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Today in History
Nuremberg Trials begin
A series of trials held in Nürnberg, Ger., in 1945–46, in which former Nazi leaders were indicted and tried as war criminals by the International Military Tribunal. The indictment lodged against them contained four counts: (1) crimes against peace—i.e., the planning, initiating, and waging of wars of aggression in violation of international treaties and agreements; (2) crimes against humanity—i.e., exterminations, deportations, and genocide; (3) war crimes—i.e., violations of the laws of war; and (4) "a common plan or conspiracy to commit" the criminal acts listed in the first three counts.
The authority of the International Military Tribunal to conduct these trials stemmed from the London Agreement of Aug. 8, 1945. On that date, representatives from the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the provisional government of France signed an agreement that included a charter for an international military tribunal to conduct trials of major Axis war criminals whose offenses had no particular geographic location.
The tribunal consisted of a member plus an alternate selected by each of the four signatory countries. The first session, under the presidency of General I.T. Nikitchenko, the Soviet member, took place on Oct. 18, 1945, in Berlin. At this time, 24 former Nazi leaders were charged with the perpetration of war crimes; and various groups (such as the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police) were charged with being criminal in character. Beginning on Nov. 20, 1945, all sessions of the tribunal were held in Nürnberg under the presidency of Lord Justice Geoffrey Lawrence (later Baron Trevethin and Oaksey), the British member.
After 216 court sessions, on Oct. 1, 1946, the verdict on 22 of the original 24 defendants was handed down. Three of the defendants were acquitted, four were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 10 to 20 years, three were sentenced to life imprisonment, and twelve of the defendants were sentenced to death by hanging. Ten of them were hanged on Oct. 16, 1946. Martin Bormann was tried and condemned to death in absentia, and Hermann Göring committed suicide before he could be executed.