Dan Snow's History Hit Nuremberg: The Trial of Göring
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Nov 17, 2025 Jack El-Hai, historian and author of *The Nazi and the Psychiatrist*, dives into the chilling dynamics between Hermann Göring and psychiatrist Dr. Douglas Kelley during the Nuremberg Trials. He explores Göring's charisma and manipulative tactics to control his legacy, as well as Kelley’s psychological assessments of the defendants. The conversation reveals Göring’s opportunism in court, his death sentence, and the symbolic connection between his suicide and Kelley’s reflections on the nature of guilt and ambition in authoritarian regimes.
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Göring's Grand Surrender
- Hermann Göring surrendered to American troops with an ostentatious show and lots of luggage. He intended to manage his next stage in a courtroom, not on the battlefield.
Luggage Included Narcotics And Valuables
- Göring arrived carrying thousands of pericodein tablets and many personal valuables. His drug addiction and jewelry later influenced his prison life and interactions with guards.
No 'Nazi Virus' Found
- Dr. Douglas Kelley assessed whether top Nazi defendants could stand trial and searched for a shared psychiatric 'virus'. He concluded most were legally fit and not unusually mentally disordered.
