My Visit with Simon Wiesenthal

In writing this book, I needed access to information about how to handle an ex-Nazi in France in the early 1960?s, so I turned to the world?s foremost expert on the subject, Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal. He sent me a comprehensive letter about how he would have dealt with the situation. The words from his letter are sprinkled throughout my book.

A year-and-a-half after our letter exchange, my family, and I traveled to Vienna on our winter vacation. I decided to send Mr. Wiesenthal a fax informing him that I would be visiting his city over the holidays and would very much like to meet him. I received a response from his secretary, Rosemarie Austraat, who told me that Mr. Wiesenthal was in town, and depending on his health and the weather, we tentatively scheduled an appointment for December 30.

The meeting went through as planned. His office was located on the Saltztor Gasse, within view of the Donaukanal. (Danube canal). We were shown up to his second story, small suite of offices and spent about twenty minutes with him. Information from our conversation is also dispersed throughout the book.

Simon Wiesenthal and Dr. Samuel A. Berkman in Vienna on 12/30/2003
Photograph by Gerald Bender

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