Waldheim: The Missing Years

by Robert Edwin Herzstein

1st edition hardcover

Genres: World War II, Germany, Biography

303 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1988

About the author

Robert Herzstein was a historian who taught at the University of South Carolina. A graduate of New York University, in 1986 he helped to uncover Austrian politician and former UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldhem's past association with the Nazi Party.

Reviews

[Shelley Alongi]

Herstein argues that despite Waldheim's signing of documents showing he knew about deportations of Italians and Yugoslavs from Cozara (check spelling) he would not ultimately have been branded as a war criminal. Protected by Americans and one particular Austrian official, Karl Gruber, (check spelling) he would have been able to keep his high profile career. He was not considered under the Nurenberg Charter to be a war criminal since he had only signed documents. Herstein does not forgive Waldheim's involvement, only speculates that he would not have needed to alter the facts of his Wehrmacht service to appear more benign. He documents his research into several archives both U.S. and European, along with interviews with Kurt Waldheim and others whom he worked with during and after WW II. I consider this book one I would keep in my library.

[Alyssa Allen]

Not my cup of tea. The beginning was relatively interesting because it talked about Waldheim's career in the German military, but once it got into his diplomatic career, etc, I lost interest. I understand how how life story is important and definitely effected politics in Europe, but I got really bored really quickly and skipped a bunch of pages just so I could finish.