American Witnesses

In April 1945, young Americans serving in the US military encountered the Nazi concentration camps. Few, even those hardened in battle, expected such a shock. “I do not know words that are strong enough or expressive enough to describe the horror I saw in those few days,” one US Army Signal Corps photographer wrote to his family.

The special exhibition American Witnesses highlights the experiences of American men and women who saw first-hand evidence of Nazi atrocities. Using their oral and written testimony, photographs, and film, it explores their reactions and efforts to expose and document Nazi crimes, and to nurse starving and ill prisoners back to life.

The exhibition includes an audio tour, which visitors can access through their mobile phones. A transcript of the audio tour is also available.

There is graphic content that may not be suitable for all audiences.

The audio tour experience is supported by a grant from the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum exhibitions program is supported in part by the Lester Robbins and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Special Exhibitions Fund established in 1990.