Prosecuting Nazi Collaborators and Terrorists: Eli Rosenbaum and Managing the Office of Special Investigations

Abstract

This Administrative Profile charts the remarkable career of Eli Rosenbaum, currently the director of human rights enforcement strategy and policy in the Human Rights and Special Prosecution Section of the Criminal Division in the United States Department of Justice. Until very recently he served as the director of the DOJ’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI)that was recently merged into Human Rights and Special Prosecutions. He held the OSI Directorship since 1995 and this essay focuses on his accomplishments as the OSI director. The prosecution of Nazi collaborators now is situated in Human Rights and Special Prosecutions. During the OSI directorship, he successfully targeted and prosecuted Nazi collaborators as well as global terrorists. Mission‐specific recruitment and team building by Rosenbaum were key factors in his effective leadership at OSI. Managing this unique agency required affective (emotional) skills in addition to cognitive and technical expertise.