MODERN TIMES WITH LARRY JOSEPHSON: HOLOCAUST:
THREE VIEWS {CHRISTOPHER BROWNING, WOLF HESS,
LOUIS BEGLEY} (RADIO)
Summary
One in this series of talk radio programs hosted by
Larry Josephson. In this program, Josephson explores
the Holocaust from three perspectives -- those of
German soldiers, of children of leaders of the Third
Reich, and of Jews who assimilated in order to survive.
Josephson speaks with author Christopher Browning;
with Wolf Hess, the son of convicted Nazi Rudolph Hess;
and with author and Holocaust survivor Louis Begley.
First, Josephson talks with Browning about the contents
of his book "Ordinary Men Reserve Police Battalion 101
in the Final Solution in Poland," which delves into the
morals and actions of German soldiers during World War
II. Topics discussed by Josephson and Browning include:
how working-class men could become ruthless; whether
or not a German soldier could choose not to partake in
the murder of innocent, unarmed people; how German
soldiers rationalized their actions to avoid the pangs
of guilt; why Ukrainian people were recruited to murder
Jews; how many Nazis were punished for their war
crimes; the method of execution of victims in
concentration camps; the reason Browning chose to write
about the Holocaust; why some German soldiers could not
bring themselves to shoot the innocent; whether or not
Hitler achieved his "Final Solution"; and how decisions
were made regarding Jewish policies during the war.
Next, Wolf Hess, who contributed to a chapter in Gerald
L. Posner's book, "The Children of Hitler," attempts to
explain why his father, Rudolph Hess, should not have
been punished by the Allies. Lastly, Louis Begley
discusses his book "Wartime Lies" with Josephson.
Begley comments on how much of the book is
autobiographical, how he survived the Holocaust, and his
feeling about the evil in people and the madness of
Hitler. Excerpts from "Wartime Lies," a fictional tale
about the life of a Jewish boy who survived the
Holocaust by pretending to be a Catholic, are read
during the interview.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by Michael
Finkelstein and Sue-ann Friedman.
Details
- NETWORK: APR American Public Radio
- DATE: August 1, 1992 Sunday
- RUNNING TIME: 1:58:12
- COLOR/B&W: N/A
- CATALOG ID: R:10159
- GENRE: Radio - Education/Information; Radio - Talk/Interviews
- SUBJECT HEADING: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Nazism; World War II
- SERIES RUN: APR American Public Radio - Radio series, 1988-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Christopher Browning … Writer, "Ordinary Men Reserve Police Battalion 101 in the Final Solution in Poland"
- Gerald L. Posner … Writer, "Hitler's Children"
- Louis Begley … Writer, "Wartime Lies"
- Larry Josephson … Host
- Christopher Browning … Guest
- Wolf Hess … Guest
- Louis Begley … Guest
- Rudolph Hess