Elusive Justice: The Search for Nazi War Criminals, An Investigation of the Global Search for the 20th Century's Greatest Criminals, Premieres Tuesday, November 15 at 9 p.m. on PBS

Candice Bergen narrates new documentary providing a definitive account of efforts – official and unofficial – to locate, prosecute and punish fugitive Nazis around the world

NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Allies declared the Nazi party a criminal organization and pledged to prosecute and punish all those who took part in genocide and crimes against humanity. During the Nuremberg Trials, approximately 1,000 Nazi officials were convicted of crimes against humanity; but hundreds of thousands of suspected war criminals evaded prosecution -- by returning to the societies they'd helped destroy; by concealing their war records, by assuming false identities; by fleeing Europe; or by serving the Allies as spies and scientists. Thousands of Nazi criminals are presumed to be alive.

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Elusive Justice: The Search for Nazi War Criminals, a new documentary premiering on PBS on Tuesday, November 15 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings), explores why governments and institutions failed to prosecute and punish mass murderers, and why certain individuals chose to pursue fugitive killers on their own. 

Elusive Justice: The Search for Nazi War Criminals is a Saybrook Productions presentation for THIRTEEN in association with WNET New York Public Media, one of America's most prolific and respected public media providers. For nearly 50 years, WNET has been producing and broadcasting national and local documentaries and arts programming to the New York community.

Filmed in eight countries over the course of three years, Elusive Justice profiles the men and women who took matters into their own hands and succeeded in tracking down Nazi fugitives when official institutions failed.  Narrated by acclaimed actress Candice Bergen, the film includes interviews with suspected war criminals, their families and defenders, professional and amateur investigators, as well as attorneys, survivors, military officials, jurists, and politicians.

Jonathan Silvers, writer and director of Elusive Justice: The Search for Nazi War Criminals, is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and filmmaker specializing in international affairs and human rights.  Silvers' news reports and documentaries have appeared regularly on ABC, BBC, CNN, and PBS.  His reportage appears regularly in The Atlantic among other leading publications.  In the film, Silvers discovers the remains of disabled children murdered during the Nazi era at the Spiegelgrund Clinic in Vienna.  In one scene, Silvers acts as a Nazi hunter in his own right, tracking down and confronting Dr. Heinrich Gross, a doctor responsible for the murders of numerous children at the Spiegelgrund clinic. 

"Genocide and crimes against humanity continue to plague the world," said Silvers. "Elusive Justice: The Search for Nazi War Criminals not only serves as a historical retrospective of past atrocities, but as an important commentary on current events."

Producer, writer and director is Jonathan Silvers. Historic advisors are Dr. David Marwell and Allan A. Ryan. Co-producer and editor is Patrick Flynn. Editors are Thiago Da Costa, Shelby Siegel. Executive Producers are Jack Kliger and Nancy Spielberg. Co-executive producers are Jeffrey Hecktman and Jane Preiser. For THIRTEEN: Executive-in-charge Stephen Segaller. Post Production Supervisor is Stephanie Carter.     

Major funding for Elusive Justice: The Search for Nazi War Criminals was provided by The Rita J. & Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, The Blavatnik Family Foundation, The Righteous Persons Foundation, Jeffrey and Mary Werbalowsky, Arthur and Eileen Newman Family Foundation, The Friedman Family Charitable Trust, The Shanken Family Foundation, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP / Brad Scheller, Miller Buckfire and Company / Henry Miller, Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Paul Singer, Jay and Jeanne Schottenstein Foundation, David and Jane Preiser,  Joseph and Diane Steinberg, The Klarman Family Foundation and The David Berg Foundation.

About WNET New York Public Media
WNET is America's flagship public media outlet, bringing quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. The parent company of public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET produces such acclaimed  PBS series as Great Performances, American Masters, Nature, Need to Know, Charlie Rose, Tavis Smiley and a range of documentaries,  children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online.  Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Noah Comprende and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through SundayArts, Reel 13, NJ Today and the new online newsmagazine MetroFocus. 

SOURCE WNET New York Public Media