The three-judge tribunal that will hear the Adolf Eichmann case beginning Tuesday, when the accused Gestapo Colonel goes on trial, charged with directing the annihilation of 6,000,000 European Jews, made their final inspection of the court room in Beit Haam here this morning. All technical preparations were found to be in working order.
The bullet-proof, glass enclosure, which will form the prisoner’s dock when the trial gets under way, was occupied by a uniformed, armed policeman. From that booth, Eichmann will face the bench, behind which there is a wreathed menorah, symbol of Israel and the Jewish people as far back as the days of the Holy Temple. The policeman is the first of a rotating, 24-hour guard to be on duty inside the booth, until the trial opens Tuesday, to make sure that no sabotage will be attempted in the enclosure.
Supreme Court Justice Moshe Landau, president of the special Eichmann court, took his place on the bench, flanked by the two other jurists who will comprise the judicial tribunal, Judges Yitzhak Raveh and Binyamin Halevi. The 447 seats in the courtroom, assigned to correspondents for the Israeli and world press, radio and television, were filled with the accredited journalists and experts. All had their credentials checked carefully, establishing a routine to be followed throughout the trial. Their cameras, tape recorders, typewriters and other equipment had been checked carefully–and will remain, until the trial is over, inside the Beit Haam.
THREE CORDONS OF GUARDS STATIONED OF INSIDE AND OUTSIDE COURT HOUSE
Three cordons of guards were on duty, inside the court house and outside. Outside, one cordon guarded the Beit Haam, patrolled the surrounding area, while some guards were on rooftops of neighboring buildings. A second cordon, composed of policemen, was inside. These policemen will also act as ushers and will guard those who bring food to the prisoner. The food itself, and its serving, will be in the hands of Israeli Army forces. A third cordon of special guard is keeping watch over Eichmann himself. These guards came with him from the Jalameh jail fortress, near Haifa, where he had been in prison since he was brought to Israel last May.
In the basement of the Beit Haam, the large press room was ready for use. Here are located the desks of the correspondents, their typewriters, and the vast accumulation of special telecommunication equipment which will be used for sending the press reports to the world by special equipment capable of transmitting 30,000 words an hour.
Next door to the Beit Haam, but inside the court room compound, is an army welfare hall, now transformed into a huge restaurant for those attending the trial. The entire compound is surrounded by a high wire-mesh fence. At night, the entire area is flood-lighted for extra security.
Outside the fence, many residents of the city, augmented by hundreds of tourists, gathered today to see as much as they can of what goes on inside the compound. Special attention was paid by the crowds to a heavily barred window on the fourth floor of Beit Haam. That window is lighted brightly throughout the night. In a room beyond that window is the place where Eichmann will spend his days and nights, when he is not in the courtroom.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
