The Nazi and the Psychiatrist

The Nazi and the Psychiatrist chronicles the relationship between U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas M. Kelley and Nazi war criminal Hermann Göring during the Nuremberg trials. Through newly uncovered documents and interviews, author Jack El-Hai reconstructs their interactions during the months leading up to the trials. Kelley conducted extensive psychological evaluations of Göring and other Nazi leaders while they awaited judgment for their wartime actions. His mission was to determine their mental fitness for trial and to understand the psychological foundations of their behavior during the Third Reich. The book follows Kelley's professional and personal journey as he pursued answers about the nature of evil and human psychology through his work with the Nazi defendants. His findings and conclusions would influence both his career and his life for decades to come. This work raises fundamental questions about the psychology of evil, the limits of psychiatric understanding, and the impact of prolonged exposure to darkness on those who study it. El-Hai's narrative examines how the pursuit of scientific knowledge intersects with moral and ethical boundaries.

Readers note the book focuses more on psychiatrist Douglas Kelley than Nazi Hermann Göring, which some found disappointing given the title. Many readers appreciated the detailed psychological insights and examination of how evil manifests in seemingly normal people. Likes: - Clear writing style and pacing - Original source material and research - Exploration of Kelley's life and career - Historical context around the Nuremberg trials Dislikes: - Less content about Nazi psychology than expected - Too much focus on Kelley's personal life - Some sections feel padded with unnecessary details - Marketing/title seen as misleading by some readers Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (300+ ratings) "Expected more analysis of the Nazi mindset but got a biography of Kelley instead" - common theme in 3-star reviews "The psychological examination portions are fascinating but too brief" - noted in multiple reader reviews

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📚 While evaluating Nazi Hermann Göring, Dr. Douglas Kelley discovered that Göring had been maintaining his morphine addiction throughout his imprisonment by hiding vials of the drug in his luggage and between his toes. 🔍 Dr. Kelley used the Rorschach inkblot test on the Nuremberg defendants, marking the first time this psychological assessment was used in a military tribunal setting. ⚕️ After his work with the Nazi leaders, Dr. Kelley died by suicide in 1958 using potassium cyanide—the same method Hermann Göring used to take his own life before his scheduled execution. 📝 Author Jack El-Hai gained access to Dr. Kelley's personal papers, which had been stored in his son's basement for decades, providing unprecedented insight into Kelley's private thoughts about the Nazi leaders. 🏛️ The book reveals that many of the Nazi defendants scored within the normal range on intelligence and personality tests, supporting Hannah Arendt's later theory about the "banality of evil."