Nazi War Criminals in the United States: America’s Evolution in Policy and Ethics

Author Information

Ann Marie Dell, Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, United States

Abstract

Beginning in the mid 1970s, the United States committed itself to the search for, and prosecution of, Nazi war criminals living within its borders. No other country in the world expended comparable time, effort, or resources to identify, denaturalize, and deport Nazi offenders from its shores. This policy however, was a radical departure from past policies of complicity and indifference. This presentation examines America’s complicated past, and its evolution in ethics regarding the presence of Nazi war criminals in the United States. My thorough historical research of American immigration policies, antisemitism, and Cold War attitudes reveals the multi-faceted factors that contributed to previous policies. I will examine U.S. failures and successes, and spotlight Congressional whistleblowers and eight Department of Justice crusaders, whom I personally interviewed at length, to shed light on their noble and tireless efforts to expose and expel these malefactors, and develop an entirely novel system to do so in the process. Additionally, I will address the inherent value of seeking justice for victims and survivors despite the passage of time, as well as the continued relevance of teaching Holocaust history in our current society, given that survivor numbers are declining precipitously along with Holocaust awareness, while at the same time, Holocaust denial is increasing.