Psychology In Seattle Podcast

Nuremberg, Fascism, and Psychiatry

Feb 11, 2026
Jack El-Hai, author and historian who wrote The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, discusses the Nuremberg Trials and the film adaptation. He explores the clash between Hermann Goering and Douglas Kelly. They examine Kelly’s forensic methods, the mysterious cyanide suicides, and why studying authoritarianism still matters today.
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INSIGHT

Psychiatry Couldn't Explain Nazi Behavior

  • Douglas Kelly expanded his assignment beyond fitness-for-trial to study whether Nazis had a common psychiatric disorder.
  • He concluded personality, not mental illness, better explained their behavior and crimes.
ANECDOTE

King Kong Versus Godzilla In The Cell

  • Jack El-Hai describes the dynamic between Kelly and Hermann Goering as a contest of two formidable men.
  • He likens their verbal jousting to "King Kong versus Godzilla."
INSIGHT

A Precedent In International Justice

  • Nuremberg was the first international tribunal to try leaders of another nation for war crimes.
  • Kelly was among the first military psychiatrists placed with top suspected war criminals, creating ethical role conflicts.
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