October 1, 1946 Nuremberg Tribunal Day-218: On the last day of the first Trial, sentences are handed down:

"In the courtroom, the dock was empty when the judges returned to the bench. One by one, the convicted defendant s were brought up from the jail in the elevator that opened into the courtroom, immediately behind the center of the dock. There they were given earphones to hear the German translation of Lawrence' s announcement of their sentences. 

Tension in the court was very high; Biddle wrote that he "felt sick and miserable," and I, who had done my best to convict the defendants , was glad indeed that I did not have to speak their fates. The session took only forty-five minutes , which meant less than two minute s per defendant. The spaces between seemed intolerable , but Lawrence spoke evenly and firmly , as did the interpreter, Wolfe Frank."

From The Anatomy of the Huremberg Trials, by Colonel Telford Taylor

Defendant Hermann Wilhelm Goering, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the International Military Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging.

Hermann Goering Detailed Biography: https://gooring.tripod.com/goo47.html

Defendant Rudolf Hess, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to imprisonment for life. ....

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"I have an announcement to make. The Soviet member of the International Military Tribunal desires to record his dissent...from the decision in the case of the sentence on the Defendant Hess and is of the opinion that the sentence should have been, death, and not life imprisonment."

The French thought twenty years was an adequate sentence for Hess. No one else agreed. As ever, the Russians wanted a hanging--in this case they added to their general principle the national prejudice that Hess's flight to Scotland had been an attempt to win Germany a free hand against Russia. They also argued that Hess's signature on the Nuremberg Decrees made him guilty of the deaths of millions of Jews; that his signature of the documents incorporating conquered territories and his establishment of compulsory military service made him at least as culpable as Frick; that his uniquely close relationship with Hitler and vigorous public support for all his policies put him in the same category as Goering; his detailed knowledge of all aggressive planning put him in the same category as many defendants who were to hang. 

These arguments convinced the other judges that Hess deserved a heavy sentence. But they had also put in the balance the fact that Hess left Germany in 1941; only after that date did the worst atrocities occur. In a three to one vote against the Russians they found Hess guilty on Counts One and Two only; after a three to one vote against the French, he was sentenced to life imprisonment."

From The Nuremberg Trial by Ann and John Tusa: 

Rudolf Hess Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur01.html

Defendant Joachim von Ribbentrop, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

Back in his cell, Ribbentrop wanders in a daze: "Death, death. Now I won't be able to write my beautiful memoirs...So much hate..." (Gilbert)

Joachim von Ribbentrop Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur02.html

Defendant Wilhelm  Keitel, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging." 

Later: "Keitel stood with his back to the door of his cell. When Dr. Gilbert entered he wheeled around and snapped to attention at the far end of his cell, his fists clenched and arms rigid, horror in his eyes: "Death by hanging! That, at least, I thought I would be spared." Keitel and Seyss-Inquart, both non-smokers, ask Dr. Pflücker to distribute their tobacco ration amongst the other condemned men. (Heydecker, Conot, Maser)

Wilhelm Keitel Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur03.html

Defendant Ernst Kaltenbrunner, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

Ernst Kaltenbrunner Detailed Biography: https://propagander.tripod.com/ek1.html

Defendant Alfred Rosenberg, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

Alfred Rosenberg Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur05.html

"Defendant Hans Frank, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

 Frank, who appears confused as he is led before the judges, bursts into sobs upon hearing the verdict. He bows to the judges before being led out. (Conot)

Hans Frank Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur06.html

Defendant Wilhelm  Frick, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

Wilhelm Frick Detailed Biography: https://propagander3.tripod.com/nur07.html

"Defendant Julius Streicher, on the Count of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging." 

Streicher replies: "I am going to celebrate Christmas in Valhalla!" (Conot)

Julius Streicher Detailed Biography: https://propagander.tripod.com/js1.html

"Defendant Walter Funk, on the Counts of the Indictment an which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to imprisonment for life." 

Upon hearing the verdict, Funk breaks into sobs and bows to the judges before being led away. (Conot)

Walter Funk Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur09.html

Hjalmar Schacht had been acquitted the previous day, under Soviet protest.

"I  have an announcement to make. The Soviet member of the International Military Tribunal desires to record his dissent from the decisions in the cases of the Defendants Schacht . . . . He is of the opinion that they should have been convicted and not acquitted..."

From the dissenting Soviet opinion: "Schacht consciously and deliberately supported the Nazi Party, and actively aided in the seizure of power in Germany by the Fascists. Even prior to his appointment as Plenipotentiary for War Economy, and immediately after the seizure of power by the Nazis, Schacht led in planning and developing the German armaments ... Schacht used swindler’s tactics and coercion..."

Hjalmar Schacht Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur10.html

"Defendant Karl Doenitz, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to ten years' imprisonment." 

Doenitz comments: 'Well, anyway, I cleared U-boat warfare.' (Tusa)

Karl Doenitz Detailed Biography: https://propagander2.tripod.com/d01.html

"Defendant Erich  Raeder, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to imprisonment for life." 

Later, when Gilbert speaks to a seemingly dazed Raeder, the admiral claims he does not know what the verdict is: 'I forget.' (Tusa)

Erich Raeder Detailed Biography: https://ldfb.tripod.com/r01.html

"Defendant Baldur von Schirach, on the Count of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to twenty years' imprisonment." 

When Gilbert comments to Schirach that his wife will be happy he was not sentenced to death he replies, "Better a quick death than a slow one." (Tusa)

Baldur von Schirach Detailed Biography: https://propagander.tripod.com/bvs1.html

 "Defendant Fritz Sauckel, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

Speer, from a later interview with Gitta Sereny: "The time I felt really badly about [Sauckel], was earlier on, during the trial, when out of the blue he suddenly said to me one day that he was sorry about the difficulties we had had. I mumbled something about it having been Bormann who had created the difficulties, which was true but meaningless in the context of his friendly remark. And that's what I thought of first when I heard about his sentence: that he had said something generous to me, and that I had not known how to return the kindness." (Sereny, p. 314)

Lord Shawcross, in a later interview with Speer biographer Gitta Sereny, opined that Speer was “quite lucky to have avoided a death sentence. . . . My own view was one of great surprise that Speer was so leniently dealt with, and I still think it quite wrong that his subordinate, Sauckel, who worked under his instructions, was sentenced to death while Speer escaped." (Sereny, p. 30)

"Sauckel found it more difficult than the other prisoners to accept the death sentence. He pestered the barber, the doctor, and the psychologist with the idea that the verdict of the Court must have been due to an error in translation. He was firmly convinced that the mistake would still be discovered and the verdict revised. The story of his doubts quickly went around the prison, and eventually it was Seyss-Inquart, himself sentenced to death, who wrote a letter of condolence to Sauckel. Dr. Ludwig Pflücker, the German prison doctor, brought it to the one-time leader of slave-labor."

From The Nuremberg Trial by Joe J. Heydecker and Johannes Leeb

October 1, 1946: From a letter from Seyss-Inquart to Sauckel:

Dear Party Member Sauckel, You are bitterly critical of the verdict. You think that the verdict has been given against you because a word of yours has been wrongly translated and interpreted. I do not share this impression. It was established, as you must note with satisfaction, that you did not work on the principle of extermination through work, although the Prosecution went to great pains to charge you with this. It was assumed that you had exploited to the utmost the forced, or as we would say conscripted, laborers for the benefit of the German war economy. 

The court did not inquire whether this was the most rational thing to do either from the physical or economic point of view. From the viewpoint of humanity such exploitation or rather utilization of labor is a crime. You were not accused of having deliberately engineered the abuses which took place; it was merely stated that you should have known about them—a charge of secondary significance. In principle anyone who, in whatever form, exploits conscripted labor for war purposes, will be condemned.

The fact that we obeyed the Führer cannot take the responsibility from those of us who had the courage and strength to stand in the front line in this fight for the existence of our people. Our enemies have defeated Germany and now they are doing away with her leaders. Whether that is just or wise is another question but it will not reduce our achievements on behalf of the German people.Your self-sacrifice has in fact a special significance for the German people. 

Whether you are rightly or wrongly accused of it, this method of employment of labor ranks as a crime. The German people will base their future legislation on this fact and, after your self-sacrifice, others will not be able to evade this moral principle in the long run.Your significance thereby appears in its true light. Your family too will give you your due; no doubt they are now silently drawing strength from this thought. For us the thought should be this: the worst charge against us would have been that of failure to do our utmost in our peoples life-and-death struggle.

 In the days of triumph we stood in the front rank, and thus we have the privilege of standing in the front rank in misfortune. By our example we help to build a new future for our people. I shake your hand, my dear Party comrade Sauckel, whom I have learned to appreciate and love. Germany! Yours, Seyss-Inquart. (Heydecker, Maser)

Fritz Sauckel Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur14.html

"Defendant Alfred Jodl, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

Alfred Jodl Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur15.html

Franz von Papen had been acquitted the previous day, under Soviet protest.

"Franz von Papen, like Schacht, was indicted only on Counts One and Two . He was also the second defendant to be acquitted, but this had been more generally expected. However, the Tribunal was sharply divided, and the acquittal came on a two-to-two vote."

Those who wanted Papen convicted responded to the pressure of his reputation as a conniver and his support for Hitler' s appointment as Chancellor. No doubt the ultimate consequences of Hitler' s accession to power were catastrophic, but Papen's actions were not w r crimes. No doubt, too, his actions as Ministe r to Austria were tilted towar d Anschluss, but here, too, that was no war crime . Proof of knowledge and support of Hitler's plans for ultimate aggressive wars was lacking. 

Fyfe had done his best to blacken Papen as a person, and Nikitchenko and de Vabres had voted for conviction. But, at least in my opinion, the Tribunal was right in concluding: "The Tribunal finds that Von Papen is not guilty under this Indictment and directs that he shall be discharged by the Marshal, whe n the Tribuna l presently adjourns."

From The Anatomy of the Huremberg Trials, by Colonel Telford Taylor

Franz von Papen Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur16.html

"Defendant Arthur Seyss-Inquart, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

Dr. Gilbert recorded Seyss-Inquart's reaction later in his cell: "Death by hanging...well, in view of the whole situation, I never expected anything different. It's all right."

Arthur Seyss-Inquart Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur17.html

"Defendant Albert Speer, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to twenty years' imprisonment." 

Lord Shawcross, many years later, will write: "[Speer was] quite lucky to have avoided a death sentence . . . . My own view was one of great surprise that Speer was so leniently dealt with, and I still think it quite wrong that his subordinate, Sauckel, who worked under his instructions, was sentenced to death while Speer escaped." (Sereny)

Albert Speer Detailed Biography: https://propagander.tripod.com/as1.html

"Defendant Konstantin von Neurath, on the Counts of the Indictment on which you have been convicted, the Tribunal sentences you to fifteen years' imprisonment." 

From notes by Dr Pflücker, Nuremberg Prison's German Doctor: "Neurath, who is suffering from high blood pressure, was given a quick heart check and found to be in good shape. He shows no trace of agitation. We talked about how well his heart had stood up to imprisonment and we're both of the opinion that one is saved many of the agitations of the outside world when in prison." (Maser)

Constantin von Neurath Detailed Biography: https://4rs.neocities.org/nur19.html

Hans Fritzsche had been acquitted the previous day, under Soviet protest.

"Lawrence read the opinion on Fritzsche, who was indicted under Count s One , Three , and Four. I n none of these counts could the Tribunal find a sufficient basis for conviction, and i n conclusion the judges stated: 

It appears that Fritzsche sometimes made strong statements of a propagandist nature in his broadcasts. But the Tribunal is not prepared to hold that they were intended to incite the German people to commit atrocities on conquered peoples, and he cannot be held to have been a participant in the crimes charged. His aim was rather to arouse popular sentiment in support of Hitler and the German war effort. 

The Tribunal finds that Fritzsche is not guilty under this Indictment."

From The Anatomy of the Huremberg Trials, by Colonel Telford Taylor

Hans Fritzsche Detailed Biography: https://propagander.tripod.com/hf.html

Martin Bormann: "The Tribunal sentences the Defendant Martin Bormann, on the Counts of the Indictment on which he has been convicted, to death by hanging."

"General Nikitchenko was given the thankless dut y of announcing that the absent and probably dead Bormann, accused as guilty under Counts One, Three , and Four, was not guilty under Count One , but guilty under Counts Three and Four."

From The Anatomy of the Huremberg Trials, by Colonel Telford Taylor

"Over Bormann only, the Russians held out for conviction on conspiracy, but it took three meetings before everyone could decide how to express their verdict. Should they sentence him to death, say he was dead already, or accept Biddle's view that there was no point in sentencing a dead man? They eventually left the case open to review. 

They found Bormann guilty on Counts Three and Four, stated that evidence of his death was "not conclusive", sentenced him to death but, since he had been tried in absentia, recommended that, if found, the Control Counsel "might consider any facts in mitigation and alter or reduce his sentence, if deemed proper".

From The Nuremberg Trial by John and Ann Tusa: 

Martin Bormann Detailed Biography: https://propagander.tripod.com/mb01.html

The Pre-Trial Suicide of Robert Ley, Hitler's 'Labor Leader': https://ogerm.tripod.com/ley.html

"It is hard to think of anything more fearful and dismal than waiting in a small cell for the hangman to arrive . Most of them, however, would at least not be idle during the next four days, whic h was all the time that they had available to prepare their petitions for clemency and for their timely transmission to the Control Council in Berlin. The four-day limit applied only to those condemned to death, but most of the other convicts also filed pleas at the same time . 

Petitions were filed in behalf of all the convicts except Kaltenbrunner and Speer. The former (himself a lawyer) was on bad terms with his counsel, and in very poor control of his own thoughts . Speer wrote that his own penalty "weighed little compared to the misery e had brought upon the world. " Therefore he "waived the right to an appeal to the four powers." 

Three of those condemned to death—Goering , Frank, and Streicher—declared that they did not wish petitions to be filed in their behalf, but their lawyer s nonetheless submitted petitions. 

For Goering, Dr. Stahmer asked that either the sentence should be commuted to life imprisonment or the mode of execution changed to shooting. In support of the plea, the lawyer referred to Goering' s bravery and chivalry in World War I. 

Frank' s lawyer merely submitted a plea from Frank' s family to commute the penalty to life imprisonment. 

Streicher's counsel contended that his client's alleged crimes were not sufficiently related to aggressive war, an argument whic h did not cover Streicher's behavior after the war had begun. 

In all probability Hess's petition was not submitted by his ow n wish. But his lawyer, Seidl, characteristically but hardly effectively argued that it was Stalin, rather than Hess, who had conspired with Hitle r against Poland. 

Bormann' s lawyer argued only that despite the Charter' s explicit provision, the Tribunal had no authority to try Bormann in absentia. 

Two convicts—Keitel and Raeder—sought only death by shooting. Keitel referred to his "tragic mistake whic h had led to his downfall" and for which he wished to atone "by a death which is granted to a soldier in all armies in the worl d should he incur the supreme penalty—death by shooting. " 

Raeder's sentence was life imprisonment, and he requested the Control Council "to commut e this sentence to death by shooting, by way of mercy." 

The remaining ten convicts, six of whom wer e sentenced to death and four to prison terms of varying lengths, all filed petitions requesting commutation of various kinds. The lawyer s for Ribbentrop, Rosenberg, Frick, Sauckel, and Seyss-Inquart had only lame excuses, supported in some cases by pleas for mercy from their wives asking that their death sentences be commuted to life imprisonment. 

Seyss-Inquart had a last chance to plead for mitigation, but his counsel stupidly "claimed that Seyss-Inquart deserved mercy because he had forced ninety-thousand Austrian Jews to emigrate prior to the war, all of whom were saved from a terrible fate." 

Jodl's petition had been prepared by his excellent lawyers , but they had already been excellent when the trial began, and there was little more to be said. Furthermore , these argument s were essentially legal in character, and the Control Council was not a court. Jodl asked that his death sentence be set aside or that he be executed by shooting. 

The seven convicts wh o received prison sentences had already been "commuted " by the Tribuna l and had correspondingly littl e force in their pleas, which sounded like Oliver Twis t asking for "more. " 

Funk had been lucky to escape hanging. His plea that he had "only carried out measures which Schacht had for years introduced " was absurd, considering that Schacht had been fired by Hitler before the war, while Fun k had followed the Fuehrer to the end. 

Schirach filed a letter "purporting to reserve his right to petition for clemency .. . at a later date." This was within the language of Articl e 29 of the Charter, whic h empowered the Control Council "at any time to reduce or otherwise alter the sentences." 

Neurath' s petition asked for "annulment of the judgment pronounced or at least postponement of the sentence in view of the advanced age of the accused, seventy-four years, and his poor health." 

If the Control Council had been a judicial appellate court, Doenitz would have had muc h the best claim to a reversal of the judgment against him . Kranzbuehler, his counsel, asked instead that the ten-year sentence be commuted entirely or reduced by the time that Doenit z had already spent in jail ."

From The Anatomy of the Huremberg Trials, by Colonel Telford Taylor

The Nuremberg Defendants: https://4rs.neocities.org/index.html