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

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

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 16 suitcases and a red hatbox. The suitcases contained all manner of paraphernalia: medals, gems, two cigar cutters, silk underwear, a hot water bottle, and the equivalent of $100,000,000 in cash. Hidden in a coffee can, a set of brass vials housed glass capsules containing a clear liquid and a white precipitate: potassium cyanide. Joining Göring in the detention center were the elite of the captured Nazi regime - Grand Admiral Dönitz, armed forces commander Wilhelm Keitel and his deputy Alfred Jodl, the mentally unstable Robert Ley, the suicidal Hans Frank, the pornographic propagandist Julius Streicher - 52 senior Nazis in all, of whom the dominant figure was Göring.

To ensure that the villainous captives were fit for trial at Nuremberg, the US Army sent an ambitious army psychiatrist, Captain Douglas M. Kelley, to supervise their mental well-being during their detention. Kelley realized he was being offered 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. So began a remarkable relationship between Kelley and his captors, told here for the first time with unique access to Kelley’s long-hidden papers and medical records.

Kelley’s was a hazardous quest, dangerous because against all his expectations he began to appreciate and understand some of the Nazi captives, none more so than the former Reichsmarshall, Hermann Göring. Evil had its charms.

©2013 Jack El-Hai (P)2013 Blackstone Audio

Title is wrong

The Nazi and the Psychiatrist?
Actually the title should be "The Psychiatrist and the Nazi".
If one were to organize the people in the book, probably half was about the Psychiatrist. The other half covered all the varying Nazi.
Overall the book was very interesting as were all the people in the book. Some interesting insight for sure, by I was more curious about the Nazi, their background and what was going through their head, but instead the details were all about the Psychiatrist.

Very Interesting!

Fascinating account of psychiatrists evaluating the mental state of Nazi war criminals, the subsequent trial and execution of some of them, and the aftermath in the psychiatrists life. An excellent reader did a great job rendering this book.

The NAZI and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Goring, Dr. Douglas

Very, very good. Worth reading for anyone who is wanting to learn more about WW11. The NAZI's were ruthless and had very scary ideas. Always an amazement how many who have evil in there hearts hide or deny thier involvement.

Enlightening

Once upon a time I read a lot of historical fiction and non-fiction about the Nazi era and the Holocaust. Listening to this volume provided a different perspective to what I had previously read. How fascinating and horrific for Kelly to have gotten so close to these Nazis and apparently it did take its toll. I found the tale fascinating to listen to.

Wonderful background into the psychology of German leaders in WW2

Thought the book was fascinating. But also thought the takeaways could be reasonably summed up and just as effective in cliff note format. Chapters were a little long at times.

Bad Writing. Fascinating story

Kelly sure called it when he insisted America could easily be held sway by the same sociopaths as Germany. Even one of the Nazis said there would be a divided America. Kelly was a messed up man but he also was ahead of his time. Altho I am familiar with the main Nazi group, I still laughed at some of the quotes from Goering (That fat pig).

made you look

once you finish, you think this was a good listen, but you shouldn't have been so interested, like when there is a big vehicle wreck or house fire - we shouldn't look but we can't help be intrigued; this is how it is with facsination w/the Nazi heart & mind; we keep looking; since 8/2018, I have listened to hundreds of hours of audio books on the WWII era, both historical fiction & non fiction, but always with a personal side, not just war strategy & battle accounts; I am amazed at how much is out there, & how much of it is more recently published; the subject matter clearly captivates many; to appreciate this book, one should have a substantial background in WWII & the Nazi characters; I got most of this from Rise & Fall of the 3rd Reich, but many other works also; I happened to have read a book on the Donner party of the American West, which has a cameo role in this book; too, my stepfather is a retired industrial psychologist, so, thru him, I have a greater appreciation for analysis of behavior & the psychology of the brain than some; all of this combined to make me keenly interested in this author's excellent presentation of the personalities & psychology at the forefront of the Nuremberg tribunals. As a side tidbit, the Rorschach test was a prominant character in this book. It is sometimes controversial, sometimes dismissed as outdated, etc, but is a pillar of the science/art of psychology. It was interesting to me to learn of its use in the immediate WWII aftermath, when it was a very new technique, & its re examination & debate over the years since.

May be better in print

There are so many references to the various Nazis who were tried at Nuremberg but there is very little background given on each one so it is hard to keep track of who is who. I had to keep stopping and starting so I could look up who the author was talking about

Interesting history

This book was slow at first, but once It got into more of a psychological views of each of the Nazi prisoners it picked up. I think it’s a very interesting look at these top Nazi officials and their minds at the time after the war. I think we could learn a lot from this. I don’t think it’s completely inclusive or conclusive but I think that there is a lot that can be taken from this account.

If you loved Operation Paperclip...

If you loved Operation Paperclip and/or Blitzed, then definitely check this out. Very well written and engaging with fascinating details. Narration felt a bit rushed and some Herman pronunciation was a little cringy to hear.