Robert H. Jackson Center

Nuremberg Day 21-30

Nuremberg Day 21 Plunder of Art

On Dec. 17, 1945, Col. Robert Storey, the first Executive Trial Counsel of the American Prosecution, made the first submission on the plunder of art to the Tribunal. He declared that "he would bring to the attention of the Tribunal and of the world the defendants vast, organized, systematic program for the cultural impoverishment of virtually every community of Europe and for the enrichment of Germany thereby". This excerpt depicts the presentation of the confiscation of Jewish homes especially in Paris. He then presented 39 volumes of photographs of the works of art seized by Einsazstab Rosenberg.

Nuremberg Day 21 The SA

December 17, 1945 saw Col. Robert Storey commence a presentation on the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party, the Reich Cabinet and the Storm Troops (SA). He re-emphasized the central point of the Prosecution' theory of the case: "The Nazi Party was the central core of the Common Plan or Conspiracy,...a conspiracy which contemplated and embraced the commission of Crimes against the Peace, War Crimes, and Crimes against Humanity." To show the structure, Col.Storey introduced a chart from a magazine of the Nazi Party entitled "The Face of the Party".

Nuremberg Day 24 The SS

Dec. 20, 1945 saw the continuation of the presentation of the case against the SS. Major Warren F. Farr, an assistant trial counsel of the American Prosecution team, introduced evidence against the SS (Schutzsaffeln) of the Nazi Party which was mentioned at almost every stage of the Trial. Major Farr dealt with the General SS (Allgemeine SS), which had developed into a huge military-type organization. It was estimated that the overall number of members was probably 750,000.The Reichsfuehrer SS and Chief of the German Police in the Ministry of Interior was Himmler.

Nuremberg Day 24 Gestapo and SD

This was the last session of the Nuremberg Trial prior to the Christmas recess (Dec. 20, 1945). Col. Robert Storey, Executive Trial Counsel of the American Delegation, presented the case against the Accused Organizations- the Gestapo and the SD. The Gestapo or Secret Police was a state organization known for its dreaded network of police agencies which operated first in Germany and then in the German-occupied countries. The SD or Security Service was an early branch of the SS. The Indictment charged that it developed "into a vast espionage and counter-intelligence system which operated in conjunction with the Gestapo". The presentation dealt with the activites of the SD before the War. Also, the simulated attack on the Gleiwitz Radio Station which was the provocation for the invasion of Poland. Col. Storey also outlined the activities of the Einsatzgruppen (Special Task Forces) of the Security Police and the SD which employed the use of "death vans" in Russia.

Nuremberg Day 25 The Gestapo

Following the Christmas recess of the Nuremberg Trial, on Jan. 2, 1946, Col. Robert Storey continued his presentation of the The Accused Organizations-the Gestapo and the SD. His initial presentation was the affidavit of Herman Graebe, the former manager of a branch of the Josef Jung firm in the Ukraine. He described the killing of Jews in the Ukraine. Col. Storey then presented a Gestapo directive regarding the treatment of prisoners of war in Russia. Assisting Col. Storey was Lt. Whitney Harris. Shortly after the presentation, Col. Storey left the Prosecution staff.

Nuremberg Day 25 Kaltenbruner

The first presentation on the individual responsibility of a defendant was made by Lt. Commander Whitney Harris of the American Delegation on January 2, 1946. It dealt with the Defendant Ernst Kaltenbruner, successor of the notorious Reinhard Heydrich, Chief of the Security Police and SD and head of the Reich Security Head Office (RSHA). Harris introduced, through affidavits by a number of SS officials, the evidence that Kaltenbruner was responsible for the punishment and the execution on various pretexts of many concentration camp inmates and slave laborers.

Nuremberg Day 25 Graebe/ Hess

On Jan. 2, 1946, Col. Robert Storey read at length from one of the most striking pieces of evidence in the entire Trial, the affidavit of Herman Graebe, the former manager of a Josef Jung firm in the Ukraine. This affidavit was later quoted at some length by the Tribunal in it Judgment. During the reading Rudolf Hess was in extremis and left the defendant's dock. There are two different angles of Hess' illness.

Nuremberg Day 26 Ohlendorf

On Jan. 3, 1946, Colonel John Amen, Associate Trial Counsel for the American Delegation, called SS General Otto Ohlendorf . He testified that for one year, beginning in June 1941, he had been chief of Einsatzgruppe D and the representative of the Chief of Sipo (Security Police)) and SD with the 11th Army. He testified that the term Einsatzgruppe first appeared in the Poland campaign. He stated that officials would have at their disposal mobile units; gas vans for killing. He testified as to the positions of Kaltenbrunner, Eichmann and Muller.

Nuremberg Day 26 Ohlendorf

The 26th day of the Trial (Jan. 3, 1946) saw the witness Otto Ohlendorf called to the stand by American Prosecutor John Harlan Amen. Ohlendorf was an SS General and for one year was chief of Einsatzgruppe D. His testimony,in German, was partially gleaned from an interrogation conducted by Lt. Commander Whitney Harris of the American Delegation. He testifies to the fact that Group D operated in the southern Ukraine and describes its objectives.

Nuremberg Day 26 Wisliceny

On January 3, 1946, Lt. Colonel Smith W. Brookhart, Jr. of the American Delegation called to the stand SS Captain Dieter Wisliceny. He testified regarding Adolf Eichmann who was a section chief in the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA). His section was concerned with the Jewish question. Eichmann had special powers from SS Gruppenfuehrer Mueller and as a result was responsible for the so-called Jewish question in Germany and in all countries occupied by Germany. When asked how many Jews were killed under this program, Wisliceny said Eichmann personally "always talked about at least four million Jews".

Nuremberg Day 27 Schellenberg

After Col. John Amen concluded his direct examination of SS General Walter Schellenberg, several defense counsel cross examined. In the segment on Jan. 4, 1946, he is examined by Dr. Kauffmann, counsel to Kaltenbrunner, and by Dr. Kubuschok, counsel to the SA and SD. Schellenberg, in German, testified regarding the powers of Kaltenbrunner with regards to the concentration camps.

Nuremberg Day 28 Bach-Zelewski

On Jan. 7, 1946, Colonel Telford Taylor of the American Prosecution staff called SS Obergruppenfuehrer Erich Von dem Bach-Zelewski who gave revealing testimony regarding the Einsatzgruppen,. After Taylor completed his direct, Col. Pokrovsky of the Russian Delegation examined him regarding the treatment of Slavs. He stated the the German directive was to reduce the number of Slavs by 30 million. On cross-examination by Dr. Franz Exner, defense counsel to the German High Command, the witness testified regarding the proportion of enemy dead to enemy prisoners. Finally, Dr. Kraus elicited a response to a speech given by Schacht.

Nuremberg Day 28 Bach Zelewski

On Jan. 7, 1946,General Telford Taylor called to the stand SS Obergruppenfuehrer Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski. He testified that at the beginning of the war he was a Higher SS and Police Leader in the central section of the campaign against the Soviet Union. "My principal task was fighting partisians." He stated that "the principal task of the Einsatzgruppen was the annihilation of the Jews, Gypsies and political commissars." At the end of 1942, he became the Chief of Anti-Partisan Combat Units for the entire Eastern Front. He confirmed that orders were issued by the highest authorities that German soldiers committing excesses were not to be punished in the military courts.

Nuremberg Day 28 Church Suppression

Colonel Leonard Wheeler, Assistant American Trial Counsel, on Jan. 7, 1946, submitted the case regarding the Oppression of the Christian Churches and other Religious Groups in Germany and the Occupied Countries. He stated that the Nazi conspirators found the Christian churches to be an "obstacle to their complete domination of the German people and contrary to their master race dogma". The Indictment charged that "the Nazi conspirators, by promoting beliefs and practices incompatible with Christian teaching, sought to subvert the influence of the churches over the people and in particular the youth of Germany".

Nuremberg Day 28 High Command

The last presentation of the American Prosecution on the accused organizations concerned the General High Staff and High Command of the German Armed Forces. This submission was made by Colonel Telford Taylor on Jan. 7-8, 1946. The presentation outlined that all of the accused criminal groups or organizations were related. The group wanted to "aggrandize Germany at the expense of neighboring countries and were prepared to do so by force or the the threat of force".This excerpt deals with the Hitler directive of how to deal with paratroopers and other prisoners of war.

Nuremberg Day 29 Goering

On January 8,1946, Ralph Albrecht, an associate trial counsel of the American Delegation, made the individual presentation against the Defendant Herman Georing. He presented documents which covered Goering's activities from the Munich Putsch in 1923 to his demands in 1944 that additional concentration camp inmates be made available to work in the air armaments industry.

Nuremberg Day 30 Rosenberg

The presentation of the American Prosecution against Alfred Rosenberg on January 9-10, 1946 was delivered by Walter W. Brudno, who had been a Private First Class in the U.S. Army until two weeks before the presentation. The main emphasis of the the submission had to do with Rosenberg's numerous activities in connection with the war including setting up the Institute for the Exploration of the Jewish Question.