Gerald Schwab papers

The Gerald Schwab papers document Schwab’s work for the International Military Tribunal following World War II; research for his books The Day the Holocaust Began: The Odyssey of Herschel Grynszpan and OSS Agents in Hitler's Heartland: Destination Innsbruck; his efforts to receive restitutions for Holocaust-era losses; biographical, genealogical, and photographic materials documenting Schwab and his family; and audiovisual and electronic records documenting Schwab’s interests in Holocaust-era topics. International Military Tribunal records include trial documents, photographs and illustrations, personal records, and correspondence documenting Schwab’s work at the Nuremberg trials. Trial documents include material used in conjunction with the Nuremburg trials such as witness lists, a document stating the mental competency of Rudolf Hess, and summaries of the days in court. Photographs and illustrations consists of photographs, ranging from the Palace of Justice and the courtroom itself to the Doctor’s Trial (United States of America vs. Karl Brandt, et. al.) and court officials. Photographs include small and large prints of the defendants and the prosecutors and a photo album with larger prints of the International Military Tribunal in action, with captions explaining the various scenes. Also included are caricature sketches of the defendants by German newspaper caricaturist, Peis. Personal documents include correspondence created by Gerald Schwab while working for the International Military Tribunal, passes to the trials, a list of the medals and pins he donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, orders, and related items. Correspondence includes Schwab’s personal letters describing his Nuremberg work to relatives and friends, subsequent efforts to collect documents related to the trials, and a 45th anniversary reunion of Nuremberg staff. Records related to The Day the Holocaust Began: The Odyssey of Herschel Grynszpan include Schwab’s correspondence, publishing records, research files, and writings created during his research into Grynszpan’s assassination of Ernst vom Rath and the publication of his book on the same topic. Correspondence includes letters exchanged with researchers and individuals interested in the Grynszpan case as well as with research institutions holding relevant records. Publishing records document the process of the book’s publication and include correspondence with publishing firms, legal records, announcements and reviews, endorsements for the book, and correspondence with production companies about the possibility of making a film based on the book. Research files include manuscripts about Herschel Grynszpan by Alain Cuenot and Friedrich Grimm, articles and clippings about Grynszpan, reproductions of original source material, and some of Schwab’s notes and lists of sources. Occupation Greenup records document Schwab’s research into Operation Greenup, a mission that parachuted three German-speaking spies into the area around Innsbruck to investigate Nazi fortifications and track their movements. Records include drafts of articles and chapters, a letter from Fred Mayer, notes, photographic materials (photographs, negatives, and copy prints), postcards of Ambergerhütte and Oberperfuss, printed materials (originals and photocopies), research materials, information about Schwab’s 2006 Rotteck Gymnasium visit, and tourist information and maps. Restitution paperwork consists of correspondence, forms, financial records, and legal records documenting the Schwab family’s efforts to receive compensation for money and property confiscated during the Holocaust. Claims relate to personal property and valuables, immigration costs, taxes, pensions, and family businesses registered in Germany, Switzerland, and France. Biographical and genealogical materials include identification papers; birth, marriage, and death certificates; immigration and travel records; military service records; employment records; family trees and genealogical research documenting the Schwab family. Loose photographs, copy prints, and negatives depict Gerald Schwab and his family during his childhood in Breisach, Germany, his military career, his postwar work in Europe, his wife and children, and his diplomatic career. Two small photograph albums also depict Gerald Schwab and his family during his childhood in Breisach. Audiovisual and electronic records include audiocassettes, floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs documenting interviews, exhibits, commemorative events, related to Herschel Grynszpan, Kristallnacht, the Holocaust, the Nuremberg trials, and Gerald Schwab’s writings.

The Gerald Schwab papers are arranged as thirteen series: Series 1: International Military Tribunal, Trial documents, 1934-1947 Series 2: International Military Tribunal, Photographs and illustrations, 1946-1947 Series 3: International Military Tribunal, Personal documents, 1935-1947 Series 4: International Military Tribunal, Correspondence, 1946-1995 Series 5: Herschel Grynszpan book, Correspondence, 1950-2009 Series 6: Herschel Grynszpan book, Publishing and production records, 1982-1998 Series 7: Herschel Grynszpan book, Research files, approximately 1966-1994 Series 8: Herschel Grynszpan book, Writings, 1951-approximately 1980s Series 9: Operation Greenup records, 1945-2013 Series 10: Restitution paperwork, 1924-2001 Series 11: Biographical and genealogical materials, 1885-2011 Series 12: Photographs, approximately 1916-1971 Series 13: Audiovisual and electronic records, 1994-2012