The Odessa File

The Odessa File is a thriller by Frederick Forsyth, first published in 1972, about the adventures of a young German reporter attempting to discover the location of a former SS concentration-camp commander.



The name ODESSA is an acronym for the German phrase "Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen", which translates as “Organization of Former Members of the SS”. The novel alleges that ODESSA is an international Nazi organization established before the defeat of Nazi Germany for the purpose of protecting former members of the SS after the war instead of a war veterans' group.