Please excuse my ignorance on this subject. I had once read that Adolf Eichmann stated that he had "mountains of evidence" for his defense during his 1961 trial in Tel Aviv, but the Israeli court denied him access and/or would not allow him to use this evidence. He supposedly claimed that the trial was unfair and tainted because he had tons of evidence that could be used in his defense but he was not allowed to use it. Is any of this true? Was this statement just the ramblings of a very guilty man, or was he really denied use of evidence that could possibly have helped him during his trial?
How do historians and legal experts view his trial? Was this a fair trial, or was it a great sham that had a predetermined verdict?
Did the illegal kidnapping of Eichman and smuggling him out of Argentina in any way affect the diplomatic relations between Israel and Argentina? Did argentina (or the U.N.) protest this kidnapping?
Thank you.
Eichmann Illegally Denied Use Of "Mountains Of Evidence
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David Thompson
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One really nice aspect of the modern cyber-world is the information you can get over the internet. The full transcripts of Eichmann's trial are available at
http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/people/e/eic ... anscripts/
You can actually have a look and satisfy yourself about the fairness of the trial.
Eichmann tried to subpoena a number of witnesses for his trial, but the Israeli prosecutor threatened to have them arrested and put on trial for war crimes if they came to Israel. This problem was ultimately resolved by the use of affidavits. These are also available on-line at the same site. Judging from the affidavits, the affiants were not especially eager to have anything to do with Eichmann. The New York Times (available on microfilm) had several articles on this controversy which you can find at NYT 5 Apr 1961:14:3; NYT 6 May 1961:1; NYT 9 May 1961:16:1 & 16:8 & 17:5; NYT 10 May 1961:7:6; NYT 11 May 1961:16:8; NYT 15 May 1961:7:3; NYT 16 May 1961:11:4; NYT 19 May 1961:10:3; NYT 20 May 1961:6:4; NYT 24 May 1961:12:5; NYT 30 May 1961:2:6
Eichmann testified at some length during the trial about his activities. The documentary evidence against him was crushing, showing his involvement in deportations to the death camps during 1942-1945. By his own admission he had witnessed a mass shooting of Russian Jews in 1941 and visited death camps in 1942, so there's not much doubt that he knew what he was doing. In his testimony Eichmann depicts himself as a "little man" who was just following orders in the hope of being appointed to the police presidency of a medium-sized German city after the war. I found the testimony interesting, but ultimately squalid and depressing from the point of view of the human spirit. There is not a lot of historiography on the trial.
Argentina was very irked at the kidnapping of Eichmann by Israeli agents, and protested at length about it. The New York Times coverage of this subject is at NYT 7 Jun 1960:1:2; NYT 8 Jun 1960:14:1; NYT 9 Jun 1960:1:3; NYT 10 Jun 1960:1:2; NYT 11 Jun 1960:4:1; NYT 12 Jun 1960:32:3; NYT 13 Jun 1960:11:1; NYT 14 Jun 1960:13:1; NYT 15 Jun 1960:1:6; NYT 16 Jun 1960:1:8; NYT 16 Jun 1960:4:4; NYT 17 Jun 1960:2:3; NYT 18 Jun 1960:9:4; NYT 19 Jun 1960:6:1; NYT 20 Jun 1960:1:6; NYT 22 Jun 1960:1:6 and 8:4; NYT 15 Jul 1960:6:2; NYT 23 Jul 1960:1:7; NYT 24 Jul 1960:21:5; NYT 29 Jul 1960:2:4; NYT 4 Aug 1960:1:5; NYT 18 Oct 1960:23:5; NYT 7 Nov 1960:3:4
I hope the information is helpful.
http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/people/e/eic ... anscripts/
You can actually have a look and satisfy yourself about the fairness of the trial.
Eichmann tried to subpoena a number of witnesses for his trial, but the Israeli prosecutor threatened to have them arrested and put on trial for war crimes if they came to Israel. This problem was ultimately resolved by the use of affidavits. These are also available on-line at the same site. Judging from the affidavits, the affiants were not especially eager to have anything to do with Eichmann. The New York Times (available on microfilm) had several articles on this controversy which you can find at NYT 5 Apr 1961:14:3; NYT 6 May 1961:1; NYT 9 May 1961:16:1 & 16:8 & 17:5; NYT 10 May 1961:7:6; NYT 11 May 1961:16:8; NYT 15 May 1961:7:3; NYT 16 May 1961:11:4; NYT 19 May 1961:10:3; NYT 20 May 1961:6:4; NYT 24 May 1961:12:5; NYT 30 May 1961:2:6
Eichmann testified at some length during the trial about his activities. The documentary evidence against him was crushing, showing his involvement in deportations to the death camps during 1942-1945. By his own admission he had witnessed a mass shooting of Russian Jews in 1941 and visited death camps in 1942, so there's not much doubt that he knew what he was doing. In his testimony Eichmann depicts himself as a "little man" who was just following orders in the hope of being appointed to the police presidency of a medium-sized German city after the war. I found the testimony interesting, but ultimately squalid and depressing from the point of view of the human spirit. There is not a lot of historiography on the trial.
Argentina was very irked at the kidnapping of Eichmann by Israeli agents, and protested at length about it. The New York Times coverage of this subject is at NYT 7 Jun 1960:1:2; NYT 8 Jun 1960:14:1; NYT 9 Jun 1960:1:3; NYT 10 Jun 1960:1:2; NYT 11 Jun 1960:4:1; NYT 12 Jun 1960:32:3; NYT 13 Jun 1960:11:1; NYT 14 Jun 1960:13:1; NYT 15 Jun 1960:1:6; NYT 16 Jun 1960:1:8; NYT 16 Jun 1960:4:4; NYT 17 Jun 1960:2:3; NYT 18 Jun 1960:9:4; NYT 19 Jun 1960:6:1; NYT 20 Jun 1960:1:6; NYT 22 Jun 1960:1:6 and 8:4; NYT 15 Jul 1960:6:2; NYT 23 Jul 1960:1:7; NYT 24 Jul 1960:21:5; NYT 29 Jul 1960:2:4; NYT 4 Aug 1960:1:5; NYT 18 Oct 1960:23:5; NYT 7 Nov 1960:3:4
I hope the information is helpful.