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Goering's Interrogation Case Study

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Section 2- With reference to the cross examinations at Nuremberg, was Goering’s successful indictment as a war criminal a more a result of a weakness in his defense strategy or because of the strengths of the prosecution case?

The trial and conviction of Hermann Goering, Hitler’s chosen successor, at Nuremberg was arguably one of the most significant amongst them all due to the tremendous amount of influence that he had over the German people (Taylor, 78). From Overy’s perspective, the success of the entire trial depended on Goering’s cross-examinations, making them one of the most decisive pieces in the trials, more than any other events that may have occurred outside the interrogations (Overy-Nazis on Trial), mostly because they had the …show more content…

According to his psychologist, Gustave Gilbert, he adopted a rather well-planned out humorous attitude towards the other defendants which was said to be an attempt to be presented as an amiable character who meant no harm (Nazis on Trial). However, when interacting with the prosecutors, he took on a more arrogant and sarcastic approach as an attempt to provoke the interrogators and to make their conclusions more difficult to obtain (Taylor, 98). This tactic of defense was visible as the first cross-examiner, Mr. Justice Jackson initiated the interrogation process. With the intention to exploit the defendant’s vanity and set him up for failure, Jackson proceeded to employing this first tactic by starting the conversation with the phrase, “You are perhaps aware that you are the only living man who can expound to us the true purposes of the Nazi Party and the inner workings of its leadership?” (cross examinations transcript). After which, he proceeded to questioning him about their government structures and the abolishment of democracy. These tactics proved ineffective as Goering managed to answer each statement with very succinct justifications; in one case even quoting president Roosevelt in stating that, “Certain peoples in Europe have forsaken democracy, not because they did not wish for democracy as such, but because democracy had brought forth men who were too weak to give their people work and bread, and to satisfy them” (Hermann Goering). Seeing as his initial tactic did not succeed in proving anything, Jackson went on to confronting Goering directly with documented evidence (Taylor, 103). In one example, he displayed a document showing that Germany was undergoing certain preparations for a move towards the Rhineland (George, 63), where he asked the defendant whether those were military preparations for invasion, to which Goering replied, “Those were general preparations for mobilization, such as

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