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Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 -- Testimony of A. Less

Film | Digitized | Accession Number: 1999.A.0087 | RG Number: RG-60.2100.023 | Film ID: 2022

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    Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 -- Testimony of A. Less

    Overview

    Description
    Sessions 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Attorney General Gideon Hausner questions Avner Less on his interrogation of Adolf Eichmann. In between three blips, the prosecution presents the audio reel tapes of Eichmann's interrogation. The recordings are in German; therefore, the excerpts are translated into Hebrew and English after each excerpt is played. Following the blip at 00:18:00, Eichmann's statement is translated into Hebrew/English. Eichmann discusses his inability to view injuries: "I am often told that I could never have been a doctor." During the recording, Eichmann makes excuses for his faulty memory, and claims time has stripped his mind of particulars. There is a skip at 00:23:03; the translation of Eichmann's interrogation continues. Eichmann describes a room with Jews who were forced to strip naked and get into a truck. The truck "...drove up a long ditch, the doors were opened, and the [now dead] bodies were thrown out..."

    After a blip at 00:30:16, Hausner presents more excerpts from the interrogation where Eichmann reveals his interactions with the concentration camps. Eichmann describes trips to Minsk and Bialystok, and recounts watching a woman being shot by Nazi police. The Acussed expresses abhorrence for the action, and states: "This is terrible what is going on there." The contents of the audio reel tapes continue to be presented. Eichmann discusses a department in the SS that is solely responsible for producing fake documents for the officers who want to change their identities. Eichmann claims he did not want to change his name, and instead prayed for death as the Allies attacked Berlin.

    There is a blip at 00:51:10 which moves the story to Session 10. The recording of Eichmann's interrogation plays briefly, followed by the translation. After another blip, Eichmann notes during his interrogation that he is not entirely innocent; although he was not directly responsible for the events of the Holocaust, he was an accomplice: "I am ready to hang myself in public, as a warning example for the last anti-Semites of the countries of this world." Hausner continues to present Eichmann's interrogation to the court. In between blips, excerpts from the interrogation are translated; Eichmann and Less discuss 'special treatment.' Less questions Eichmann on the meaning and intent of the term 'special treatment,' and Eichmann replies: "Special treatment means killing."
    Film Title
    Eichmann Trial
    Duration
    00:59:05
    Date
    Event:  1961 April 19
    Production:  1961 April 19
    Locale
    Jerusalem, Israel
    Credit
    Accessed at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archives of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
    Contributor
    Director: Leo Hurwitz
    Producer: Milton Fruchtman
    Camera Operator: Rolf M. Kneller
    Camera Operator: F. Csaznik
    Camera Operator: J. Jonilowicz
    Camera Operator: J. Kalach
    Camera Operator: Emil Knebel
    Producer: Capital Cities Broadcasting Corporation
    Biography
    Emil Knebel was a cinematographer known for Andante (2010), Adam (1973), and Wild Is My Love (1963). He was one of the cameramen who recorded daily coverage of the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem (produced by Capital Cities Broadcasting Corp and later held academic positions in Israel and New York teaching filmmaking at universities. Refer to CV in file.

    Physical Details

    Language
    English German Hebrew
    Genre/Form
    Unedited.
    B&W / Color
    Black & White
    Image Quality
    Mixed
    Time Code
    00:01:13:00 to 01:00:18:00
    Film Format
    • Master
    • Master 2022 Video: Digital Betacam - NTSC - large
      Master 2022 Video: Digital Betacam - NTSC - large
      Master 2022 Video: Digital Betacam - NTSC - large
      Master 2022 Video: Digital Betacam - NTSC - large
    • Preservation
    • Preservation 2022 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - large
      Preservation 2022 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - large
      Preservation 2022 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - large
      Preservation 2022 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - large

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    You do not require further permission from the Museum to access this archival media.
    Copyright
    Public Domain
    Conditions on Use
    To the best of the Museum's knowledge, this material is in the public domain. You do not require further permission from the Museum to reproduce or use this material.

    Keywords & Subjects

    Administrative Notes

    Film Provenance
    Capital Cities Broadcasting Corporation recorded the proceedings of the Adolf Eichmann trial in 1961. The original recording was made on two-inch format videotape. One set of videotapes contained selected portions of the trial for distribution to television stations. The "selected portions" version remained in Israel and was later turned over to the Israel State Archives. Capital Cities Broadcasting retained the set of videotapes containing the complete trial proceedings at offices in New York City until 1965, when they gave the videotapes to the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith. The Anti-Defamation League, in turn, gave the complete set to the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1972. With a grant from the Revson Foundation, Hebrew University transferred the two-inch videotapes to U-Matic format. During the transfer process, Hebrew University created three duplicate sets. One set was given to the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive, one to the Israel State Archives, and one set to the Jewish Museum in New York City. In 1995, the Israel State Archives transferred the trial footage to digital videoformat with a grant from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. Three subsequent digital videotape copies resulted from this transfer of footage. The Israel State Archives retained one digital copy and a second set was deposited at the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum received the third set of digital videotapes in May 1999.
    Note
    See official transcripts, published in "The Trial of Adolf Eichmann", Vol. I-V, State of Israel, Ministry of Justice, Jerusalem, 1994, pp. 100, 109-110, 112-114, 117, 128-130, and 141-142. Also available online at the Nizkor Project.

    See Hannah Arendt, "Eichmann in Jerusalem," Chapter 6, "The Final Solution: Killing" quoting extensively from the tapes. See also Jochen von Lang and Claus Sibyll, "Eichmann Interrogated, Transcripts from the Archives of the Israeli Police." Approximately 10% of Eichmann's pre-trial testimony was published in this book, which also features an introduction by Mr. Less.

    *Some areas of master poor quality; penetrated; "s" distortion.

    There are approximately 10 blips throughout the course of Film ID 2022.
    00:05.13 to 00:05.16
    00:06.27 to 00:06.33
    00:18.00 to 00:18.04
    00:23.03
    00:30.16 to 00:30.19
    00:39.38 to 00:39.41
    00:43.53 to 00:43.56
    00:51.10 to 00:51.13
    00:56.07 to 00:56.24
    00:58.11 to 00:58.14

    The terminology of the translations from German to Hebrew and English differ slightly between the film and official transcripts.
    Copied From
    2" Quad
    Film Source
    Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
    File Number
    Legacy Database File: 1752
    Source Archive Number: VTEI 278
    Record last modified:
    2024-02-21 07:46:45
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn1001037

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