Confession and letter of Mauthausen commander

Includes a copy in English of a confession made by Franz Ziereis, the commandant of Mauthausen concentration camp (identified in the documents as "Franz"), after his arrest by American forces in May 1945. In the confession, the commandant describes conditions in Mauthausen and other camps as well as the various methods of torture and execution practiced by the Nazis. Ziereis also gives detailed information relating to the activities of his fellow commanders and physicians employed in the camps. Also included are two poems in German concerning suffering in the camps and a letter from Ziereis to his wife.