In Nazis on the Run; historian Gerald Steinacher provides the true story of how the Nazis escaped their fate. Drawing on extensive research in newly opened archives; Steinacher not only reveals how Nazi war criminals escaped from justice at the end of the Second World War; fleeing through the Tyrolean Alps to Italian seaports; but he also highlights the key roles played by the Red Cross; the Vatican; and the Secret Services of the major powers. The book takes a hard look at the International Committee of the Red Cross; proving that identification papers issued by the Red Cross made it possible for thousands of Nazis; war criminals; and collaborators--including Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengale--to slip through the hands of justice and to find refuge in North and South America; Spain; and the Near East. Steinacher underscores the importance of the South Tyrol as a "ratline" from Germany to Italy and also reveals that many leaders of the Catholic Church--sometimes knowingly; other times unwittingly--were involved in large-scale Nazi smuggling; often driven by the fear of an imminent communist takeover of Italy. Finally; the book documents how the Counter Intelligence Corps (the predecessor to the CIA) recruited former SS men to advise U.S. intelligence agencies and smuggled them out of Soviet-occupied areas of Austria and Eastern Europe into Italy and on to South America.
#782021 in Books 2012-12-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.40 x 1.30 x 7.90l; 1.05 #File Name: 0199542058256 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Packed full of information; but very slow going.By CarrieThis book started out very strongly with a brief account of George Orwell's experience with tuberculosis; but I found that it went a little downhill after that. It became fairly dry and technical. I was expecting it to pick up steam when the author got to the recognition of germ theory in the tuberculosis timeline; but it really didn't. I was hoping for more personal accounts of the disease; and while there were some; those accounts made up only a very small fraction of the book.A few pros and cons:Pros: The book is well-organized. I never felt "lost" in the timeline of this history of tuberculosis. It also explains in great detail the various phases of tuberculosis treatment; beginning with some of the more ridiculous so-called remedies before the arrival of modern medicine; progressing through the sanitarium phase; and ending with some of the modern approaches to the disease and the influence of drug resistance in modern treatment. The author also discusses the changing perception of tuberculosis; including the periods of time when TB or TB-like symptoms were considered almost fashionable and the role of TB in the eugenics movement.Cons: Like I said above; pretty dry and a little too technical. I am not a medical professional; and while I found the book to be understandable; some of the nuances of the disease or the development of a TB antibiotic were extremely boring to me. (And I do not bore easily - I have read other books about disease and have largely found the science to be interesting; but this time I couldn't muster up a lot of excitement for it.) In fairness; part of the reason the book and the science discussion felt boring to me may be due to the fact that TB is a chronic disease and not usually acute; so the the disease tends to be protracted; whereas other illnesses I have read about (ebola; smallpox) are shorter-lived but very intense.Another con is that the editing (on the Kindle version at least) was a little lacking. I noticed a lot of typos; which I found disappointing for a ~$14 Kindle book.And the last con: There is only a very brief mention of XDRTB (Extensively Drug Resistant TB); which is the latest major stumbling block in the fight against TB. This book was published in 2012; and XDRTB has been a confirmed problem for many years. I thought it deserved more than a mention in the epilogue; especially since it is a problem that stems from people not completing the prolonged treatments required for the effective management of TB.Overall; this is a good book if you are interested in the history of tuberculosis. It does not contain a lot of anecdotes from people who have had the disease and is instead largely focused on the evolution of treatment.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting story about the history; development; and symptoms ...By Patricia A. GuthrieInteresting story about the history; development; and symptoms of TB; once called the most prolific disease in history; and the frantic search for a cure. This book combines the technical; medical facts with the human and humane elements and turns the book into a fascinating read.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Not just ancient historyBy Keith AspinallAn excellent history and evaluation of the current status of TB. For those of us brought up in the world of antibiotics it is easy to believe that this disease is vanquished. It is not.Well written; perhaps a little slow; excellent in all other regards
