The Odessa File - Definition and Overview

The Odessa File is a thriller novel by Frederick Forsyth about a struggle between a young German reporter and the ODESSA, an organization for Ex-Nazis. A movie adaptation of the same name was released in 1974 starring Jon Voight and directed by Ronald Neame.

The plot begins on November 22, 1963, the day JFK was assassinated. A young German reporter happens to see an ambulance on a highway. He chases the ambulance and discovers it contains an elderly Jewish Holocaust-survivor who had committed suicide. The reporter obtains the diary of the man, which contains information on his life in the World War 2 camps, and the names of members of the SS who ran the camp. He makes up his mind to hunt a Nazi who is mentioned in the diary.