The Traumatic Return

Reports of the Triestine Printed Media Immediately after the End of the Second World War on Fascist and Nazi Camp Systems

Abstract

Examining reports published between May and December of 1945 by the Triestine printed media on the fascist and Nazi camp system, the articles examines the then prevalent public opinion and general atmosphere encountered by the surviving Triestine prisoners of war upon their return to Trieste. The public was well informed. Apart from the many articles in local newspapers, there were also documentaries, oral reports, exhibits, and even conferences on the subject. Nevertheless, a review of the printed media as well as personal accounts shows that the survivors received only meager help from official institutions. They had not received appropriate treatment as a special group of people with special needs; nor were they organized as such. While Pro-Yugoslav printed media treated them with more consideration, perceiving them »as their own« the rest of the press was more reserved. Even then, these ex-prisoners of war had to endure relativization of the crimes in which they had been victims, thus becoming the object of political manipulation and heated debates that have not yet ended.