by Stephen W. Houghton II
Robert H. Jackson was the model of what an American leader
should be, said the Rev. Moritz Fuchs during a talk he gave Thursday to about
75 people in the auditorium of the Jackson Center in Jamestown.
Fuchs, who was Jackson’s bodyguard during the proceedings of the International
Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, spoke about his memories of Jackson and displayed
memorabilia from the trials.
He also critiqued a recent television movie about the trials.
In the movie, Fuchs is depicted driving Jackson around in a jeep and saying
he is from Brooklyn.
“I’m from Fulton, New York, not Brooklyn,” Fuchs said. “Jackson
rode in a 16-cylinder touring car, not a jeep, and when I was at Nuremberg,
I didn’t know how to drive.
Fuchs said he developed a great faith in the American system of government
while working with Jackson.
“He was the model of what an American leader should be,” said
the former bodyguard, who later became a Roman Catholic priest, partly through
encouragement by Jackson. Among the memorabilia on display is a letter from
Jackson to Fuchs’ mother, several pictures signed by Jackson, and several
telephone directories from the occupation forces in Nuremberg.
Attorney Steve Abdella of Jamestown said Fuchs’ reminiscences are a
welcome change from the more legally oriented presentations usually featured
at the Center.
“I appreciate his recollections,” Abdella said. “They were
more personal and day to day. They (the prosecuting team) made quite a commitment,
spending a year to see the case through. It is great that, while these individuals
are available, the Center gets them to come and share their experiences.”
Falconer resident Peter Johnson said, “What stuck in my mind was that
Fuchs said that Jackson was a hero as a man of faith and defender of natural
law.”
John Plumb, the co-coordinator of the Thomas More Guild in Chautauqua County,
an association of Roman Catholic lawyers, said he is happy with the way the
program turned out.
He said he thinks Fuchs’ talk is of special interest to Guild members
because Fuchs decided to become a priest while he was working at Nuremberg.