Terry
Nuremburg Trial Notes
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Nuremburg important to Nazis
o held Nuremburg Rallies, yearly meetings between Nazi Party members in ’23, ’27, ’29
b/n ’33 and ‘38
 ’23 held in Munich
o propaganda for party enthusiasm, Nazism
o very spectacular
Nuremberg Race Laws
o in 15 Sept. ’35 N. Rally, Nazi shown new laws to show racial superiority
Nuremberg Trials
o World wanted to someone to punish for Holocaust & war crimes
o Created International Military Tribunal (IMT) to try high ranking Nazi officials
 Designed to “document and redress crimes committed”
o Held in Nuremberg, Germany
o Holocaust rendered as “crime against humanity”
o Trial first publicized on 20 Nov. ‘45
24 political & military leaders brought to trial before IMT
o Indicted for crimes against peace, humanity, waging wars of aggression and war crimes
o More indicted in after trials called “Subsequent Nuremberg Proceedings”
Series of 13 trials in Nuremberg between ’45 and ‘49
o Fuhrer Adolf Hitler committed suicide, not brought to trial
o Seen as milestone to permanent international court and dealing with other crimes against
humanity
o December ’42, Allied Great Britain, the US and the USSR issued declaration
acknowledging the genocide of the Jewish
o PM Churchill was first for summary execution, w/o trial, of high-ranked members
 persuaded to go for trial by others, documentation of crimes
o before no precedent for international trial for war criminals
o established laws for Nuremberg w/ London Charter of the IMT
o Nuremberg selected as trial location b/c start of Nazi party in the late 20s and early 30s,
relatively undamaged
o 6 Nazi organization determined as criminal
o Fuhrer Hitler, Reichsfuhrer of SS Himmler, Minister of Propaganda Goebbels, all
committed suicide
o Defendants could choose their lawyers
 Argued that ex post facto laws (laws criminalizing actions after crime was
committed) or victor’s justice
o Trial participants collectively spoke 4 languages (English, French, Russian, German)
Terry
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 Introduced real-time translation technology
o IMT found 21 defendants guilty, 3 acquitted
 12 sentenced to death by hanging (one in absentia), 9 imprisoned between 10y
and life
 Reichsmarschall of Luftwaffe Göring committed suicide night before execution
o After Trial of Major War Criminals, 12 more trials at Nuremberg
 Happened b/n ’46 and ‘49
 Incl. Doctors Trial, for crimes against humanity incl. medical exp., Judges Trial, for
helping Nazi by implementing eugenic law
o Nuremberg trials controversial, even by Allies
 Harlan Stone, chief justice of US Supreme Court, described as “sanctimonious
fraud”
N. Trials
o ’44, FDR asked War Dept. to bring war criminals to justice
o Treasury Secretary Morgenthau proposed executing or banished, reduce Germany to
agricultural
o Secretary of War Stimson proposed to try Nazi leaders in court, treat Nazi regime as
criminal conspiracy
o FDR encouraged War Dept.
o Churchill supported execution, Stalin responds with “In the Soviet Union, we never
execute anyone without a trial”
o Supreme Court Justice Jackson chosen to represent Pres. Truman
o Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels dead, Martin Bormann missing (tried in absentia)
o Deputy Fuhrer Hess parachuted into England to negotiate for peace
o Reischsmarscahll Göring surrendered to Americans on 6 May ‘45
 First evening, Göring was drinking & singing w/ American officers
o “Jew Butcher of Cracow” Hans Frank captured in Bavaria
o 23 May, British forces in Flensburg captured many war criminals
 Incl. Reichpräsident Dönitz, Field Marshall Keitel, Nazi Party philosopher
Rosenberg, General Jodl, Armaments Minster Speer
o Despite Soviet wishes to hold trial in Berlin, trial was held in Nuremberg
o 6 August, Charter of the IMT was signed to govern trial
o Trial proceedings
 Begins with reading of indictments
 Most indicted with at least 2 counts, some with 4
 Jackson delivered opening statement for 2h
 Prosecution first asserted that Nazi party was criminal and later individual parties’
guilt
 Austrian invasion was aggressive war, similar to invasions with
Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland,
Luxembourg, Greece, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union
Terry
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Nazi Party’s use of slave labour and concentration camps; prosecutor
produced much evidence, such as USA Exhibit #253, “tanned human
tattooed skin from concentration camp victims”
 Establish evidence that Nazi party, Reich Cabinet, the SS, the Gestapo, the
SD, the SA, German High Command
 Jan, Marie Claude Vallant-Couturier testified at on Auschwitz in ‘42
 18 Feb ’46,introduced film consisting of captured German footage w/
atrocities
Göring took witness w/ gray uniform and yellow boots
 Göring gave description of Nazi rise to power, responded w/ strong
descriptions and straight answers
 18 March, Jackson cross-examined Göring
 Göring ‘deflected’ most of Jackson’s points, until 3rd day
 Jackson asked whether he signed decrees depriving Jews right to own
businesses
 After Göring described Kristallnacht, Jackson asked whether he said "I
demand that German Jewry shall for their abominable crimes make a
contribution of a billion marks....I would not like to be a Jew in Germany."
Next 4 months, defendants’ lawyers presented evidence
 Defendants tried to mitigate their actions
 Claimed knew nothing of concentration camps
 Defendants testified they were merely acting on orders, although IMT
disallowed defense of superior orders
 15 April, Gestapo and SD Chief Kaltenbrunner called Col. Höβ (Hoess) of
Auschwitz to stand; testified using Zyklon-B and other genocidal actions
 Some defendants confessed and offered regret and apologies; incl. Nazi
Governor of Poland Frank, Field Marshall Keitel,
 End of June, Ministerialdirektor at the Propagandaministerium Fritzche
finished testifying
6 July, defense summation interrupted by trial for the absent Bromann, Hitler’s
private secretary
 Lawyer asserted that defendant Bormann may have been dead
 Jackson stopped going to court, drafting his closing argument
 Jackson had “take shots at each of the defendants”, incl. many references
to Göring\
o Göring kept count with pride
After, defense of Nazi organizations and last statements from each defendant
1 Oct, defendants received their verdicts
 18 defendants received at least one count, Schact, Von Papen, Fritzche
were not guilty
Terry
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3 defendants received warrants for their arrest by German police
afterwards
 Göring, Ribbentrop, Keitel, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Kaltenbrunner,
Streicher, Sauckel, Jodl, Seyss-Inquart were sentenced to death by
hanging
 Hess, Funk, Raeder were given life sentence
 Von Schirach, Speer given 20 y sentences
 Von Neurath given 15 y sentence
 Dönitz given 10 y sentence
 15 Oct, Göring wrote a note, saying will not facilitate execution of
Reichsmarschall by hanging; instead chosen to die like Hannibal
 Göring used smuggled cyanide pill to commit suicide
 16 Oct, von Ribbentrop was asked for final words, responded w/ “I wish
peace to the world”, about 1.5 h later, all convicted were hanged
 Subsequent Nuremberg trials draws from American judiciary
 Nuremberg has only documented Nazi crimes, and prevent accused from being
martyrs
Feb ’45, FDR, Churchill, Stalin met at Yalta, Soviet Union, agreed to prosecute Axis leaders
Eleven subsequent trials held after Military Trials
o Tried physicians, Einsatzgruppen commanders, Reich Ministry of justice officials, judges,
other senior members
o Prosecution provided many examples of “inhumane conduct”
Von Papen
o German stateman
o Papen helped by Schleicher, became Chancellor
o Pretty much achieved cancellation of reparations under Versailles w/ foreign affairs
o Schleicher convinced cabinet members to reject policies
o Shcleicher became Chancellor after von Papen resigned
 Papen helped Hitler, convinced Hindenburg to appoint Hitler chancellorship
o As vice-chancellor, wanted to control Nazi party
o Sent as ambassador to Austria, Austria got annexed
 Became ambassador to Turkey
o Arrested in April
Terry
Nuremberg Trial Timeline
(Organized from notes &
 6 Mar '46, pros. rests
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/nure  13 Mar '46, Goering testifies
mberg/nurembergchronology.html)
o 18-22 Mar '46, Goering is crossRead from left column down to right column down
examined
 ’27, first Nazi Party meeting at Nuremberg
o 1 April, Ribbentrop testifies
 15 Sept ’35, Nazi Party passes Nuremberg Laws
o 11 April, Kaletenbrunner testifies
o 18 April, Hans Frank testifies
 '39 Hitler invades Czech., starts war
o 26 April, Julius Streicher testifies
 8 May '45, Field Marshall Keitel, Generalo 30 April, Hjalmar Schact testifies
Admiral von Friedeburg Colonel-General
o 3 May, Walther Funk testifies
Stumpff signed German Instrument of
o 8 May, Karl Donitz testifies
Surrender
o 20 May, Erich Raeder testifies
 Feb '45, FDR, Churchill, Stalin meet at Yalta to
o 23 May, Baldur von Schirach
prepare for post-war
testifies
o agreed to prosecute Axis leaders
o 28 May, Fritz Sauckel testifies
 23 May '45, British occupy Flensburg, capture
o 3 June, Alfred Jodl testifies
notable Axis leaders
o 10 June, Arthur Seyss-Inquart
 8 Aug '45, London Agreement signed to pros.
testifies
war criminals
o 14 June, Franz von Papen testifies
 2 Sept '45, World War II officially ends w/ Allies
o 21 June, Albert Speer testifies
victory
 4 July, defense summation
 20 Nov '45, N. Trials begin
o 30 July, defense of Nazi groups
o starts w/ reading of indictments
summation begins
 21 Nov '45, US pros. Jackson's opening
 20 Aug, Goering returns to testify
statement
 31 Aug, def. make final statements
o defendants enter not guilty plea
 2 Sept, judges discuss verdicts
 pros asserts criminality of Nazi regime & assoc.
 1 Oct, def. are given sentence
groups
o 13 Oct, appeals are rejected
 13 Dec '45, US pros Todd introduces Exhibit
 15 Oct, Goering suicides
#253, tanned human skin
 16 Oct, war criminals hanged
 18 Dec '45, pros. introduces evidence for
 25 Oct, Military Tribunal I is established for
various Nazi regime
subsequent N. trials
 8 Jan '46, pros. begins to case against individual
 13 April '49, N. trials end, incl.
def.
Einsatzgruppen, Doctors, Justice, Ministries
 28 Jan '46, conc. camp victims testify, incl.
trials
Marie C. Vallant-Couturier
 18 Feb, '46, USSR pros introduces 45 min film
detailing Nazi atrocities
Terry
Works Cited
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The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Franz Von Papen (German Statesman)." Encyclopedia
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The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Nurnberg Rally (Nazi Party Rallies)." Encyclopedia
Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Rudolf Hess (German Nazi Leader)." Encyclopedia
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Terry
"The Nuremberg Laws: Background & Overview." Background & Overview of the Nuremberg
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