Opening in theaters on November 7, the film Nuremberg features in the role of a psychiatrist assigned to assess leaders prior to the trials in November 1945. The character portrayed by Malek, Douglas Kelley, draws inspiration from an actual psychiatrist who interviewed 22 Nazi figures to confirm their mental fitness for trial and to prevent them from committing suicide.

The International Military Tribunal prosecuted individuals for offenses including crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiring to perpetrate these crimes, according to the . A total of 13 trials took place from 1945 to 1949.

Since Adolf Hitler had already died by suicide on April 30, 1945, Kelley received instructions to focus particularly on Hermann Göring () as he was the second-highest-ranking Nazi official facing indictment. The movie concludes with Göring’s trial and his conviction in 1946.

TIME interviewed Jack El-Hai, who penned the book that served as the basis for the film, The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Göring, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of Minds at the End of WWII. El-Hai discussed the historical accuracies and inaccuracies presented by the movie regarding this era.

Psychological Assessments of Nazi Leaders

In his capacity as a U.S. Army psychiatrist, Kelley served in military hospitals across Western Europe. He treated service members for conditions later identified as and facilitated their recovery to enable their return to combat.

Kelley dedicated approximately five months to conducting hundreds of hours of individual interviews with the Nazi leaders. In the film, Malek’s portrayal of Kelley states, “Should we be able to psychologically define evil, we can ensure such an event never recurs.”

Kelley conducted his interviews with assistance from Howard Triest (Leo Woodall), a Jewish American soldier who acted as his translator. Triest was raised in , and when his parents obtained only a single visa for the U.S., they sent him. Triest’s parents perished in the Holocaust.

During the interviews, Kelley employed Rorschach ink blot tests, instructing defendants to describe what they perceived in the ink blots. The film shows one Nazi claiming to see a “Jewish vagina,” while Göring interprets them as blood.

The defendants were also given a Thematic Apperception Test, where Kelley presented them with a photograph or illustration of a tangible object and asked them to narrate a story based on their observation.

He administered an IQ test to the patients and, as depicted in the movie, even performed magic tricks for them. El-Hai notes that Kelley believed this would instill confidence in them during the interviews.

Another psychiatrist, Gustav Gilbert (Colin Hanks), utilized identical methods but arrived at a contrasting conclusion. Gilbert expressed a desire to co-author a book with Kelley, but Kelley felt they were not in agreement due to Gilbert’s belief that the men suffered from psychological disorders. Nevertheless, they did not engage in a physical altercation, contrary to the movie’s portrayal.

Kelley’s Findings

Kelley determined that the defendants possessed average to above-average IQs. His general assessment, as paraphrased by El-Hai, characterized them as work-driven individuals and opportunists “who would readily exploit half of their nation’s populace to dominate the remaining half.”

Kelley’s conclusion was that Göring was an exceptionally intelligent, highly imaginative, and profoundly narcissistic individual, given that many of Göring’s answers revolved around himself. In the movie, Crowe’s Göring declares, “No man has ever defeated me.” Kelley refrained from diagnosing Göring with any significant psychiatric conditions.

El-Hai states, “If one accepts the notion that these individuals, Göring included, were psychiatrically unwell, monstrous, or truly aberrant human beings, then you relieve them of accountability for their conduct.” He adds, “They exercised agency, and a monster doesn’t inherently make choices; it simply behaves as a monster. I endorse the principle of holding them responsible for their deeds.”

The Conclusion of Nuremberg

Not all of Kelley’s patients went to trial while he was present. Although the film portrays him being dismissed for allegedly providing information to a fictional female journalist regarding the prosecution’s potential disadvantage against Göring, in reality, he received a promotion and returned to the U.S. before Göring testified. He was therefore not in the audience observing his client or meeting with him privately afterward, as depicted in the movie.

Nevertheless, Kelley’s assessment proved instrumental in guiding the prosecution’s more informed questioning. By the trial’s conclusion, it was evident that Göring possessed clear knowledge of the , the horrors committed at the , and the war crimes perpetrated against civilians.

Göring received a death sentence, but he ended his life with cyanide on October 15, 1946. The method by which he obtained the pills remains unknown, though one hypothesis suggests a guard smuggled them to him.

Kelley authored a book detailing his experiences, titled Twenty-Two Cells in Nuremberg, and subsequently embarked on a lecture tour. He cautioned Americans about individuals resembling , primarily referring to southern segregationists. He also championed the idea of psychiatric evaluations for all political candidates.

In 1958, grappling with marital and alcohol issues, Kelley died by suicide through the ingestion of cyanide powder.

Importance of Kelley’s Discoveries

Gilbert’s publication ultimately garnered greater popularity than Kelley’s, a phenomenon El-Hai attributes to Gilbert’s argument aligning with public desire. Gilbert posited that the Nazis constituted a psychiatrically disturbed collective. El-Hai notes, “This terrible conflict had just concluded. This lengthy trial had just finished.” He adds, “And I believe the public was inclined to think that perhaps this type of conduct was now over. It’s all in the past. Gilbert’s findings supported such a conviction.” Kelley’s findings, however, diverged significantly: “His work proposed that such individuals have always existed among us and will continue to do so. Neither the war nor the trial will eradicate it, and we will perpetually face individuals whose personalities fall within the normal spectrum. Therefore, what action shall we take?”