The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial, 1963-1965

Devin O. Pendas is Associate Professor of History at Boston College. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago and is the recipient of grants from the German Academic Exchange Service and the MacArthur Foundation. His articles have appeared in the Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities and Traverse: Zeitschift für Geschichte/Revue d'histore, as well as in a number of edited volumes.

• 1. Prelude; 2. The antinomies of German law: motivation, action and guilt; 3. The trial actors; 4. Indictment and order to convene, April–July 1963; 5. Opening moves, 20 December 1963–6 February 1964; 6. Taking evidence, 7 February 1964–May 1965; 7. Closing arguments, 7 May 1965–12 August 1965; 8. Judgment; 9. Public reaction.

"In his book, Devin O. Pendas meticulously examines every phase of the trial. He provides an in-depth account of the complex, lengthy legal and political machinations that preceded the trial, moves on to an exhaustive analysis of the actual courtroom proceedings and concludes with an assessment of German public reactions. The extremely detailed narrative will certainly satisfy readers who prefer encyclopedic rigor, although others might consider the book's reconstruction of the procedural maneuvers during the trial to be denser than necessary, despite the author's formidable lucidity. The impressive archival research on which the book is based is well reflected in its extensive citations, which Cambridge University Press admirably continues to print at the bottom of the page." - Alan E. Steinweis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, H-NET