Between November 20, 1945, and October 1, 1946, the International Military Tribunal (IMT) tried 21 of the most important surviving leaders of Nazi Germany in the political, military, and economic spheres, as well as six German organizations. Benjamin Ferencz: He's not a savage. 27 Aug 2021. [5] Soviet jurist Aron Trainin developed the concept of crimes against peace (waging aggressive war) which would later be central to the proceedings at Nuremberg. So you see these human stories which are not -- they're not real. Speer managed to distinguish himself from other defendants, giving the impression of apologizing, although without assuming personal guilt or naming any victims other than the German people. They would never have been brought to justice were it not for Ben Ferencz. [136][137] The Soviet prosecution case was generally well received and presented compelling evidence about the suffering of the Soviet people and the Soviet contribution to victory. Lesley Stahl: So they went right in after the troops? [183][184] The judges proved their independence from the governments that appointed them, the defendants were seen as receiving due process, and the evidence of guilt amassed by the prosecution was overwhelming. He promoted an intentionalist view of the Nazi state and its overall conspiracy to commit all of the crimes mentioned in the indictment. The Nuremberg trials were a series of 13 trials carried out between 1945 and 1949, the Trial of Major War Criminals being held from November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946. . The British government was still opposed, unable to see the benefit of such a trial and preferring the summary execution of Nazi leaders. The judgement argued that aggressive war had already been illegal, even if no one had been punished for it, and therefore the German leaders could not count on immunity from prosecution. Stupid to an incredible degree to send young people out to kill other young people they don't even know, who never did anybody any harm, never harmed them. A 103-year-old South Florida man who fought Nazi atrocities as a Nuremberg prosecutor is now the recipient of the Governor's Medal of Freedom. The Natural Capital Project is working with development banks and 10 pilot countries to put the environment at the forefront of policy and investment decisions. [234][235] Further developments in international criminal law in the aftermath of the trials included the Genocide Convention (1948) and the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949). [224][225][226] During the two decades after the trial, opinions were predominantly negative. The trials weren't perfect, but the Allies had wanted to shoot the defendants, so at least the . The film, compiled from footage of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps, shocked both the defendants and the judges, who adjourned the trial. [20][21] The offenses that would be prosecuted were crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The COVID-19 vaccines have been tested in clinical trials with people who gave their consent. Well, see here, this-- they rounded 'em up. Exhibit 111: "In the last 10 weeks, we have liquidated around 55,000 Jews." [211] The educational purpose of the Nuremberg Military Tribunals was a failure, in part because of the resistance to war crimes trials in German society, but also because of the United States Army's refusal to publish the trial record in German for fear it would undermine the fight against communism. [217][218] The last prisoner was released in 1958. [174] The judges interpreted crimes against humanity narrowly; they determined that crimes against German Jews before 1939 were not under the court's jurisdiction because the prosecution had not proven a connection to aggressive war. Boy, I felt if I'd had a bayonet I woulda jumped over the thing, and put a bayonet right through one ear, and let it come out the other. Lesley Stahl: Ben? [105] The American prosecutors were not any more effective when presenting documentary evidence on the conspiracy to commit crimes against humanity, and ended up reaching a "saturation point of horror" by their indiscriminate selection and disorganized presentation of evidence without tying it to specific defendants. People get discouraged. Exhibit 179, from Kiev in 1941: "The city's Jews were ordered to present themselves about 34,000 reported, including women and children. [210] As the Cold War began, the rapidly changing political environment began to affect the effectiveness of the trials. [46], The French prosecutor, Franois de Menthon, had just overseen trials of the leaders of Vichy France;[37] he resigned in January 1946 and was replaced by Auguste Champetier de Ribes. [10] The declaration also stated that those high-ranking Nazis who had committed crimes in several countries would be dealt with jointly. By Cnaan Liphshiz January 15, 2021 11:48 am. [204] In the United Kingdom, although a variety of responses were reported, it was difficult to sustain interest in a long trial. Vaillant Couturier later became a French politician. Without simultaneous translation the trial cannot happen. Two of the 24 defendants died during the trials, including Hermann Goring, commander of Nazi Germanys air force, who committed suicide. And you're very wise. This March, Ben Ferencz turned 101 and he's still in there fighting. The SA, the Reich Cabinet, and the General Staff and High Command were not ruled to be criminal organizations. Nov. 20, 2021 / 3:00 AM On This Day: Nuremberg trials begin On Nov. 20, 1945, 24 German leaders went on trial at Nuremberg before the International War Crimes Tribunal. Benjamin Ferencz: Well, I'm still a young man. . The Nuremberg trials were conducted simultaneously in four languages and required the skills of 36 . | Minds. After they had been made to give up their clothing and valuables, all of them were killed, which took several days." [146][148] Six defendants were charged with the German invasion of Norway, and their lawyers argued that this invasion was undertaken to prevent a British invasion; a cover-up prevented the defense from capitalizing on this argument. View of Nuremberg in 1945. The Nuremberg trials were a series of indictments and criminal procedures against Nazi war criminals that were held from 20 November 1945 to 1 October 1946 at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany. 03/Jun/2021. I'm a realist. Lesley Stahl: Now, you've been at this for 50 years, if not more. [1] Most of the defendants were also charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Center for Human Rights and International Justice and Stanford Libraries hope to establish a single destination point that can help people understand how to seek justice when crimes against humanity have occurred and how to pursue accountability for systematic and widespread violence. QAnon followers believe a second set of Nuremberg-like trials will be held to prosecute those who introduced coronavirus restrictions, on the grounds of "crimes against humanity." Acolytes of the . Lesley Stahl: We've had Rwanda, we've had Bosnia. Your legs won't reach the pedals." [101] He described the fact that the defeated Nazis received a trial as "one of the most significant tributes that Power has ever paid to Reason". [241][242], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}492716N 110254E / 49.45444N 11.04833E / 49.45444; 11.04833. Thanks to a grant from Tad Taube and Taube Philanthropies, now, on the 75th anniversary of the first major international war crimes trial ending, a significant new collection of digital materials will be made available to the public. Benjamin Ferencz: Standard routine, nicht schuldig. [141] The defendants tried to blame their crimes on Hitler, who was mentioned 1,200 times during the trialmore than the top five defendants combined. [158][136] In contrast to the opening prosecution statements, all eight closing statements highlighted the Holocaust; and the French and British prosecutors made this the main charge, as opposed to that of aggression. Fullmich and his team present the faulty PCR test and the order for doctors to label any comorbidity death as a Covid death as fraud. [56][57] After this division of formulating the charges, the British and American delegations decided to work jointly in drafting the charges of conspiracy to wage aggressive war. [30] Article 7 prevented the defendants from claiming immunity for their actions under the act of state doctrine,[31] and the plea of acting under superior orders was left for the judges to decide. So the world is changing. Taylor told Ferencz adding another trial was impossible. Holocaust Memorial Museum). And that's how 27-year-old Ben Ferencz became the chief prosecutor of 22 Einsatzgruppen commanders at trial number 9 at Nuremberg. [24][25] Although a novel construct, "crimes against humanity" covered acts that were already prohibited by the laws of most countries. Their job had been to follow the German army as it invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, and kill Communists, Gypsies and especially Jews. And you shouldn't-- you know-- be despairing because it's never happened before. add_to_queue. [215] Early releases of those convicted by the Nuremberg Military Tribunals began in 1949;[216] and in 1951, High Commissioner John J. McCloy overturned most of the sentences. And they're chasing them. Benjamin Ferencz: Defendants' face were blank, all the time. It isn't easy viewing. [167] The judges were aware that both the Allies and the Axis had planned or committed acts of aggression, writing the verdict carefully to avoid discrediting either the Allied governments or the tribunal. subscribe to Stanford Report. [55], The work of drafting the indictment was divided up by the national delegations. Benjamin Ferencz: And I've got-- I've got his reports of how many he killed. I was 27 years old. [47] Although the chief British judge, Sir Geoffrey Lawrence (Lord Justice of Appeal), was the nominal president of the tribunal, in practice Biddle exercised more authority. [90][91] The bringing of conspiracy charges also slowed the trial, as the same evidence ended up being read out multiple times, when it was relevant to both substantive and conspiracy charges. 2021 19:03. [73] Also on trial were propagandists Julius Streicher and Hans Fritzsche; Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy who had flown to Britain in 1941; Hans Frank, governor-general of the General Governorate of Poland; Hitler Youth leader Baldur von Schirach; Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Reich Commissioner for the Netherlands; and Ernst Kaltenbrunner, the leader of Himmler's Reich Main Security Office. The International Military Tribunal, more commonly known at the Nuremberg trials, began this week 75 years ago in Nuremberg, Germany.The trials were a series of military tribunals held to convict major Nazi German leaders on charges of crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit each of these crimes. [233] In 1950, the International Law Commission drafted the Nuremberg principles to codify international criminal law, although the Cold War prevented the adoption of these principles until the 1990s. and Chris Smith (R-N.J.) would . 25. [106] Although these aspects had already been covered by the American prosecution, Soviet prosecutors introduced new evidence from Extraordinary State Commission reports and interrogations of senior enemy officers. Nuremberg Combo Tour WWII + Old Town. [39] Besides legal professionals, there were many social-science researchers, psychologists, translators and interpreters, and graphic designers, the latter to make the many charts used during the trial. [28] The charter limited the jurisdiction of the court to Germany's actions because the Allies did not want to answer to an international court for their own actions;[29] only Germans could be tried. [152] The defendants' witnesses sometimes managed to exculpate them, but other witnessesincluding Rudolf Hss, the former commandant of Auschwitz, and Hans Bernd Gisevius, a member of the German resistanceeffectively incriminated the defendants. HumansAreFree@HumansAreFree. [151], In order to appease concerns about fair process, the defendants were allowed a free hand with their witnesses and a great deal of irrelevant testimony was heard. Some people say I'm crazy. Another man was sentenced to death in absentia. Fact-checked by: Myth Detector. [88], The charter allowed the admissibility of any evidence deemed to have probative value, including depositions. The main target of the prosecution was Hermann Gring (at the left edge on the first row of benches). I've got here mass murder, mass murder on an unparalleled scale." Benjamin Ferencz: I don't think I'm an idealist. One of America's most recognized and experienced broadcast journalists, Lesley Stahl has been a 60 Minutes correspondent since 1991. Ron DeSantis awarded B The purpose of the trial was not just to convict the defendants but also to assemble irrefutable evidence of Nazi crimes, offer a history lesson to the defeated Germans, and delegitimize the traditional German elite. Grbe painfully recounts how he saw a grave of over a thousand bodies, some of whom were still moving.. In doing so, it established a legal precedent in international humanitarian law that is still relevant today. Benjamin Ferencz: They were 3,000 SS officers trained for the purpose, and directed to kill without pity or remorse, every single Jewish man, woman, and child they could lay their hands on. And he's been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Lesley Stahl: You've really seen evil. That is the current system. [52][46] The Soviet personnel's lack of knowledge of English, lack of interpreters, and unfamiliarity with diplomacy and international institutions also limited their influence. [98] Jackson maintained that while the United States did "not seek to convict the whole German people of crime", neither did the trial "serve to absolve the whole German people except 21 men in the dock". He never stops pushing his message and he's donating his life savings to a Genocide Prevention Initiative at the Holocaust Museum. [236][237], The trials were the first use of simultaneous interpretation, which stimulated technical advances in translation methods. Below his face, his motto: "law, not war.". He grew up in a tough New York City neighborhood where his father found work as a janitor. Ben Ferencz in court: The charges we have brought accuse the defendants of having committed crimes against humanity. $211.69. On December 9, 1946, an American military tribunal opened criminal proceedings against 23 leading German physicians and administrators for their willing participation in war crimes and crimes against humanity. Ralf Bosen. General Telford Taylor, in charge of the Nuremberg trials, asked him to direct a team of researchers in Berlin, one of whom found a cache of top-secret documents in the ruins of the German foreign . The Nuremberg trials were a series of 13 trials carried out between 1945 and 1949, the Trial of Major War Criminals being held from November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946. He was proud of that. Lesley Stahl: You know, you-- have seen the ugliest side of humanity. Benjamin Ferencz: When I reached over a million people murdered that way, over a million people, that's more people than you've ever seen in your life, I took a sample. Lesley Stahl: What was going on inside of you? Fish contaminated with "forever chemicals" found in nearly every state, CBS News Poll: How GOP primary race could be Trump v. Trump fatigue, Missing teens may be among 7 found dead in Oklahoma, authorities say, Gordon Lightfoot, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" singer, dies at age 84, Bob Lee died from three stab wounds, medical examiner says, At least 6 dead after dust storm causes massive pile-up on Illinois highway, Oklahoma governor signs gender-affirming care ban for kids, U.S. tracking high-altitude balloon first spotted off Hawaii, What the last Nuremberg prosecutor alive wants the world to know. All wars, and all decent people. A team of over 1,000 lawyers and over 10,000 medical experts led by Dr. Reiner Fuellmich have begun legal proceedings against the CDC, WHO & the Davos Group for crimes against humanity. [71][72] The military leaders were Hermann Gring, Wilhelm Keitel, Alfred Jodl, Erich Raeder, and Karl Dnitz. Jan Lemnitzer, University of Oxford. [208][209] Many Germans lumped criminal trials with denazification, internment, and confrontation with the concentration camps, as illegitimate victor's justice and the imposition of collective guilt. Nearly 75 years ago, the Nuremberg Trial came to a close when on Oct. 1, 1946, a group of convicted Nazi leaders was sentenced by the International Military Tribunal (IMT) for crimes against peace . [87], Initially, it was planned to hold a second international tribunal for German industrialists, but this was never held because of differences between the Allies. [232] On 11 December 1946, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution affirming "the principles of international law recognized by the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal and the judgment of the Tribunal". [62] Vyshinsky demanded extensive corrections to the crimes-against-peace charges, especially regarding the role of the GermanSoviet pact in starting World War II. They should remember, from me, it takes courage not to be discouraged. But Ferencz knew they were guilty and could prove it. [121], On 8 February, the Soviet prosecution opened its case with a speech by Rudenko that covered all four prosecution charges, highlighting both aggressive war and the devastation of Eastern Europe[122] and listing many crimes committed by the German occupiers against the Soviet people. Streicher was executed in 1946 by hanging along with nine other Nazis, including Hans Frank, the highest-ranking Nazi officer in occupied Poland. [227] The main legal criticisms of the trial focused on questions of retroactivity, selectivity, and jurisdiction. from. Stanford University is marking the 75th anniversary of the International Military Tribunal of Nuremberg with a significant expansion of records from the historic trial. The bill was introduced by Reps. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) Seven defendants (Hess, Funk, Raeder, Dnitz, Schirach, Speer, and Neurath) were sent to Spandau Prison to serve their sentences. People receiving the COVID-19 vaccines at this point are not taking part in a medical experiment, because the vaccines already have gone through clinical trials and have received emergency . [45] At Jackson's recommendation, the United States appointed judges Francis Biddle and John Parker. . The Rome Statute establishing a permanent International Criminal Court (ICC), which had been proposed in 1953, was finally agreed to in 1998. [235] In the 1990s, a revival of international criminal law included the establishment of ad hoc international criminal tribunals for Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR), which were widely seen as part of the legacy of the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials. A new tool for designing and managing irrigation for farms advances the implementation of smart agriculture, an approach that leverages data and modern technologies to boost crop yields while conserving natural resources. President Harry Truman asked Robert Jackson, an associate justice of the Supreme Court, to serve as the chief American prosecutor . [214] By then, the Americans were hoping to use the offer of pardon to convicted war criminals in order to bind West Germany to the Western Bloc. [222] By the late 1950s, the West German consensus on release began to erode, due to greater openness in political culture and new revelations of Nazi criminality, including the first trials of Nazi perpetrators in West German courts. Eventually, the online database will include digital versions of film, audio recordings and photographs that will also include links and annotations. It's never been done before. The progress has been remarkable. Stanford Libraries is working with the Registry of the International Court of Justice to build a complete digital corpus of this historic archive. [58], The charge of conspiracy was spearheaded by the United States prosecution and was less popular with the other Allies. The Nuremberg trials were a series of indictments and criminal procedures against Nazi war criminals that were held from 20 November 1945 to 1 October 1946 at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany.These indictments and criminal procedures were carried out by the occupying Allies following the events of the Second World War.. [106][107] The Americans summoned Einsatzgruppen commander Otto Ohlendorf, who testified about the murder of 80,000 people by those under his command, and SS general Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, who admitted that German anti-partisan warfare was little more than a cover for the mass murder of Jews. Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, in Des Moines . Our intention is to make these trial archives visible to the world, via the web, using the best technology we can find, build, adopt or adapt to make scholarship easier on very complex archives, said Michael Keller, the Ida M. Green University Librarian at Stanford. Ben Ferencz entered into evidence the defendants' own reports of what they'd done. If they tell me they want war instead of peace, I don't say they're naive, I say they're stupid. Benjamin Ferencz: They said, "No, you're too short. per adult (price varies by group size) Nuremberg World War 2 Tour. [157] Over the course of the trial, crimes against humanity and especially against Jews (who were mentioned as victims of Nazi atrocities far more than any other group) came to upstage the aggressive war charge. [87] In France, some verdicts were met with outrage from the media and especially from organizations for deportees and resistance fighters, as they were perceived as too lenient. (JTA) At the opening of his trial in Nuremberg, Julius Streicher made several uncharacteristically friendly statements about Jews a people he had devoted his professional life to demonize. The recordings, many of them in German without translation, offer an insight into the mood, mindset and history of people like Frank and Streicher, who spoke at length about his personal history growing up in a small village in Bavaria as the youngest of nine children. The father had died just as we were entering the camp. Benjamin Ferencz: A father who, his son told me the story. On 17 September, the various delegations met to discuss the indictment. For the scholars, what makes the Nuremberg archives particularly captivating is the variety of human narratives that emerges from the variety of documents and transcripts stories that are now easier to find thanks to Stanfords preservation efforts. 5. [89] Because of the loose evidentiary rules, photographs, charts, maps, and films played an important role in making incredible crimes believable. [124] Paulus incriminated his former associates, pointing to Keitel, Jodl, and Gring as the defendants most responsible for the war. [198] The trials targeted 177 defendants and obtained 142 convictions, including 25 death sentences;[199] the severity of sentencing was related to the defendant's proximity to mass murder. [182] Nikichenko released a dissent approved by Moscow that rejected all the acquittals, called for a death sentence for Hess, and convicted all the organizations. This first international military tribunal was monumental: Not only did it bring perpetrators of mass atrocities to justice, it was also the first time international law was used to prosecute individuals, including heads of state, for war crimes. It is not often you get the chance to meet a man who holds a place in history like Ben Ferencz. Ferencz had immigrated to the U.S. as a baby, the son of poor Jewish parents from a small town in Romania. War makes murderers out of otherwise decent people. 22 mins. Institutional rivalries hampered the search. [76] Of the 24 men indicted, Martin Bormann was tried in absentia, as the Allies were unaware of his death; Krupp was too ill to stand trial; and Robert Ley committed suicide. It was also a way to indirectly charge crimes committed before the beginning of World War II, which the charter placed outside the court's jurisdiction. Shoot 'em there. [2] German aggression was accompanied by immense brutality in occupied areas and the systematic murder of millions of Jews in the Holocaust. Look at the emancipation of woman in my lifetime. [82], Over the summer, all of the national delegations struggled to gather evidence for the upcoming trial. September 30, 2021 Stanford scholars expand digital database with historic records from the Nuremberg Trial. June 27, 2021 / 6:54 PM The Palace of Justice was relatively intact but needed to be renovated for the trial due to bomb damage; it had an attached prison where the defendants could be held. Einsatzgruppen D was the unit of Ferencz's lead defendant Otto Ohlendorf. [69][37], The defendants, who were largely unrepentant,[70] included former cabinet ministers: Franz von Papen (who had brought Hitler to power); Joachim von Ribbentrop (foreign minister), Wilhelm Frick (interior minister), and Alfred Rosenberg, minister for the occupied eastern territories. Part of an artillery battalion, he landed on the beach at Normandy and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. [92], The International Military Tribunal began trial on 20 November 1945,[93] after postponement requests from the Soviet prosecution, who wanted more time to prepare its case, were rejected. Defendants-- absolutely blank. [46] The British chief prosecutor was Hartley Shawcross, assisted by David Maxwell Fyfe, who had been the attorney general in Churchill's government. [63] Jackson also rewrote the indictment with the intent of keeping the proceedings under American control by separating out an overall conspiracy charge from the other three charges. Fact check:Doctors' Trial was one of 13 Nuremberg Trials. [117] The French prosecutors, more than their British or American counterparts, emphasized the guilt of the German people;[118] they barely mentioned the charge of aggressive war and instead focused on forced labor, economic plunder, massacres, and Germanization. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Series of military trials at the end of World War II, This article is about the series of international trials. [12] The United States insisted on a fair trial as a means of reforming Germany. Episode 9 - To Stay the Hand of Vengeance. [175][176], Four organizations were ruled to be criminal: the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party, the SS, the Gestapo, and the SD, although some lower ranks and subgroups were excluded. (Image credit: U.S. [171] Only eight defendants were convicted on that charge; all of whom were also found guilty of crimes against peace. For the Tokyo Trial, see. FALSE: "Nuremberg Trial 2" took place due to the atrocities committed against humanity. The Marines, they just looked at me and said, "Forget it, kid.". (Image credit: National Archives of the Netherlands / ANP, CC0). [44] As the numerically strongest delegation, it would take on the bulk of the prosecutorial effort. [134] The second film included footage of the liberation of Majdanek and the liberation of Auschwitz and was considered even more disturbing than the American concentration camp film. Benjamin Ferencz: Do you think the man who dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima was a savage? [116] In contrast to the other prosecution teams, the French prosecution emphasized how Nazi ideology and pan-Germanism had led to the Nazis' crimes, and delved into the Sonderweg theory of Germany's development in the nineteenth century. Judges deliberate at the trials of Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg, Germany, Jan. 1, 1945. . [41][42], The United States' chief prosecutor was Supreme Court justice Robert H. 1/6. "Informed consent for treatment serves a slightly different purpose. [114], In mid-December the Americans switched to presenting the case against the indicted organizations, while in January both the British and Americans presented evidence against individual defendants. [163] Contrary to the prosecution, the verdict dated the planning of aggression to the 1937 Hossbach Memorandum and not to the founding of the Nazi Party. [197] The trials heard 1,300 witnesses, entered more than 30,000 documents into evidence, and generated 132,855 pages of transcripts, with the judgements themselves totaling 3,828 pages. [221] The IMT defendants required Soviet permission for release; Speer was not successful in obtaining early release, and Hess remained in prison until his death in 1987. Screenshot from film showing the Einsatzgruppen at work. [172] All 22 defendants were charged with crimes against peace, and 12 were convicted. [111][112] The British case covered invasions, from that of Poland to that of the Soviet Union, which Shawcross covered in the second part of his speech;[113] these charges took three days to present, with Maxwell Fyfe detailing 15 treaties broken by Germany.
Starbucks Cold Cup Dimensions,
Hixson High School Football Roster,
Kyril Louis Dreyfus Worth,
How To Access Mickey's Of Glendale,
Articles N
