StoryCorps Chicago: Witnessing Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal

Hal Bergen and his daughter Kathy Bergen visited the StoryCorps booth at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Hal Bergen and his daughter Kathy Bergen visited the StoryCorps booth at the Chicago Cultural Center. Courtesy of StoryCorps
Hal Bergen and his daughter Kathy Bergen visited the StoryCorps booth at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Hal Bergen and his daughter Kathy Bergen visited the StoryCorps booth at the Chicago Cultural Center. Courtesy of StoryCorps

StoryCorps Chicago: Witnessing Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal

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Hal Bergen graduated from Roosevelt High School in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood just before World War II ended. He was finishing basic training and learning how to operate radios for the military when he was sent to work at the Nazi war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany. There he helped operate the sound system for the trial.

These days, Bergen’s daughter Kathy is a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. Earlier this year she wrote a story about her dad’s experiences, and recently she brought him to the StoryCorps booth in the Chicago Cultural Center, where he told her about his front row seat to history.

StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to share, record and preserve their stories. These excerpts, edited by WBEZ, present some of our favorites from current visits, as well as from previous trips.