Fred Reitler papers

Identifier
irn503368
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1988.032
  • RG-06.002.06.01
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folder

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Fred Reitler was born in Vienna, Austria, on 7 Aug. 1906. Because of the dangerous situation for Jews in Austria, Reitler fled to Antwerp, Belgium, in 1938. He later emigrated to the United States and became a citizen in 1944. He volunteered for service when he learned of the war crimes trials to be held after the war. Because of his knowledge of German and German shorthand, he was hired as a court reported by the U.S. Civil Service. He attended all of the trial sessions and was chosen to record the last words of the defendant who received death sentences. Reitler continued to work for the U.S. Civil Service during subsequent war crime trials and remained in Germany until his death on 15 Aug. 1978 at Nuremberg.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

Original accession form completed and accession number assigned by archives intern, Scott Krumholz, on 15 June 1988. After the death of Fred Reitler in 1978, the notebook and other materials became the property of his wife, Cilla Reitler. They were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in May 1988 via Dr. John Caruso of Western Connecticut State University.

Scope and Content

Consists of the press pass card used by Fred Reitler during the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, the "Last words of the ten Nazi main war criminals, executed on 16 October 1946" recorded by Fred Reitler, and the personal notebook (some segments in shorthand) kept by Fred Reitler during the IMT and subsequent US-administered war crimes trials. The notebook contains the "Last word..." of the ten main war criminals written in German shorthand.

System of Arrangement

Arrangement is thematic

People

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.