ABSTRACT
Six months before the Congressional delegation requested by Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in Buchenwald, a group of Americans learned firsthand what Eugen Kogon called the "Theory and Practice of Hell." The stories of the Allied airmen who ended up in Buchenwald are similar. Most were shot down over France during the summer of 1944, taken in by the resistance and eventually betrayed. When Congressional investigators toured Buchenwald, they figured out the space in the bunks was about 35 cubic feet per man, whereas the minimum prescribed for health by US Army regulations was 600 cubic feet. "It was impossible for everyone to lay straight on their backs."19 Five men slept in a four-tier bunk that was large enough for only two. The Prisoners of war who survived Buchenwald swear they saw shrunken heads and lamp shades with human tattoos in the camp "museum."
