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Bernard D. Meltzer
Bernie was born in 1914, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Russian
Immigrants
His parents were Russian immigrants. His father was a Hebrew
scholar who made ends meet with irregular sales work, while his
mother reacted to the New World by seeking refuge in hypochondria.
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His College Career
Meltzer spent four semesters at Temple University before
transferring in 1934 to the University of Chicago—a move he
described as “an exhilarating and transforming experience.”
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On To Chicago's
University
He studied law at the University of Chicago, and then under
Felix Frankfurter at Harvard.
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His Initial Career
He moved back to Chicago in 1940 to join the law firm of Mayer,
Meyer, Austrian, and Platt.
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December 7th, 1941
The young Meltzer was 27 years old, however, he avoided
service.
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Meltzer Goes To Washington
From 1941-43, Meltzer served in the State Department, serving as
Special Assistant to Assistant Secretary of State Dean Acheson.
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Meltzer Wants To Fight
In early 1944, Meltzer
wants his piece of the Nazis. One account has him a
clerk in England, another has him
as an OSS
operative, and another says he sat in Washington.
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Prosecutor At Nuremberg
He handled the case against the Reich Bank, and Walther Funk.
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The Case Was A Total Sham
Metzer produced two soldiers that said they went to a Berlin
bank, and found a box of gold teeth (with blood on them). It turned
out some
Jewish American officers brought
the box a
week earlier.
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Post War Years
After the war, Bernie went to the University of Chicago under
Edward Levi. They turned the
University's law school into a exclusive club for Jewish students
where scholarships funded their education.
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