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HANNAH The trouble with a Nazi criminal like Eichmann is that he insisted on renouncing all personal qualities, as if nobody were left to be either punished or forgiven. He protested time and again that, contrary to the Prosecution’s assertions, he had never done anything out of his own initiative, that he had no intentions whatsoever, good or bad, that he only obeyed orders. This typical Nazi plea makes it clear that the greatest evil in the world is the evil committed by nobodies. By human beings who refuse to be persons. It is this phenomena that I have called the banality of evil: evil committed by men without motive or conviction, without wicked hearts or demonic will. Einige Studenten klatschen. Miller kann jetzt nicht mehr an sich halten. MILLER Miss Arendt, you are avoiding the most important part of the controversy. You claimed that less Jews would have died if their leaders hadn't cooperated! HANNAH In order to offer an intelligent report on the trial, I had to clarify the role of the Jewish leaders who participated directly in Eichmann’s activities. PROFESSOR MILLER But you blamed the Jewish people for their own destruction! HANNAH I never blamed the Jewish people. Resistance was impossible. But perhaps there is something in between resistance and cooperation. And in that sense only, do I say that maybe some of the Jewish leaders might have behaved differently. (MORE) (CONTINUED)