Less Than Slaves : Jewish Forced Labor and the Quest for Compensation

As a U.S. war crimes investigator during World War II, Benjamin B. Ferencz participated in the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. Returning to Germany after the war to help bring perpetrators of war crimes to justice, he remained to direct restitution programs for Nazi victims. In Less Than Slaves Ferencz describes the painstaking efforts that were made to persuade German industrialists such as I. G. Farben, Krupp, AEG, Rheinmetall, and Daimler-Benz to compensate camp inmates exploited as forced laborers. The meagre outcome of these efforts are detailed in searing pages that detail the difficulties confronted by Ferencz and his dedicated colleagues. This engrossing narrative is a vital resource for all who are concerned with the moral, legal, and practical implications of the recent explosive outburst of claims for compensation from victims of persecution throughout the world. This absorbing firsthand account first published in 1979, now returns to print with the author's penetrating evaluation of its significance and current relevance.