The book, an abridged translation of which is brought to the attention of the Soviet reader, was written in 1962-1963. At that time, the attention of the world community was again drawn to the crimes of the Nazis against the peoples of Europe. This was facilitated by the trials of fascist criminals taking place in different countries. The fact that in Germany there were people with a very dubious past at leading government posts also played a role. Journalism, cinema, television and print supported the interest of the world community in the past of Nazi Germany, since it was clear that the revival of the forces of revanchism and war in West Germany was fraught with a great threat to the security of peoples.