By STEPHEN W. HOUGHTON II
Dr. John K. Lattimer spoke
of his service in the U.S. Army and his memories of the prisoners
tried by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg
during his presentation at the Robert H. Jackson Center
on Tuesday night. In addition, Dr. Lattimer, who served as physician to the
prisons at Nuremberg, spoke of his belief that Adolph Hitler’s
deteriorating medical condition due to Parkinson’s Disease
caused him to make decisions that contributed to the German
defeat during World War II. Asked about the top Nazis,
he said, ‘‘they where just people. They were so bad it was
disgusting, but just people.’’ However, he said that he
thought some of the people tried should not have been. He
said he was surprised that Hjalmar Schacht, the German minister
of finance before the war, had been tried. ‘‘We had found him
in
Dachau awaiting execution,’’ Lattimer said. ‘‘I was
surprised
he was tried and not surprised he was acquitted.’’
Dr. Lattimer said he had also been surprised that Franz von
Papen had been tried by the tribunal as he had left government
soon after the Nazis came to power. Among the prisoners Albert
Speer had been the most personable and interesting to talk to,
and Dr. Lattimer said that he thought he could have received a
lighter sentence if he had tried. Dr. Lattimer illustrated his talk with slides
he had taken during the war and the trial. In addition to his talk and slides,
Dr. Lattimer displayed a number of pieces of memorabilia of the Nazis, including
Hermann Goring’s signet ring as Minister President of the Riech and
Adolph Hitler’s dog license. The event was a success according to both
organizers and those in attendance. ‘‘It was wonderful,’’
said city resident Andrew Jochum Jr. ‘‘It was very enlightening.
I feel we were treated to a piece of history.’’ Michael Flaxman,
another member of the audience, agreed.
‘‘I thought it was very informative,’’ Flaxman said.
‘‘It is the first event I attended at the Jackson Center. The
center is doing an important job in capturing this sort of thing for the historical
record.
‘‘When you are in a setting like this, hearing the history face-to-face,
it is unfiltered by the media,’’ he said. ‘‘You get
anecdotes
you would not otherwise get.’’ Greg Peterson, president of the
Jackson Center said, ‘‘This was another stellar performance by
someone who was at the trial and could effectively evaluate the defendants.’’
A surgeon and ballistics expert, Dr. Lattimer served in the army during the
war treating casualties and eventually becoming chief of surgery at the 98th
U.S. Army General Hospital in Munich. After the war, Dr. Lattimer served as
president of the American Urological Association and the International Society
of Urology.
He is an authority on forensics and has written books on the Lincoln and Kennedy
assassinations.