Collections

That Man: An Insider’s Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt

Justice Jackson also had been writing, in his final years, a memoir of Franklin D. Roosevelt. This manuscript, discovered fifty years later, was published in 2003 as That Man: An Insider’s Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt (Oxford University Press).

The Influence of the Nuremberg Trial on International Criminal Law

The Nuremberg trials established that all of humanity would be guarded by an international legal shield and that even a Head of State would be held criminally responsible and punished for aggression and Crimes Against Humanity. The right of humanitarian intervention to put a stop to Crimes Against Humanity – even by a sovereign against his own citizens – gradually emerged from the Nuremberg principles affirmed by the United Nations.

A Presidential Legal Opinion

Justice Jackson's essay, A Presidential Legal Opinion, reveals for the first time President Franklin Roosevelt's personal opinions, in FDR's own words, regarding the constitutionality of articles of the Lend Lease Act.

Deep Throat, Justice Jackson And Suicide Pacts

After "Deep Throat" was identified definitively two weeks ago, I read for the first time former senior FBI official W. Mark Felt’s previously little noticed memoir, The FBI Pyramid from the Inside (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1979). Felt’s book, which he published while awaiting federal trial for conspiring to violate civil rights by approving illegal house searches, is a spirited defense of the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover.

Opening Statement before the International Military Tribunal

On November 21, 1945, in the Palace of Justice at Nuremberg, Germany, Justice Robert H. Jackson, Chief of Counsel for the United States, made his opening statement to the International Military Tribunal.

A Tribute to Robert H. Jackson by his Nephew

In the courtroom or out of it, Robert Jackson was a remarkable man. This judgment, however, is not entirely objective since he was my uncle. From an early age, he was his own man. Although his father insisted that he become a doctor, he was determined instead to become a lawyer. When his father refused financial assistance, young Robert borrowed money from his uncle and headed for Albany Law School where he completed the course in a single year.

Bob Jackson Remembered

Let no one doubt that Robert H. Jackson was a remarkable individual, with talents far beyond what might be expected in even the brightest of upstate country lawyers. Before Jackson came to Washington, while he was still relatively unknown, Judge Cardozo predicted: "You will [hear of him] -- in time." Later, Justice Brandeis (who, as Chief Justice Rehnquist has commented, "was one who did not bestow compliments casually") said that Jackson should be the Solicitor General for life. Thus, when he came to the Court in October Term in 1941 his brethren already could tell that a new star was in their midst.

Remembering Robert H. Jackson at Nuremberg Decades Ago

After World War II ended in 1945, the organizers of the upcoming Nuremberg trials had an elusive vacancy on their personnel list. They needed a young military officer who (1) was already taught never to say no, (2) was short some six months of additional service before becoming eligible to resume civilian life, (3) possessed a good working grasp of the Russian language, and (4) had a solid record of experience and achievement in the legal profession. What a combo! Believe it or not, yours truly was found to have all such qualifications and was solicited to join the American legal team at Nuremberg.

Robert H. Jackson at the Nuremberg Trials, 1945-1946

Having been shipped to the European Theatre of War in October 1944 as one of thousands of infantry soldier replacements, Pvt. Moritz Fuchs was sent via Scotland, Omaha Beach and Belgium to the First Infantry Division: the Big Red One. Our 26th Regiment, 3rd Battalion, was fully involved east of Aachen in the Battle of the Huertgen Forest, where I was wounded on November 19th. Our whole squad was wiped out that day. Whitey Swarthout, our platoon leader who had been with the 1st Division since the African Campaign, was due for a prized thirty-day leave when he became the first soldier I saw get killed. Deadly shrapnel from the German 88 millimeter guns burst in the pine trees, spraying all over the ground.

The Legacy of Robert H. Jackson

Robert H. Jackson was a country lawyer from upstate New York who rose to be an international advocate of distinguished accomplishment. He became one of the most famous trial lawyers in the Jamestown (N.Y.) area. As a young man he did not have the benefit of a college degree, but he did attend Albany Law School, which granted him a certificate in 1912. He was, without question, one of the most distinguished members of the United States Supreme Court and was one of the finest writers on the Court. He was also witty and wrote many witticisms which are still quoted by the Court.