The Nazi and the Psychiatrist

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

By: Jack El-Hai

Narrated by: 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.

Critic reviews

“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

Eye Opening Book

To tell the truth, my wife and I watched the movie Nuremberg and as usual what happens is we try to find the book for the basis of the movie and we like to dig into the history.
This book delves into the story rarely told about the Nuremberg Trials and the need to hold the Nazis accountable. The book and the movie focus on the relationship between a psychiatrist and Nazis in general and Goering in particular. Were these just everyday people like us who performed these atrocities so callously? Or was there some defect in their personality and character that can be identified so that we can avoid one of the pitfalls of history. Well written story.

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.

narrator awful

The book was interesting and attempts to bring to life an important part of history. Unfortunately, the poor narration was extremely distracting. At times, I was convinced the narration was AI because it was so monotone or devoid of expression. Pauses often did not correspond to punctuation, and German words and sentences mispronounced. This book would probably be better appreciated in hard copy.