Rolf Mengele regarding his father, SS Dr. Josef Mengele 

No child has any responsibility for the crimes of their parents.

I can't begin to fathom how complicated his feelings about his father had to have been. I think it was brave for him to speak publicly about it

I feel desperately sorry for Rolf. His father's actions had nothing to do with him. He must carry a burden for which he did nothing to deserve

My mother uses to tell me. You can pick your friends but not your family. How true!

What is striking is the son's strength in not letting the father go on with his denials, letting him know that he knows what is true. The intensity of that moment is riveting.

Very very important. To have things like this documented . I truly appreciate your channel.

I can feel Rolf's pain. He was very brave to be interviewed.

I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be the son of the angel of death, I see pain in Rolf eyes.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” - Edmund Burke

Rolf you are the man your father should have been. He did not deserve a wonderful son like you. God be with you

The poor guy. Imagine knowing that your father was responsible for killing so many thousands of innocent men, women and children and on top of. That knowing he tortured thousands more with medical experiments on thousands more. HE IS LIVING A TORTURED LIFE WITH VAST INTERNAL STRUGGLES. I truly feel so sorry for him.

I feel so sorry for Rolf. I'm glad to see that his father's psychopathy was not genetic and passed down to him.

You can see on Rolf's face the horrible burden he carries with him. I can't even imagine being the son of such a monster. But you can also see in his face and in his words that he is a far better human being and a far better man than his father could ever be. I think there is a great amount of courage and dignity in the way he tells his story. -He could've simply changed his name, kept quite and stayed out of the public eye, but perhaps he understood the importance of sharing his story. It's one thing to carry such a horrible burden: to be the son of one of the worst monsters in human history; but he carries this burden with grace, dignity and what appears to be a genuine desire for people to learn from his experience.

Rolf: responsibility is individual. Never collective. You are NOT responsible for this monster.

Interesting how people who have committed horrific crimes can live in complete denial and deflect their guilt onto others. This fellow has had to suffer the terrible realization of who his father was and then having the courage to confront him is commendable.

WOW! Rolf did a great job on this interview .... you can see how kind and understanding and painful it was for him 😞

The worst part of having an evil parent is knowing that you have DNA from them and looking in the mirror and seeing a resemblance. I used to struggle with that-- my father is incredibly evil and I look like him.

"With not a word of regret." A monster to the end. Rolf, that poor man.

The Nazi hunters already knew Mengele was in Argentina. The problem was with the Argentinian government, not Rolf giving him up.

I have empathy for Rolf, the burden he bears as the son of an infamous monster that he has to come to terms with, and the the stigma he suffers from others who want to somehow hold Dr. Mengele responsible for his atrocities, and being unable to do so, make Rolf and his family a lightening rod to somehow gain that satisfaction. From personal experiences of having been born to parents, whose poor decisions and irresponsibility led to the deaths of two people. I, and all of my siblings (we were all small children) were scorned by each of our respective parent s' families. Each family of course hated the spouse their relative was married to, (mom's family hated dad's and vice-versa), they treated my siblings as "no good", as if we were somehow guilty of our parent's behavior. Since my parents weren't around to hate, we became the focus of their hate. All of my siblings had to suffer the consequences of what it did to our family unit, then come to terms with the awful things our parents were responsible for, and last but not least, deal the burden of the scorn and animosity we suffered, because our parents weren't around to bear that burden. Their guilt became ours to bear. When you have had to live with that from childhood into adulthood (I'm 60 now), being ostracized from both branches of the family (and the families of the victims of my parents), it's quite a lot to overcome. Being the child of one history s' most evil characters, (and the whole world knows who you are) makes my own experiences pale by contrast. There is also the terrible weight that comes with having that connection that NEVER goes away. I am in no way trying to diminish the suffering of all of Dr. Mengele s' victims when I say that his children were also victims of his heinous atrocities because they have had to bear that shame in public in place of the father who hid from the world and let his children odium for his sake. I hope that Rolf has been able to find peace, and shield his children from the hate of the world that they don't deserve to suffer.

What a horrendous legacy for his son to endure.

It's disgusting that he was allowed to live a full life after what he did.

very difficult to be a son of a beast...

He bears no guilt, his father was the monster, not him.

“Old, small, broken” and still a coward.

He somehow looks like his father, but without the harshness. What a terrible thing to live out your days carrying the same last name. I hope he can find release from the actions of his father. None of that was his fault. He seems like a very nice guy.

A man of quiet dignity and humanity. The enormity of his father's wrongs was crushing, but he remained reasonable. This is a telling part of the archive about how societies can move on.

History exists not just for memory's sake, but as a grandscale lesson as well.

In every book I’ve tried to read about the holocaust, there is always a chapter that I can’t simply go on reading after and I have to stop because of nauseas and distress. It is the one about Mengele’s murders and atrocities. The level of cruelty simply goes beyond human comprehension, so hard that, the concept of it in itself, is impossible to even grasp. I can’t begin to imagine what it must be for this guy to even have to acknowledge for himself (not to mention for others) he is the blood and genes of such despicable monster, even if he isn’t guilty himself.

I can’t imagine the guilt and shame of having him as your father. Through no fault of your own, you are related to this monstet

Thank you for posting this. I truly hope Rolf found peace.

Can u imagine having to live with that legacy. He seems so ashamed. As for turning in his own father for something Rolf has nothing to do with how would u feel. He was just a child when all this happens. Rolf has been left with a horrible legacy and I hope he finds peace for he had nothing to do with this.

You can really see the confused shame and humiliation in his eyes. His father was evil, and to be able to reconcile that within one's own mind. Let alone detach oneself from it would be nearly impossible, due to the magnitude of the Mengele atrocities. I feel truly sorry that people like his father can ever exist.

Complicated points? Mass murderers deserve to be uncomfortable.Smh

I am annoyed he got to live to an old age. Living his life. I wish mossad would of got him

He destroyed his own son. Rolfs eyes speak in volumes of pain, anguish, and shame. Rolf : the world knows you bear absolutely NO responsibility for the unspeakable crimes of your father. Please, please do not feel in any way tainted by the fact that he was your father. These are things we simply cannot control.

As a young girl, I met Corrie ten Boom in person one night near Pittsburgh, PA (Greensburg) in a lovely, elegant ballroom of a hotel, matching exactly the persona of the gracious woman herself who spoke to all of us that night and encouraged us to "forgive those who persecute you." My life has never been the same.

The son is not the father who, as the narrator says, spoke “not a word of regret”, for the terrible things he did at that infamous death camp. ‘Dr. Death’s’ son is both handsome and very articulate in English as he explains his meeting with his father. A very interesting picture of history.

This must be the first time I've ever heard someone describing the torture and murder of 1000s of people as 'problematic!'. I hope the poor old soul is slowly burning somewhere!

At least he isn't trying to justify his father's actions, unlike the children of other nazis.

I'm always amazed Mossad didn't do a job on Mengele.

Thank you for this. What incredible humility and dignity from the son of a monster.

Thank you for posting.

Himmler's daughter, Gudrun Himmler, still sang his praises into even her old age. She died in 2018.

I feel for Rolf...he is not the blame for his father's missgivings....I can't imagine how Rolf felt when they called his father a monster...a sadist..but the truth was he was his father and I'm sure he loved him to some extent...that's really sad

Rolf free yourself from this burden. God knows your heart

Imagine Rolf being asked by a stranger 'what did your father do for a living?'... well...

Poor guy. I’d have to get my last name changed.

As a son of two Holocaust survivors, and as one who never could understand how an entire country could become so murderous, with only a handful lifting a finger for a Jew, I have a certain admiration for Rolf, and I wonder where this man got his heart from - certainly not from his beastly father.

Those that gave Mengela safe haven after the war should be charged as conspiritors.

Hell, I'd change my name too. Who wants to be known as a relative of that evil man.

from the family who always denied being in contact with this vile mass murderer, or knowing where he was.

This is very sad for the son to have to deal with and accept what his father did. I feel bad for him.

Man, I feel so bad for this guy. Imagine knowing your own dad tortured and murdered so many people. I'm just thankful that his dad almost, but luckily didn't, get ahold of my grandma, who was preggers with my uncle. She was going to be sent to Auschwitz, and then the liberation happened.

His father was a evil

Bold and brave of Rolf to do this interview and how painful for him to confront his unrepentantly evil father who remained fixated in his sins without apology. If anyone deserved Hell it was Dr Josef Mengele

I so understand wanting to distance yourself from your morally compromised parents. Bless his heart How difficult this must have been for him. Much empathy and respect

It's a horrendous situation to be put in! You can see the trouble and conflict it's causing him!

i wonder why he didnt inform on his location if he claim that he was horrified with his actions.....

I can't even begin to imagine how it must have felt to come face to face with such a person, never mind that person being your father.

And I thought my father was evil

Rolf is a good man who had to carry such a horrific burden which he had zero to do with. Many of my family died in Auschwitz but a piece of Rolf seems to have died too and this is not fair.

This is why i get so upset when peop;e nowadays casually call people nazis. Do they not realize the severity of how evil these peoples actions were

I love your choice of music and I love history also, thank you for posting this fascinating documentary

It was a time for all sociopaths to shine.

His son is right. Sometimes you have to have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH EVIL. In this world, it is impossible to avoid all evil. But some things you have to avoid getting into or, if you do get into something evil, come out of it as soon as possible.

What year was this interview

Funny and strange thing is they share the same exact birthday. March 16 if sources are correct for Rolf is 1944 and his father Josef is 1911 difference in birth years

I like to think that even in the absolute worst of people there is a part deep within us all that is able to reflect on what we've done in our lifetime and are able to bring about guilt, remorse, empathy, but to some people all they care about is themselves. I hear of people such as Josef and all of the horrible things he had done and yet I feel sorry for him, knowing everything he's seen and done in his lifetime, the countless times he must've reflected back upon his actions and felt something; that he had done something wrong, and maybe he did at one point reflect on his past and just came to terms with it and told no one, but from what we know he was remorseless till the end of his days. As God is his only witness.

Monsters are not born, they're made. That's the truth. Rolf, you don't have to feel guilty for your father's legacy of death, you do have an obligation to create a better, healthier, more compassionate legacy. Speaking out is rough, but it's far better than hiding in that shadow. Good video.

That being said, the family helped hide him for years. Secretly visiting him, including Rolf.

I'm so glad he changes his name. I hope he moves on and makes a nice life. He seems kind and if he ever has a family he would be a good father I beleive. He must distance himself from that horrible legacy and realize he is a totally different man and he can't do anything about his ancestry. None of us can and he happened to be the unlucky one.

Having him for a father had been traumatic for you. It is obviously very painful for you. His actions were never your fault. You are in no way responsible for him. By the grace of God you turned out to be a fantastic example of a very decent, morally positive influence on the human race. And appears to be fine gentleman. I'm sure God will grant you his blessings on you.

Rolf is not responsible for his fathers actions.

Father or no father the man got away with brutal unimaginable acts of cruelty and mass murder unforgivable and should of been brought to justice many years ago Rolf it’s unfortunate for you to have a parent who is globally hated and with very good reason

Truly fascinating. So important for people to understand or at least witness.

It's easy to blame the Son for nothing giving up his Fathers location . The real blame should be at the Brazillian Authorities that knew where he was and never lifted a finger

Children should never be held responsible for the sins of their parents A good concept for the Catholic Church to embrace. Amazing to see the extremes of humanity in these two individuals. Thank you for posting an amazing discussion.

Why did he continue naming his company mengele ?

I don't feel bad for Rolf . I do not hold him responsible for his father's actions and know that he and his mother had nothing to do with what Josef did. However, I DO hold him responsible for not turning his father in when he knew where he was, especially since they had no real relationship. It makes me SICK that his father got away with all he did and was NEVER held accountable. Rolf knew what his father did all this time and stayed silent. In the 70's there were still A LOT of survivors that needed some kind of sense of justice and closure which Rolf could have provided. Even today, there are many of us who have lost relatives in Auschwitz who would love to know this man was found and held accountable. It's an open wound of frustration that will pass on through generations.

His Father escaped justice. I am surprised by this. How could he claim he was innocent. Hundreds of stories of his cruel experiments. I feel very sorry for his son.

He looks like ted Bundy so much

He looks a bit like Ted Bundy, I find.

I really don’t know what to feel for this guy.

You can feel his pain when he talks, this must have eaten at him his entire life. Strange how the family turned on Rolf and stuck by and supported Josef. TheReaper!

Why didn't you turn him in then Rolf?

He also stalled giving his blood sample for a year when they wanted to identify his father's bones.

If he were innocent he could have easily left that camp and made his way to the American lines. Surrendering, knowing Germany would lose the war anyway from the get go and trying to help stop something so bad it's unbearable to even begin to think about. That's not a human that's a demon straight out of hell.

Why did he takes a picture with his dad I would of disowned my father if he did something really horrible like that

The pain in his eyes makes me have tears..poor baby.. have hope for each other ❤️

Scrolling through the comments I see so much finger pointing. It is too easy placing blame from the outside. Far more is unknown and unsaid. Children of any age have their own reasons for their actions or non action outsiders may or may not know regarding a parent or parents. For this man to publicly say as much as he did is an act of bravery. Outsiders cannot know the non-monetary price and/or backlash.

Without a word of regret. How sad

Rolf is not responsible for his monstrous father's actions but I believe he and the rest of his family is responsible for Monster Mengele living freely for so many years. Instead of turning him in , they kept helping him financially. I am not even a Jew but I feel very angry that the Angel of Death died just like that , no pain, no suffering and no torture. He should have been also first experimented inhumanely to at least give some justice to those poor young victims he killed mercilessly.

He looks exactly like his mother.. such a handsome guy

Him And His father are born in thesame day !

" Sins of your father " do such things exist ? Evil deeds require the help of many. From the pen pushers to the train drivers to the signal men and on. Guilt is for the individual. Many soldiers do not talk about some things they did because they are haunted by memories.

Why his mof of a father never got to trial? No extradition by Brasil or what?

He sewed two gypsie twin children back to back. Apparently their mother was able to get some morphine which had been smuggled out of the camp infirmary and killed them with it to end their suffering. Hard to understand how a man trained as a doctor, decorated after serving at the Easter front could sink so low into abject sadistic madness to conduct these experiments. The woman who was recruited by him to find twins was told that he wanted them to have extra milk rations.

Anyone thinking about his mother who must have formed some kind of relationship with that evil monster to have Rolf??

That is a tough one to deal with.