The Tenth Witness (Henri Poincare Mystery) (35 page)

The role of the Catholic Church and the International Red Cross in aiding the escape of Nazi perpetrators to South America and elsewhere is well documented. So, too, is the role of U.S. intelligence services in recruiting Nazi scientists—some of whom, like Wernher von Braun, used slave labor during the war. Dispiriting in a different way is the anti-Semitic “Jew Among the Thorns.” I quoted from Margaret Hunt’s 1884 translation of Grimms’
Fairy Tales
. For good reason, “Thorns” is seldom found in modern translations of Grimm; but locate Volume 2 of the 1814 edition, and there it is, tale 110.

The salvage of precious metals from crushed circuit boards was more promise than fact in 1978. Thirty-plus years into the personal computing revolution, the use of harsh chemicals and burning to recover value from e-junk has blighted the countries where this work is done. No less toxic or dangerous is the business of ship breaking in places like Chittagong, Bangladesh. International commissions have tried setting safety standards for the salvage of old ships, but working conditions remain abysmal.

I
WANT
to thank those who generously shared their expertise as I researched
The Tenth Witness.
Dr. Tobias Herrmann, director of the Zentrale Stelle der Landesjustizver-waltungen zur Aufklärung nationalsozialistischer Verbrechen (the Central Office of the State Justice Administration for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes), welcomed me to the Archive in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Once I arrived, historian Volker Reiss introduced me to the methods used in building cases against Nazi perpetrators. Closer to home, Megan Lewis, librarian at the United States Holocaust Museum, helped me locate accounts of the Celle massacre, both in print and in videotaped survivor statements from the USC Shoah Foundation Institute.

Chris Macort of Orleans, MA, professional diver, advised me on explorations of historically significant wrecks; Elizabeth Hirst, doctoral student in chemistry at Boston University, devised a process for salvaging precious metals from electronic junk; Hillary Gospodarek provided translation services; Mishy Lesser translated the chants of the
madres
of Plaza de Mayo and shared harrowing accounts of the Argentine terrors; Lester Lefton, Laura Tracy, and Sonia Nevis offered insights into the psychology of adult children whose parents committed war crimes; and doctors Gerald Rosen and David Cohen identified agents that can immobilize and dispatch a victim while presenting as a heart attack. I’ve tried to remain faithful to the advice received from these and other experts; but where I’ve misstepped, the errors are mine.

A number of writers I admire read and commented on sections of the manuscript or otherwise advised me. I thank Douglas Starr, Larry Behrens, Chris Knopf, Arthur Golden, S. J. Rozan, Reed Farrel Coleman, Bruce DeSilva, and Joe Finder. I thank Clair Lamb for her expert, critical eye, and also Jeff Chin, Larry and Suzanne Heffernan, James Jones, Stuart Koman, Richard Marks, Bob Morrison, and Frank Sladko. I owe an ongoing debt to literary agents Eve Bridburg and Todd Shuster for their sound advice and encouragement. Once again, I offer heartfelt thanks to publishers Martin and Judith Shepard of The Permanent Press, who have been friends and tireless advocates. To their entire team I extend my thanks: Lon Kirschner, Cathy Suter, Felix Gonzalez, Sarah Flood, Brian Skulnik, Joslyn Pine, and Susan Ahlquist.

And a special thanks to Brigitte and Jorg Purner, who took me on glorious walks through the hills above Innsbruck, and Renate and Bernd Wunderle, who introduced me to Munich. These children of the war suffered as children will. Jorg’s and Bernd’s fathers were conscripted into the Wehrmacht and died on the Russian front. Jorg was
in utero
when his mother got the news; Bernd may or may not remember a man in uniform who tossed him into the air and smiled. Renate recalls learning the Nazi salute as a child and being shushed while attempting that same salute for the Allied conquerors. What could it all mean to a six-year-old? These good people were moving and articulate in both expressions of love for their countries and their ongoing pain at reconciling that love with the legacy of National Socialism.

During my childhood in the 1950s and 60s, the bogeyman behind the closet door wore jackboots and a swastika. In writing
The Tenth Witness,
I finally opened that door, and I could not have done so without Linda Rosen. Every day for two years I immersed myself in the twisted legacy of National Socialism. And every night she greeted me with its opposite: sanity and affection. Her very presence was a reminder that this world can be, and frequently is, a sweet and decent place.

Leonard Rosen
Brookline, Massachusetts

About the Author

L
eonard Rosen lives and works in the Boston area. He has contributed radio commentaries to Boston’s NPR station, written best-selling textbooks on writing, and taught writing at Harvard University and Bentley University.
The Tenth Witness
is his second novel. His first,
All Cry Chaos
(also featuring Henri Poincaré), is a much-praised award winner in both the literary and mystery/ thriller categories. Len enjoys corresponding with readers and meeting with book groups online. Contact him through his website:
lenrosenonline.com
.