Prelude to Nuremberg

“Kochavi has written a serious and important book that should not be ignored.” — American Historical Review

“This compelling account . . . sheds new light on one of the most important and least understood aspects of World War II.” — Jewish Times Outlook

“Kochavi writes clearly and well, and his book is tightly organized and meticulously researched. As a valuable addition to existing treatments of the road to Nuremberg, Kochavi’s book reminds us of the steps and missteps — petty acts of politics and the great bursts of vision — that set the stage for Nuremberg.” — Journal of Military History

“Organized chronologically and clearly written, the work offers a judicious and convincing interpretation of events.” — CHOICE

“Kochavi shows how persistent efforts, especially by U.S. UNWCC representative Herbert Pell, resulted in the powerful new concepts included in the idea of crimes against humanity. . . . Kochavi, a historian at the University of Haifa, has taken a complicated, nuanced subject and, through extensive research and forceful retelling, has shed light not only on WWII but also on the response to similar atrocities in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, in which, once again, political interests have outweighed moral considerations.” — Publishers Weekly

“An unbiased account of events that preceded the [Nuremberg] trials. In many ways, [t]his book also reflects emerging Cold War politics, as Britain, Russia, and the United States each maneuvered to prevent the other from becoming a dominant power. . . . An excellent account of Allied efforts to control commission policies and of the developing policy for trying war criminals.” — Library Journal

“In this meticulously researched and boldly argued book, Arieh Kochavi casts new light on the inter-Allied conflicts and considerations that ultimately resulted in the Nuremberg trials. Prelude to Nuremberg is a highly original analysis of the origins of the war crimes trials that followed World War II.” — Robert E. Herzstein, author of Waldheim: The Missing Years and #Roosevelt & Hitler: Prelude to War#

“Confronted by Axis enemies engaged in unprecedented savagery and inhumanity against Allied soldiers and defenseless non-German civilians, . . . how did the Allied governments react? What policies did they develop, and how did they propose to deal with the issues of war crimes and war criminals? What plans did they develop for bringing war criminals to justice as an object lesson in accountability that might deter future wars and future acts of mass barbarism? Were their policy formulations the result of moral outrage and high-minded resolve, or equivocation and political expediency? These are some of the questions that emerge as themes in this illuminating and absorbing book. This is an extremely difficult story to tell, and Kochavi has done it admirably.” — Charles W. Sydnor Jr., author of Soldiers of Destruction: The SS Death’s Head Division, 1933–1945

“Kochavi analyzes the wartime politics of the Allied powers concerning war crimes, showing how their maneuvers led — not inevitably, by any means — to Nuremberg. This approach is especially interesting in light of contemporary events in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, where decisions on war crimes have also depended far more on big power politics than on legal concerns.” — Henry Friedlander, author of The Origins of Nazi Genocide: From Euthanasia to the Final Solution