War Crimes Trials Participant Edith Coliver

Edith Coliver was born on July 6, 1922 and was born in Karlsuhe in the State of Barden in Germany. She was born to a middle class family with two little brothers named Harold  and Ernest, her mother Hedwig and father Fritz Simon. Her father was a wealthy bank manager with the Struch and Company. Edith led a very structured childhood she played with a gang of children her age riding bicycles, and climbing buildings. They lived in a large house with two other families, and their school gym teacher on the top floor. In the school they were taught racial classes, and were taught what Aryan was. The schools changed in 1937, and the Jews were no longer allowed to go to school, their teacher went to their mother Hedwig and said that she was not allowed to give them an A, so they would have to leave the school. They were a Jewish household, and their mother kept the house Kosher, they went on many vacations, and went to Holand in the summer and Switzerland in the winter. Once they were forced to leave the school, her father sent her to London to go to school, and she stayed with friends. In 1938, Edith's father called her home, because they were going to America, Edith got a visa luckily because when they went the waiting list was for ten years. Her father had relatives in New York and they stayed ther for five weeks, then arrived in San Francisco in 1938. Edith attended George Washington Highschool and graduated with honors, attended Berckely, she studied Political Science and International affais, and graduated with top honors, and went to D. C to try to get a job, was unable to get one. Edith finally got a job as and worked with the War Information Office as a War Propaganda Analyst, soon after arriving peace broke out and was jobless. Got a job with California Senator, and then worked in Nuremburg as a translator. She helped with the Nuremburg trials and Preliminary trials. Visited many Displacement Person's camp and talked to them, she translated a very, very, important speech by Justice Jackson, and was a translator also for Guring, who had been the number two man in Germany. Guring killed himself with sinoide gas, and there were many theories. Went back to the U.S after the Nuremburg Trials, and began talking about Nuremburg and married a man her parents set up with her. She joined many Asian Foundations, and worked there until she retired, and she had two children Suzi, and Sandy. Her final message, is to stick to something, whatever it is, stick to it and keep at it.