22 Cells in Nuremberg: A Psychiatriest Examines the Nazi Criminals

by Douglas M. Kelley

"Your Children will grow up under communism"-A prediction we scorn.

But here, in 22 cells in Nuremberg, were the men who almost made a reality of your children growing up under the Nazis.

Who were these swaggering overlord? How were they able to gather such power? Why did the German people allow the torture and the murder- Why did they condone the greatest blood-Letting in modern times?

Doctor Kelley studied and tested them all- Hess and Rosenberg and Goering-Jodl, Streicher and Ley- Hans Frank - Speer, even Hitler, Himself, through the words and beliefs of the men in the 22 cells and here, at last , we learn what caused these men to become the greatest collection of murderers in modern History.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Psychology, War

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Susan Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sought out this book after seeing the movie called Nuremberg (2025). I enjoyed the movie and then sought out the book.
Because the book was not well received, it was not reprinted, so the book is difficult to find. I had to put a special request into the University library where I had retired and they got it on an inter library loan!
I found it fascinating.
Kelley wrote this for “popular” consumption. It is not an “academic” book, nor is it a history book.
He has written separate, fairly short chapters on each of the 22 German officers held at Nuremberg jail. Kelley had been hired to interview them to ensure they were sane enough to stand trial.
He spent 5 months constantly talking to each one and I found his write up fascinating.
Kelley thought he would make his fame and fortune by identifying what it was about the Germans that allowed them to be so evil.
This is not what he found. His last chapter, where he sounds a warning to the U.S., is frighteningly prescient. This is not what the U.S. wanted to hear post WW2, so his book, his work, his warnings were discarded.
Do we never learn?

[Aly Machacek-Sveeggen]

Kelley documents the truth behind the thoughts and ideas of the most evil people in the world- yet they themselves do not believe that they are evil. They believed that the entirety of the Nazi regime was akin to the reincarnation of Jesus and the ensuring rapture. These men were so entranced by the ideas and words of Hitler that they couldn't even speak against him even in minor ways. Hitler to them was as Jesus is to the apostles.
I deeply wish that I had a chance to read this within an academic setting and was able to have a much deeper conversation about the psychology and final chapter of this book. I do adore the internal conversation that the author has about his own experiences and the guilt he carries however I didn't care for much of the self deprecation and suicidal themes from the authors own commentary. Knowing that he did commit suicide in the 50's using the same cyanide potassium supplement that Goering used in his suicide in Nuremburg is helpful to connect his own mental health to that of the men in Nuremburg.
Kelley cautions that what happened in Germany could happen in America and much of the final chapter is both haunting and preachy. In 2025, these warnings hit a little close to home in our current political environment and make one think that WWIII may be closer than we may like to think. Kelley writes, "...After all, the American racists are just talking or writing, and anyone in America has a right to talk or write as he pleases...The power of spoken work has been emphasized over and over. As a matter of face, human beings in their present state of development are more moved by words that reason." In today's current events- there are too many that are just listening to the words of the powerful and believing them without question. A bloody and horrific history on the verge of repeating itself in the most powerful country in the world.

[Erin Wanek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorter read and more clinical vibe than Gilbert’s Diary. I liked how he gave every defendant air time- even the B list nazis that Gilbert decided to cut chapters on to shorten the length of his book.

[Pat 🀥 · Rating 5 out of 5]

22 Cells in Nuremberg, particularly the What Does it Mean to America section, is fantastic. Douglas Kelley, as an author and psychiatrist, is keen-eyed and perspicacious, showing an incredibly shrewd insight into the current failures of democracy both in the US and elsewhere. He outlines steps that nations must take in order to ensure a truly functional, political democracy, insuring ourselves against electing those with totalitarian ideals (Hitler, after all, was elected legally and democratically).

It is an incredible shame that this book was not well-received in its own time, as many Americans took offence at his conclusions and warnings in *What Does it Mean to America*. It was, unfortunately, considered an obscene betrayal that Kelley refused to absolve his fellow US citizens from the personalities, behaviours, and ability to be effectively propagandised that lead to Nazism and totalitarianism.

“So much for the leaders of a potential American Naz-ism. What of the followers? Shocking as it may seem to some of us, we as a people greatly resemble the Germans of two decades ago. We have a very similar background of ideological concepts, and we are similarly inclined to base our thinking on emotional rather than on intellectual evaluations. And no one can deny that the basic appeals that Hitler used-demanding minority perse-cution, demanding development of a stronger nation, demanding that veterans take over the government, demanding government control of private business —all are present in the United States today.”

And,

“No, the Nazi leaders were not spectacular types, not personalities such as appear only once in a century. They simply had three quite unremarkable characteristics in common-and the opportunity to seize power. These three characteristics were: overweening ambition, low ethical standards, a strongly developed nationalism which justified anything done in the name of Germandom.

Let us look about us. Have we no ultranationalists among us who would approve any policy, however evil, so long as it could be said to be of advantage to America?

Have we no men so ruthlessly eager to achieve power that they would not quite willingly climb over the corpses of our minorities, if by so doing they could gain totalitarian control over the rest of us?”

Remind you of anyone? It should.

[Harrison Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1947 (the edition I read was published in 1961), the author was the psychiatrist to the Nuremberg Jail that held the Nazis being tried for war crimes. The author spent a substantial amount of time with each detainee. This book presents the summary of his work, with some historical narrative. The first chapter presents an overview of Pan-Germanism and Nazi ideology, a final chapter addresses Adolf Hitler and the author's view of how each of the detainees were misled by his leadership. Finally, a compelling chapter on "What Does it Mean to America?" offers an interesting analysis of how the German people fell under Hitler's spell, and whether it could happen here in the US. This is particularly interesting reading in the context of today's political environment in this country. A worthwhile read. [A macabre historical side note: The author committed suicide 11 years after publishing this book, by the same cyanide method used by Hermann Goering.]

[Caitlyn Sutherland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as scientific or clinical as I expected. Read like Kelly considered himself to be intellectually superior to the world, yet he failed to provide more than roughly formed opinions. Kelly rarely provided in depth analysis surrounding his diagnoses, but rather regurgitated his patients’ words then added a few opinionated sentences as if he had just proven something profound.

I appreciated the closing chapter, but wish Kelly had gone deeper with evaluating the personalities of the individuals throughout the book. Then, what read like opinions could have been grounded in more analytical and factual evaluations. That would have made the final chapter and the parallels between America and Germany (and any other nation), so much more pronounced. He didn’t fully commit to this, which was likely a product of the timeframe in which he wrote the book (where was the field of psychology even at then?)

[Stacie Odeneal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible look at the folks behind the third reich. Not particularly interesting if you are just looking for history. But increasingly and incredibly important as we are in the middle of repeating it

[nia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Many people will say that this is a country of free press and of free speech. After all, the American racists are just talking or writing, and anyone in America has a right to talk or write as he pleases. That is quite true. But at the start, Hitler and Streicher and Ley and Rosenberg were just talking also".

he. predicted. it. and what did the american public do to him? they shamed him and made his book run out of print. so that his thoughts couldn't be heard and comprehended by people before it's too late. well, it's too late now and i cannot even begin to express just how disgusted i am by the USA of our time

[Natalie Mazzini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first found out about this book after seeing the Nuremberg film. As a history teacher, I was immediately drawn into the film and wanted to read the two works mentioned at the end of the film, including this was written by the psychiatrist himself. This was an eye-opening read that simplistically broke down how the Nazi party was able to carry out the atrocities they did.

This book may be hard to find, but if you are at all interested in history, psychology, or psychiatry, I would highly recommend.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend told me once that a book between 150 and 350 pages is not worth it. I think this one falls in the gap of short ideas, not fully developed, which is worth the time. Although it lacks deeper analysis and commitment, liberally I can say it uses an artist's approach of leaving conclusions to the reader. For someone who likes general information, it's a nice treat. For someone who likes something more substantial - it is a bit of a disappointment, if it was not for the last few pages. My advice would be to read it with a more open mind and curiosity rather than judgement and expectations.

[margot lindner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to others here I got curious about the book after seeing Nuermberg. A good friend, talented librarian and a bit persistence and pdf/ scan was found.

Short but fascinating read. Kelley provides sharp insight into the actions, motivations, and psychological states of the 22 defendants/ Nazi leadership members, showing that they were not monsters in the clinical sense, but men who reasoned, justified, and adapted. Despite its 1947 perspective, the book remains a chilling reminder of how easily rationalization can replace responsibility. Highly recommended read!

[Bleach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here you can download it. https://dokumen.pub/qdownload/22-cell...
If you are unable to - dm me to send it to you!

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

People really should have listened to Kelly.