of Eichmann's involvement in the Final Solution. Since then, Wiesenthal had discovered many Nazi documents on the extermination program and the role that Eichmann and his underlings had played in executing it. In Linz, people on the street called the Nazi-hunter "Eichmann-Wiesenthal" because he was known for constantly searching out clues and watching the family.
But his failure to find Eichmann was wearing on him, and in this he was not alone. Manus Diamant had told him about an incident a few months after his success in acquiring the photograph at Maria Mösenbacher's house. Despite the photograph's wide distribution and Diamant's close contact with the Eichmann family (also by posing as a former Dutch SS officer), there were no more clues as to his whereabouts, and Diamant was angry at their lack of progress. One afternoon he went out on the lake with Eichmann's three sons, who had come to call him "Uncle Henry." Sitting in the boat, he became overwhelmed by memories of scenes he had witnessed during the war: children taken from their mothers' arm; Jews fleeing in advance of the black-uniformed SS marching through the streets; shootings and shootings and shootings.
When his mind cleared, he found himself gripping one of the oars and staring at Dieter Eichmann, who was laughing and playing in the summer sunshine. Diamant had the urge to strike down Dieter and the other two boys in revenge. Adolf Eichmann deserved to pay at least this price for his deeds, Diamant silently raged. But then he relaxed his grasp on the oar and returned to shore. Vera Eichmann greeted him on his return, commenting that he looked strained. "Nothing happened," Diamant reassured her. "The children all behaved very well." He swore never to go back to the house.
That December, Diamant left Austria. After the United Nations resolution of November 27, 1947, partitioning Palestine for the establishment of a Jewish state, Arthur Pier disbanded his group of Haganah agents and returned to Palestine along with Diamant. A war was expected against the Arab states that opposed the creation of Israel, and they were needed to smuggle arms and prepare a defense.
It was also clear to Wiesenthal that the rest of the world was moving on. The start of the cold war drained the will and resources of the Allies away from pursuing war criminals. The convictions at Nuremberg had satisfied many political leaders that adequate punishment had been meted out for the Nazi atrocities. Follow-up trials there against Einsatzgruppen leaders, concentration camp doctors, and Third Reich judges, among others, were in progress. In the end, these proceedings indicted only 185 defendants. There was a scattering of other trials and the de-Nazification court proceedings for those interned in camps after the war. Some 9,600 former Nazis spent time in jail for their crimes, typically serving short sentences. These numbers represented only a small fraction of the 160,000 Germans who Wiesenthal and others estimated were involved in war crimes, from leaders such as Heinrich Müller and Adolf Eichmann; to notorious individuals such as Josef Mengele, who oversaw the selections at Auschwitz and conducted bestial experiments on prisoners; to the rank-and-file soldiers, policemen, and SS troops who participated in the atrocities. They were either released from the POW camps or never caught in the first place. Few people showed any further interest in bringing these criminals to justice.
Only Tuviah Friedman remained in Vienna to continue the hunt with Wiesenthal. The CIC and the Austrian police helped them, but these organizations were more reactive in their efforts than proactive. The two men labored night and day to gather survivor testimonials and any evidence they could find against war criminals. Although they ran separate documentation centers, they often worked together, exchanging information and tracking down individuals on their wanted lists, most recently some of those involved in the
But his failure to find Eichmann was wearing on him, and in this he was not alone. Manus Diamant had told him about an incident a few months after his success in acquiring the photograph at Maria Mösenbacher's house. Despite the photograph's wide distribution and Diamant's close contact with the Eichmann family (also by posing as a former Dutch SS officer), there were no more clues as to his whereabouts, and Diamant was angry at their lack of progress. One afternoon he went out on the lake with Eichmann's three sons, who had come to call him "Uncle Henry." Sitting in the boat, he became overwhelmed by memories of scenes he had witnessed during the war: children taken from their mothers' arm; Jews fleeing in advance of the black-uniformed SS marching through the streets; shootings and shootings and shootings.
When his mind cleared, he found himself gripping one of the oars and staring at Dieter Eichmann, who was laughing and playing in the summer sunshine. Diamant had the urge to strike down Dieter and the other two boys in revenge. Adolf Eichmann deserved to pay at least this price for his deeds, Diamant silently raged. But then he relaxed his grasp on the oar and returned to shore. Vera Eichmann greeted him on his return, commenting that he looked strained. "Nothing happened," Diamant reassured her. "The children all behaved very well." He swore never to go back to the house.
That December, Diamant left Austria. After the United Nations resolution of November 27, 1947, partitioning Palestine for the establishment of a Jewish state, Arthur Pier disbanded his group of Haganah agents and returned to Palestine along with Diamant. A war was expected against the Arab states that opposed the creation of Israel, and they were needed to smuggle arms and prepare a defense.
It was also clear to Wiesenthal that the rest of the world was moving on. The start of the cold war drained the will and resources of the Allies away from pursuing war criminals. The convictions at Nuremberg had satisfied many political leaders that adequate punishment had been meted out for the Nazi atrocities. Follow-up trials there against Einsatzgruppen leaders, concentration camp doctors, and Third Reich judges, among others, were in progress. In the end, these proceedings indicted only 185 defendants. There was a scattering of other trials and the de-Nazification court proceedings for those interned in camps after the war. Some 9,600 former Nazis spent time in jail for their crimes, typically serving short sentences. These numbers represented only a small fraction of the 160,000 Germans who Wiesenthal and others estimated were involved in war crimes, from leaders such as Heinrich Müller and Adolf Eichmann; to notorious individuals such as Josef Mengele, who oversaw the selections at Auschwitz and conducted bestial experiments on prisoners; to the rank-and-file soldiers, policemen, and SS troops who participated in the atrocities. They were either released from the POW camps or never caught in the first place. Few people showed any further interest in bringing these criminals to justice.
Only Tuviah Friedman remained in Vienna to continue the hunt with Wiesenthal. The CIC and the Austrian police helped them, but these organizations were more reactive in their efforts than proactive. The two men labored night and day to gather survivor testimonials and any evidence they could find against war criminals. Although they ran separate documentation centers, they often worked together, exchanging information and tracking down individuals on their wanted lists, most recently some of those involved in the
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