi prisoners for competency before their trials.

The first chapter of Jack El-Hai’s book describes Kelley’s 1958 suicide by potassium cyanide - the same way Göring died, right before he was scheduled to be hanged after his conviction for war crimes. I spent the rest of my listen wondering if Kelley’s relationship with Göring and caused his suicide.

El-Hai, a journalist, thoroughly researched Kelley’s well known family, Kelley’s education, his examination of the Nazis and Kelley’s conclusions about them, and Kelley’s tumultuous post war life. Kelley’s eventual conclusion was that with the exception of Robert Ley, the Nazi leaders were very intelligent, sane, and competent to stand trial.

El-Hai clearly had the cooperation of Douglas, Jr., Kelley’s son, and access to a tranche of papers Kelley’s wife Alice-Vivienne kept after his death. Living with Kelley was harrowing, and they were fortunate to have survived.

It was a well-written book and a good performance.