
Hidden behind a screen of euphemisms and evasions, of political expediency and psychological denial, the most terrible crime in human history was committed. Despite the shock and outrage that swept the world when the Nazi death camps were first liberated in 1945, the truth about the extermination of European Jewry had been an open secret since at least 1941. Using sources and documents only recently made available, Walter Lacquer examines when and how information about the genocide became known to millions of Germans, international Jewish organizations, leaders of Jewish communities throughout Europe, and top government officials in neutral and Allied countries. Laying bare the lethal combination of disbelief and indifference that met this news, "The Terrible Secret" offers a brilliant and chilling demonstration of paralysis in the face of ultimate evil.
This work investigates the critical question of how information regarding the Nazi genocide of European Jewry was disseminated and received by international actors between 1941 and 1945. Walter Laqueur, a historian specializing in modern European history and political extremism, utilizes newly accessible archival documents and primary source materials to reconstruct the timeline of awareness. He argues that the 'Final Solution' was not a hidden event but an open secret, and he examines the psychological and political factors that led to widespread disbelief and inaction among Allied governments and Jewish leadership.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Historians and scholars frequently cite this text as a foundational study on the sociology of information and the failure of international response during the Holocaust. Readers often note the academic density of the prose and the sobering nature of the evidence presented regarding institutional indifference.
Page Count:
272
Publication Date:
1982-04-29
Publisher:
Penguin Books
ISBN-10:
0140061363
ISBN-13:
9780140061369
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!