Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil

Not particularly successful in school or in life, Eichmann joins the S.S. with a motivation as simple as wanting to perform well and advance his position. Because Eichmann excels in organization and possesses a knack for negotiating with Jewish leaders, his swift promotions land him in charge of the transportation of Jews to death camps.

Throughout the trial, Eichmann maintains he never killed anyone and he never hated the Jews. He was simply obedient and following the lawful orders of the Reich. His conscience is of great debate in the courtroom, with the judges asking him about his conscience after hearing hundreds of testimonies about the expulsions and death camps. Eichmann claims that the only way he would have experienced having a bad conscience would have been by not fulfilling his duties.

Ben-Gurion organizes Eichmann’s capture in Buenos Aires in order to try him in Jerusalem. Although he does not attend the proceedings, Arendt describes Ben-Gurion as the “invisible stage manager of the proceedings” (5). His influence over Hausner, the Attorney General, is great, and his desire to convey to the world that Germany did not act alone center Ben-Gurion as the “architect” of the trial against Adolf Eichmann (5).

Hausner and his team of lawyers prosecute Eichmann in the Jewish court by saturating it with testimony and evidence. The prosecution submits over 1,500 documents to the court and calls over one hundred witnesses to testify to the deportations, expulsions, and extermination of the Jewish people. However guided by Ben-Gurion he might be, Hausner, according to Arendt, does “his very best” in his prosecution of the accused.

A number of lawyers had offered to appear for Eichmann’s defense, and he chose Servatius, who had also represented Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials. Israeli law had to be changed to allow foreign lawyers the right to act in Israeli courts. Servatius was paid by the Israeli government, a precedent from Nuremberg, and as the trial continued, he began to complain about his limited salary, arguing that he could not adequately defend Eichmann because of it. His defense of Eichmann centered around the idea that Eichmann broke no laws at the time of his perceived crimes. Hitler’s orders were law, so it had been Eichmann’s duty to obey.

Arendt’s portrayal of the three Jewish judges is, for the most part, positive, especially in regard to Judge Landau, the presiding judge. She credits Landau for setting the tone in the courtroom and for not allowing the trial to become a show trial. 

Müller was the Commander of Bureau IV, one of the six main departments of R.S.H.A. (31), and Eichmann’s superior: “Müller’s superior was Heydrich, and later Kaltenbrunner, each of whom was, in his turn, under the command of Himmler, who received his orders directly from Hitler” (70).

Heydrich was a high-ranking Nazi official and a main architect of the Holocaust. Readily suspicious, Heydrich found admiration for Himmler, whom he felt offered blind obedience and devotion. Heydrich developed close professional relationships only within the circle of the S.S. security forces. Heinrich Müller was one such example, and Heydrich appears to have trusted him. Eichmann's straightforward loyalty impressed Heydrich and was one reason why he appointed Eichmann as secretary for the Wannsee Conference.