TRANSLATING EVIL

The Nuremberg Trials are the most famous military tribunals in history. Overseen by Allied forces in the immediate aftermath of WWII, the trials were the prosecution of prominent members of Nazi Germany. These individuals were responsible for participating in some of the worst war crimes in history, including the Holocaust.

Held within the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, the first and best-known tribunal was that of 24 major war criminals of the Nazi regime between November 1945 and October 1946. Key to the proceedings was the team of linguists who ensured that statements and rulings were fairly translated. Towering above all was the Chief Interpreter, Wolfe Frank, who is now the subject of the posthumously published autobiography Nuremberg’s Voice Of Doom.

Compiled and edited by historian Paul Hooley from previously hidden memoirs, the book reveals a fascinating man. Frank was a German underground resistance worker against the Nazis during the 1930s before he was forced to flee to Britain. He initially prospered but was then interned during the initial years of WWII. Frank was eventually released and joined the British Army before his role at Nuremberg. He was a crucial part of the trials and became known as the ‘Voice of Doom’ for his official pronouncements of death sentences.

Frank tragically committed suicide in 1988 but Hooley now reveals this extraordinary character who was both an adventurous hedonist and a deeply courageous