Why did Hermann Göring lie to the Americans that he didn't know English at the Nuremberg Trials in 1946?

One of my favorite incidents that took place in Nuremberg, in March of 1946, was when prosecutor Robert Jackson questioned Hermann Göring. Jackson accused Nazi leaders of suppressing murder cases against their own guys. Göring took off his headphones, faced Jackson, and said his translator translated the word wrong. The word niedergeschlagen means to suspend a case, and not to suppress a case.

This incident is what leads many people to believe that this happened. Göring never stated that he did not know how to speak English. He knew how to speak English just fine. He was just taking advantage of the translator that was provided for him at the trial.

IBM headsets were used in the courtroom to translate what Jackson was saying to Göring in real time. He had to listen to Jackson ask him questions in English, and then when the translator translated it to him in German, he had about 10-15 seconds to think of an answer. This would throw Jackson off and frustrate him.

If he got caught with some "bad evidence", he would start picking fights with the translator over small things. Also, he did not speak in English because he was on trial for his life, and did not want to make any mistakes with the formalities.

He communicated with the translator that was there for him. The interpreter that was translating for Göring, Stefan Horn, stated that Göring told him, "You are taking years off my life!" He never lied to anyone about not knowing English, he just used it to his advantage.

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The Last Judicial Hanging in The United States

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Holocaust victim

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