Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Letter written in German. Letter is accompanied by original envelope (2001.62.4b).
- Date
-
1945
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Lucian W. Kempner
- Contributor
-
Subject:
Robert M. W. (Max Wasili) Kempner
- Biography
-
Robert Max Wasilii Kempner (1899-1993) was born in Freiburg, Germany, studied law and political science and other subjects at the universities of Berlin, Breslau and Freiburg. He became the senior legal adviser to the police in Prussia, and he opposed Nazism. After Hitler came to power, Hermann Göring accused Kempner of anti-Nazi activities and fired him, and he was held for two months in a concentration camp. Wilhelm Frick revoked Kempner’s German citizenship on the basis of his Jewish background. Kempner was expelled from Germany and settled in the United States. He returned to Germany after the war and served as assistant U.S. chief counsel during the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, heading the Defense Rebuttal Section. His knowledge of the German legal system helped him anticipate the defendants’ defense strategies of prepare for cross-examinations. He also served as counsel at the 1947-1948 trial of the German Foreign Office. After Nuremberg, Kempner split his time between the United States and Germany where he represented Jewish clients in restitution cases against Germany. He also appeared as an expert witness at the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1961.
Physical Details
- Language
- German
- Classification
-
Office Equipment and Supplies
- Category
-
Stationery
- Object Type
-
Letters (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- Rectangular paper form with German writing in black ink on one side.
- Materials
- overall : paper, ink
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The letter was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2001 by Lucian W. Kempner, Lorraine H. Kempner, Hans Kempner, and Therese Kempner, the son, the daughter-in-law, and grandchildren of Robert M. W. Kempner.
- Record last modified:
- 2022-07-28 18:26:39
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn46331
Also in Robert M.W. Kempner collection
The collection consists of artifacts, correspondence, and documents relating to the experiences of Robert M.W. Kempner.
Date: 1935-1993
Office of Strategic Services (OSS) lapel pin
Object
Lapel pin offered to members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) who received certificates commemorating their service in World War II.
Relic of Saint Edith Stein
Object
Devotional keepsake
Object
Devotional keepsake in the form of a red plastic heart with poem printed on front.
Alfred Rosenberg diary
Document
The diary, which begins in April 1936, contains entries in which Rosenberg reflects on contemporary events, including the Soviet-German non-aggression pact, the invasion of Poland, Germany’s relations with other countries prior to the war (Romania, Spain, Afghanistan, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Italy), the personalities and activities of other Nazi leaders, his antipathy to organized religion and to the Roman Catholic church in particular, accounts of his meetings with Hitler, the latter’s affirmations of Rosenberg’s writings and activities, and his perceptions of the popularity and reception of his writings among the general public, including “Der Mythus des 20. Jahrhunderts.” The latter part of the diary treats Rosenberg’s appointment by Hitler as Reichminister of the Occupied Eastern Territories, differences in policy between Rosenberg and others in how to administer these territories, political infighting, eventual military setbacks on the Eastern front, and his accounts of the effects of war and bombing raids on Germany. The diary ends in December 1944. Additional years of this diary (1934-1935) are held by the National Archives and Records Administration (U.S.), in College Park, Maryland. A digitized version is available as is a transcript.
Robert M.W. and Ruth Benedicta Kempner papers
Document
The Robert M.W. and Ruth Benedicta Kempner papers consist of general correspondence, correspondence and legal documents related to the Nuremberg trials, selected publications, research material, and restitution case files documenting lawyer Robert Kempner and sociologist Ruth Benedicta Kempner. The collection includes Kempner’s correspondence and research files, Ruth Benedicta Kempner’s files, and records document Kempner’s law office. Records documenting Kempner’s work at the International Military Tribunal and at the subsequent tribunals include general correspondence, trial records, evidence indexes, prosecution and defense records, research files, and interrogation reports. The collection also includes photographs, scrapbooks, and sound and video recordings.
Envelope
Object
Envelope addressed, stamped, and postmarked. Is accompanied by original letter (2001.62.4a).
Medallion pouch
Object
Black leather pouch which opens at top by a flap; used to hold religious medallion (2001.62.6a)
Pouch
Object
Dark green plastic pouch which opens at top by a flap; used to hold religious image (2001.62.7a)
Envelope
Object
Envelope addressed, stamped, and postmarked. Is accompanied by original letter (2001.62.8a).
Envelope
Object
Envelope addressed, stamped, and postmarked. Is accompanied by original letter (2001.62.10a).
Envelope
Object
Partial piece of an envelope addressed, stamped, and postmarked. Is accompanied by original letter (2001.62.12a).
World War I Iron Cross medal
Object
Iron Cross medal and ribbon
Object
Medal
Object
Medal and ribbon
Object
Mother's Cross
Object
