>> it was 1945. the war was over. ♪ slowly, painfully, life came back to the ruins of europe. ♪ the war was over. but there was no peace. despair crouched over the continent. hopelessness circled europe like a bird of prey. why? what were the forces? what were the issues in a war that turned nations into rubble heaps and populations into beggars? the people wanted the answers. they wanted to know what happened and why. ♪ in the palace of justice in nuremberg, the people of the world came together, for there, that the international military tribunal to judge the chief nazi war criminals. ♪ ♪ ♪ justice robert h. jackson, the chief american prosecutor, makes the opening statement for the prosecution. >> the privilege of opening the first trial in history -- >> the privilege of opening the first trial in history for crimes against the peace of the world imposes a grave responsibility. the wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant and so devastating that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored because it cannot survive their being repeated. let four great nations flushed ng stayctory and stu the hand of vengeance and voluntarily submit their captive enemies to the judgment of the law is one of the most significant tributes that power has ever paid to reason. this inquest represents the practical effort of four of the most mighty of nations with the support of 15 more to utilize international law to meet the greatest menace of our times, aggressive war. the commonsense of mankind demands that law shall not stop with the punishment of petty crimes by little people. it must also reach men who possess themselves of great power and who make deliberate and concerted use of it to set in motion evils which leave no home in the world untouched. and the prisoners docks, 20-odd broken men, reproached by the humiliation of those they have led, almost as bitterly as by the desolation of those they have attacked, their personal capacity for evil is forever past. merely as individuals, their fate is of little consequence to the world. what makes this inquest significant is that these prisoners represent sinister influences that will lurk in the world long after their bodies have returned to dust. they are living symbols of the arrogance and cruelty of power, of racial hatreds, of terrorism and violence. they are symbols of fierce nationalisms and of militarism, of intrigue. and war-making, which have imbroiled europe generation after generation, crushing its manhood, destroying its homes and impoverishing its life. they have so identified themselves with the philosophies they conceived and with the forces they directed that any tenderness to them is a victory and encouragement to all the evils which are attached to their names. what these men stand for, we will patiently and temperately disclose. we will give you undenial proof of incredible events. the catalog of crimes will omit nothing. it may be that these men of troubled conscience do not regard a trial as a favor. but they do have a fair opportunity to defend themselves. a favor which they rarely extended to their fellow countrymen. we will not ask you to convict these men on the testimony of their foes. there is no count of the indictment that cannot be proved by books and records. and we will show you the defendants' own films. you will see their own conduct and hear their own voices as they reenact for you from the screen some of the events in the course of the conspiracy. the acts of the defendants have bathed the world in blood. and set civilization back a century. they have subjected their european neighbors to every spoliation and deprivation. they have brought the german people to the lowest ebb of wretchedness. they have stirred hatreds and insighted domestic violence on every continent. these are the things that stand in the dark shoulder to shoulder with these prisoners. the real complaining party at your bar is civilization. >> the united states of america present count one of the indictment, that all the defendants participated as organizers or accomplices in a common plan or conspiracy to commit crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. >> the aims of this conspiracy were open and notorious. >> the aims of this conspiracy were open and notorious. it was far different from any other conspiracy ever unfolded before a court of justice. ♪ >> the heart leapt. >> its history is a history of the nazi party, which grew from the brawling streets of munich in the 1920's. ♪ and from the beginning, adolf hitler and his followers were committed to the use of any means, whether or not they were legal or honorable. their aim was the highest degree of control over the german community. their intentions were blatantly put forth in mein kampf and the party program. ♪ and they preached their favorite doctrine up and down the land. they said that persons of a so-called german blood were a master race, entitled to subjugate or even exterminate other races. they said that the germans should rule under the leadership principle by which each subleader owed unconditional oa -- owed obedience to his leader. so right on up to adolf hitler. they said that war was a noble and necessary activity of germany. ♪ and they said that the nazi party alone had the right to rule germany and the right to destroy the party's enemies. ♪ their rise to power was based on fraud, deceit, intimidation and coercion. culminating finally in terror. and flames. into that flame went the democratic constitution of the weimar republic and the freedom of the german people. for the fires set by the nazis extended to the very reichstadt. a witness who formerly held a high position in the berlin police administration tells of his investigation into the fire. [speaking foreign language] to speak briefly and to state the facts, first of all, we ascertain that quite generally, it was a large scale propaganda campaign. goebbels took on the job of making the necessary proposals, and it was goebbels who first thought of setting the rei chstadt on fire. a group of 10 reliable was made ready. and during was informed about every detail of the plan. andas expected from goering he gave his assurances that he should do so that the police would take up a false trail. dt plan ashe reichsta a pretext for seizing power, the nazi conspirators lost no time in tearing germany away from a policy of peace. late in 1933, they led their nation out of the disarmament conference, quit the league of nations, and embarked on a course of secret rearmament. by 1934, the new armaments program, designed by defendants funk was going full blast. goering, schaft and funk was going full blast. german industry was again turning out the tools of war. one year later, goering could announce, "from the strong foundation of the national socialist ideology, today rises once again the german armed forces." >> a few days later, the general announced the new law for compulsory military service. ♪ the law was signed by defendants goering, hess, frank, frick. the training began. ♪ finally, in spring of 1936, the nazis sent their new troops marching into the land. >> on march 7, 1936, soldiers of the army which was created by order of the fuhrer crossed the , sacred river of german history. they pledged the fuhrer whatever , decisions he may make, unbreakable faith and obedience, and they vowed to follow him and to prove their sincerity by their never-ending love for germany. the columns grew longer. ♪ the sound of boots grew louder on the streets of nuremberg. but hitler said -- >> [speaking foreign language] >> the german people is not a people which welcomes a war today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. that is not in the character of the fuhrer. he is by nature not only peaceful and peace-loving but above all conciliatory. he wants to work. our country, our millions of peasants, they want [indiscernible] millions of workers. they want to perform their work. ♪ but the nazi conspirators, in the name of the law, continued to plot new aggressions against peace. in november 1937, hitler called a special meeting with defendants goering and raider, and generals frick. the meeting was secret, but the lieutenant colonel, hitler's personal adjutant faithfully , recorded hitler's words. >> the german question can be solved only by way of force, for the improvement of our military political position, it must be our first aim, in every case of entanglement by war, to conquer czechoslovakia and austria simultaneously. the annexation of the two states to germany, militarily and politically, would constitute a considerable relief. >> this meeting set the stage for nazi expansion, and act one came only three months later, where defendant von papen finally engineered a meeting between the austrian chancellor and hitler and others. guido schmidt, who was austrian foreign minister at the time, also attended the meeting. and now he takes the witness stand. did hitler demand that he be made minister of security? >> that was one of the demands on their program. >> were there also demands made with regard to currency exchange and customs? >> there were demands of an economic kind. -- economic nature of every kind. >> hitler total you that you had until february 15 to accept his terms, didn't he? and he told you that if you didn't do so, he would use force? >> the ultimatum as hitler stated it, was that he intended, as early as february, to march into austria and that, for the last time, he was prepared to postpone it. >> faced by these threats, the austrians carried out all hitler's demands. ♪ >> but the nazi conspirators weren't satisfied. a month later, when they announced an attack on austrian independence, hitler demanded that it be cancelled. another ultimatum demanded that the man resign within three hours. fearing invasion, he resigned and finally someone else was appointed the new chancellor of austria. that same day, goring in berlin called kepler of the german embassy in vienna. the conversation was transcribed. kepler spoke first. >> well, we represent the government now. yes, that is it. you're the government. listen carefully. the following should be sent here. take the notes. the provisional austrian government sends to the german government the urgent request to support it in its task to help prevent bloodshed. for this purpose, it asks the german government to send german troops as soon as possible. i'm watching through street. everything has collapsed with the provisional groups. he's the only one who stirs power in austria. there are troops across the border today. ♪ >> the act was written. joining austria to german and signed by the defendant, goering, frick, and hess. hitler, of course, had said -- >> germany neither intends nor wishes to interfere in the internal affairs of austria, to annex austria or to conclude -- 21st of may, 1935, adolf hitler. ♪ >> the curtain fell on act one. but already the nazi conspirators prepared for act two. with this 1938 memorandum from hitler to his high command. >> it is my unalterable decision to smash czechoslovakia by military action in the near future. it is the job of the political leaders to bring about the politically and militarily suitable moment. >> conrad hennlime was designated political leader. the plan was labeled operation green and the defendant issued another memorandum, reading -- >> operation green will be set in motion by means of an incident in czechoslovakia which will give germany revocation for military action. the fixing for the exact time of this incident is of the utmost important. >> a few months later, germany signed the munich pact with england, france and italy. this pact involved the transfer of the land to germany. the conspirators called it their last territorial demand. but before the ink was dry, they were making other plans. for hitler's goal was the complete absorption of czechoslovakia. and now the czech president was called to a meeting with hitler and defendants goering and keitel. they gave him the ultimatum. bohemia and moravia would be incorporated immediately or czechoslovakia would be invaded and prague destroyed from the air. the president was helpless. defendants signed the decree, making bohemia and moravia a german protectorate. speaking some months before about this land however hitler , had said -- >> i have promised and repeated here that there will be no more territorial problems for germany and europe. i will be no longer interested septemberch state, 1938, adolf hitler. ♪ >> now, according to more of his adjutant's notes, hitler reviewed the nazi plan of violence and treachery from 1934 to 1939. the notes read -- >> first, in 1935, the introduction of compulsory military service. after that, militarization of the rhineland. one year later, austria. it brought about a considerable reinforcement of the reich. the next step was bohemia and morelia, then followed the direction of the protectorate. thecally i did not organize armed forces for all-out strike. the decision to strike was always in me. >> the name of the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, we present count two, crimes against peace. charging that all the defendants participated in the planning and waging of wars of aggression, wars in violation of international treaties, agreements and assurances. >> the first step was the rhineland and the next step -- >> the rhineland occupied, austria and czechoslovakia are seized by germany. and now the nazi conspirators turned to the next problem, the conquest of poland. again and adjutant transcribed hitler's word. >> the man's courage. it is impossible without invasion of state. there is therefore no question of sparing poland, and we are left with the decision to attack poland at the first suitable opportunity. we cannot expect a repetition of the czech affair. there will be war. >> meanwhile according to the well-established practice the , conspirators stirred up the danzig issue to furnish frontier incidents which could justify an attack on poland. then on 23 august, the nazis signed their nonaggression pact with russia. there hitler told his high command -- >> now poland is in the position in which i want them. i'm only afraid that at the last moment someone will make it hard for mediation. >> appeals were made. twice by the pope and by president roosevelt. ♪ >> finally mr. roosevelt asks that assurance be given him that the german armed forces will not attack and above all not invade the territory and possession of the following independent nations. he then named those coming into question. netherlands, liechtensteingal, -- ♪ on 1 september 1939, the nazis sent it smashing into poland and to a new world war, for france and england, faithful to their mutual assistance pact with poland, immediately declared war on germany. ♪ the luftwaffe opened mass attacks on polish towns and cities. hitler, according to the notes, said -- >> destruction of poland in the foreground. i shall give a propaganda score, starting the war. never mind whether it be plausible or not. have no pity. take a brutal attitude. >> but as usual, before the attack on poland, hitler told the world -- >> during the troubled months of the past year, the friendship between poland and german has been one of the reassuring factors in the political life of europe. 30 january 1939, adolf hitler. >> the path of destruction started in poland. but soon it led north and south across all europe. and each new aggression was based on hitler's principle that in war, victory, not right, is what matters. >> nonaggression treaty. it is firmly resolved to maintain peace between denmark and germany under all circumstances. 31st of may, 1939. >> but on 9 april 1940, german troops invaded denmark. ♪ >> the german reich government is determined, in view of the friendly relations which exist between norway and germany, under no circumstances should prejudice the invilability and the integrity of the norwegian state. 2 september, 1939. >> but on 9 april 1940, german troops invaded norway. ♪ ♪ >> i assure the governments of belgium, and holland and luxembourg, germany will not violate their neutrality. adolf hitler. >> but on may 10, 1940, german troops invaded belgium, holland and luxembourg. ♪ >> to firmly establish reliable relationship of german to yugoslavia will represent an element of calm to our nerve-wracked continent. this piece is the goal of all who are disposed [indiscernible] first of june 1939, adolf hitler. >> but on 6 april 1941, german troops invaded yugoslavia. ♪ >> these criminal methods of the nazi conspirators brought them early success. and by 1941, they had most of europe under their heels. now an evil ambition for power and more power drove them on. but two of the world's mightiest nations, the united states and soviet russia, remained to block the nazi drive for world supremacy. they had to be dealt with, firmly, immediately. and now germany asked for cooperation from her full partner in aggression to the east, and from her junior partner to the south. in berlin, they drew up the axis pact, the blueprint of a new order, and parceled out the continents of the world for access domination. italy was to get the mediterranean sphere. japan was to get the orient. and to german would go the rest of the world. ♪ >> in june 1941, in violation of their nonaggression pact, the nazis went deep into soviet territory, according to military plan long made. as usual, there was no declaration of war. hitler had said, today germany, tomorrow the world. and this was tomorrow. planned warfare in the east, air warfare in the west. for now the defendants' luftwaffe was hurled with full force against the people and cities of britain. hitler, after all, had said, i will blot out their cities. ♪ ♪ >> and then, on 7 december 1941, the japanese, keeping their end of an infamous bargain, struck at the united states, also without declaration of war. japanese bombs rained on pearl harbor, spreading war finally to the pacific. the new order was on the march. world war ii flamed around the globe. >> in the name of the union of soviet socialist republics, the general presents counts three and four, charging that all the defendants committed war crimes in germany and in all those countries occupied by germany. >> [speaking foreign language] >> the nazi conspirators committed crimes against enemy armies, against prisoners of war, against the civilians of occupied lands. they believed in the barbaric doctrine of total war and considered themselves freed from the restraints of international law or the established customs of war. their ruthless policies were ordered in directives like this one, from the general of the high command. the bolshevik soldier has lost all claim to treatment as an honorable opponent. active or passive resistance must be broken immediately by force of arms. prisoners of war attempting to escape are to be fired on without previous challenge. no warning shot must be fired. more proof of this savage nazi policy comes to the affidavit of the former gestapo officer. >> they existed in the prisoner -- there existed in the prisoner of war camps, small screening teams. it was the duty of these teams to segregate the prisoners of war who were candidates for execution, according to the orders that had been given, and to report them to the office of the gestapo. >> and a letter from defendant rosenberg to defendant title in 1942 stated clearly -- >> a large part of the soviet prisoners of war have starved or died because of the hazards of the weather. in many cases, prisoners of war could no longer keep up on the march because of hunger and exhaustion. in numerous camps, no shelter for the prisoners was provided at all. even tools were not made available to dig holes or caves. >> yet when some objected that this treatment violated the geneva convention, the defendant answered with this memorandum. >> we are concerned with the destruction of an ideology. therefore i approve and back the measures. >> this is proved by the testimony of the general who worked under the admiral. the general attended conferences where crimes against whole populations were plotted in advance by the nazi conspirators. will you please explain exactly what took place at this conference and the fuhrer's train? >> first of all, he had a short talk particularly as regards to the polish region. secondly, he spoke vehemently against the measures that he had found out about, to wit, the projected shooting and extermination measures that were being directed against the polish intelligentsia, nobility, and clergy and anything that could be part of the resistance movement. he said at the time, more or less verbatim, that the world will at some time make the armed forces under whose eye these events have occurred, also responsible for these events. >> defendant frank, nazi governor of poland, was another of the conspirators guilty of directing mass murder. in his diary, he speaks of -- >> taking advantage of the focus of attention on the western front by caring out wholesale liquidation of thousands of poles. >> these atrocities were not restricted to the east. here is the proof, in this village of france. ♪ here is the proof, in a town of belgium. ♪ here is the proof, in the caves of italy, where 350 hostages were carefully listed and systemically murdered. ♪ and here is a town in czechoslovakia. in blind retaliation for the assassination of ss man heydrich, the nazis murdered all the town's men and sent their women and children into slavery in germany. but this was not enough. boys were moved into the ruins of the town and order to level the village to the ground. ♪ the village was to be the nazi'' example to all occupied people. ♪ but more terrible still were the concentration camps, which from the beginning had been the conconspirators' chief weapon against opposition of every kind. german anti-nazis were the first victims. but with the war, their numbers swelled to include citizens of all the nations of europe. their fate is described ny -- by the witness rudolf hess. >> i commanded auschwitz on the 1st of december 1943 and estimate that at least 2.5 million victims were executed and exterminated there by gassing and burning. million another half succumbed to starvation and disease, making the total dead about three million. included among the executed and burned were approximately -- russian prisoners of war. the remainder of the total number included about 100,000 german jews and great numbers of citizens from holland, france, belgium, poland, hungary, czechoslovakia, greece and other countries. >> medical experiments too were standard procedure at many concentration camps. these included lowering the body temperature to 28 degrees centigrade, high altitude tests in pressure chambers, experiments with poison diseases -- poison bullets and contagious diseases and even sterilization experiments. this was genocide, the premeditated destruction of entire peoples. genocide, the direct result of the nazis' claim that they had the right to destroy the party's opposition. tomorrow the world. dead or alive. ♪ >> in the name of the french republic, count three and four, the final charges of the indictment. >> all the defendants committed crimes against humanity. including the murder and persecution of all people opposed to the nazi party and the enslavement, exploitation, and deportation of civilian populations. the slave labor policy was the responsibility of the defendant, who admitted in 1944 -- >> out of the five million workers who arrived in germany, not even 200,000 came voluntarily. >> forced labor often meant brutal and degrading treatment. for the man himself suggested -- >> all the men must be fed, sheltered and treated in such a way to exploit them to the highest possible extend, at the lowest possible expenditure. >> and defendant borman added -- >> the slavs are to work for us . in so far as we do not need them, they may die. >> slavery was only one aspect of nazi exploitation. defendant during in a talk with , german occupation authorities in 1942, discussed another, plunder. >> god knows you are not sent out to work for the welfare of the people in your charge but to get the utmost out of them so that the german people can live. this everlasting concern about foreign people must cease now, once and forever. i have here before me reports in what you are expected to deliver. it makes no difference to me in this case if you say that your people will starve. >> but nazi crimes against humanity were not limited to foreign peoples. defendant frick, as minister of interior, directed a program aimed at aged, insane or incurable germans. the so-called useless eaters. thousands were committed to special institutions. few ever returned. evidence proves they were murdered, because they were useless to the plans of the nazi conspirators. but perhaps the greatest crime against humanity the nazis committed against the jews. the campaign of hate and murder that goes to the heart of the nazi movement. >> [chanting] [chanting] >> [speaking foreign language] german citizens are only those of german or related blood, willing to serve the german reich and people. marriages between jews and citizens of german or related bloods are prohibited. >> [yelling] ♪ >> ss brigadier general stroop, in charge of the warsaw ghetto in 1943, had learned his nazi lessons well. in a secret report he said -- the reich fuhrer ss ordered on the 23 of april 1943, the cleaning out of the ghetto with utter ruthlessness. i therefore decided to destroy and burn down the entire ghetto. jews frequently left their hideouts but occasionally remained in the burning buildings and jumped out of the windows only when the heat became unbearable. ♪ life in the sewers was not pleasant after the first week. teargas bombs were thrown into the manholes, and the jews were driven out and captured. countless numbers of jews were liquidated in sewers and bunkers through blasting. the longer the resistance continued, the tougher became the members of the police, who always discharged their duties in an excellent manner. >> little by little, the nazis were reaching what they called the final solution, the total extermination of the jews in europe. hess described the process well. >> we had two ss doctors on duty at auschwitz to examine incoming transports of prisoners. the prisoners would be marched past one of the doctors who would make spot decisions as they walked by. those who were fit for work were sent into the camp. others were sent immediately to the extermination plot. children of tender years were invariably exterminated, since for reasons of their youth, they were unable to work. we endeavored to fool them into thinking they were to go through a de-lousing process. ♪ it took from three to 15 minutes to kill the people in the death chamber, depending upon climatic conditions. you knew when the people were dead because their screaming stopped. we usually waited about one half hour before we opened the doors and removed the bodies. after the bodies were removed, our special commanders took off the rings and extracted the gold from the teeth of the corpses. >> much of this loot was then transferred to secret vaults of the reich bank at the mine. defendant funk. labor chief robert lye knew that six million jews died in the nazis' final solution. in his will, he said -- >> in anti-semitism we violated a basic command of god's creation. it is hard to admit mistakes, but the whole existence of our people is in question. we must have the courage to rid ourselves of anti-semitism. god has taught me that in myself in the romberg -- in my cell in the romberg. -- in nuremburg. >> and defendant frank himself said before this court -- >> [speaking foreign language] we have fought against jewry and we have allowed ourselves to make utterances which are terrible. 1000 years will past and this guilt of germany will still not be erased. >> the prosecution rests. >> the defense begins. they call 61 witnesses and introduce 38,000 affidavits on the defendants' behalf. they submit 136,000 more affidavits on behalf of the ss 7,000 on behalf of vsd, 3,000 on , behalf of the general staff and the okw. 2,000 on behalf of the gestapo. these attorneys were personally selected by the defendants. many are well-known german lawyers. and each now rises to plead acquittal for his client. some make blanket denials of all guilt. >> some of the defendants had, without doubt, a great influence in those spheres which did not interest hitler. they had no powers whatsoever in the great decisions concerning war and peace, armistice, et cetera. >> other attorneys lead their clients through a carefully prepared defense. >> here striker is examined. >> [speaking foreign language] >> i will continue. it has also been stated by the prosecution that these two would have had no one to carry out their orders to kill if you hadn't made that propaganda and if you hadn't conducted the education of the german people in that sense. >> [speaking foreign language] >> i don't believe that those who had been given the order by the fuhrer to carry out the killings or to pass an order to kill, that those people would have been made to do this by my periodical. if this book mein kampf, existed , and the contents of that book were the real authority, the cause. comes -- >> [speaking foreign language] >> you are accused of establishing this place, of inspecting and visiting this camp regularly. the witness testified having seen you in this camp and further testified having seen you at the inspection of gas chambers and while these gas chambers were in operation. >> [speaking foreign language] >> the testimony is wrong. every concentration camp in the reich of which i know anything was established by himmler. >> later the prosecution is allowed to cross-examine the defendants. rosenberg is questioned. >> did your ministry force people to leave their homes, to go to germany, to work for the german state? >> [speaking foreign language] >> it is true that force was used. and it is not denied that some terrible encroachments occurred. >> now freda takes the stand. >> on the 23 of may, in the reich, hitler said he would give you an indoctrination on the political situation. and he said, we are left with a decision to attack poland at the first opportunity. did you still think that he had no aggressive intentions? >> [speaking foreign language] >> i believed that for a long time. just as the general said, after hitler had solved the czech problem purely politically, it was to be hoped he would also be able to solve the polish question without bloodshed. until the last moment, until the 22nd of august. >> kitel is cross-examined. >> yesterday your counsel showed you this order dated 16 september 1941. it said that it is necessary to take immediate cruel measures and that human life in the east is absolutely worthless. do you remember the basic idea of the order, that human life costs absolutely nothing? please answer the question. you signed this order with this statement? >> ya. >> next, yodel. >> do you remember any other reason for such great mortality among soviet prisoners of war? >> i don't know the reasons for this mass murder, but they seemed to be completely wrong. that i do know. >> now, von ribbenrop. >> are you saying you knew nothing about the effect of military pressure on austria? >> i wish to express again that i knew nothing about military measures and if i hadn't known something, i wouldn't see any reason not to say so. but during the days before and after the hitler meeting, i was so busy taking over the foreign office that i could give only slight attention to the austrian problem. >> then goering is cross-examined. >> at the end of the meeting, you used the following words, didn't you? german jewry, must as a penalty, forfeit one billion marcs. then the pigs won't commit any more crimes. >> [speaking foreign language] >> do you still say that neither hitler nor you knew of the policy to exterminate the jews? >> [speaking foreign language] >> i already have said that not even approximately did i know to what degree this thing took place. >> you did not know to what degree, but you knew there was a policy that aimed at the liquidation of the jews? >> [speaking foreign language] >> no, not liquidation of the jews. i only knew that certain perpetrations had taken place. >> spare takes the stand. >> you were present on april 23, 1945 when hitler received the telegram from goering suggesting that he take over power. what did hitler say on that occasion? >> [speaking foreign language] >> hitler was most excited about the contents of the telegram and he expressed himself in a very clear manner about goering. he said he knew for some time that goering had failed, that he was corrupt, that he was a drug addict. it was typical of hitler's attitude towards the entire problem, however, that he followed this statement up by saying that he can nevertheless negotiate capitulation. he stated in an offhand matter, it doesn't matter who does it. there was a disregard for the german nation in how he said this. >> after months of examination and cross examination, several defendants made statements. frank is first. >> i myself, speaking from the the experience of five months of this trial, want to say this. now that i have gained the last insight into all that which has been committed in terms of dreadful atrocities, i feel a terrible guilt within me. >> funk declares. >> when these measures of terror and violence against jews were put up to me, i suffered a nervous breakdown, because at the moment it came to my mind, with full clearness that from here on, the catastrophe took its course all the way up to the terrible and atrocious things about which we have heard and about which i only knew in part at the time of my imprisonment. i felt ashamed and guilty at that moment, and i feel the same today. but it is too late. >> it is my guilt that i educated german youth for a man who committed murders million-fold. >> everything he promised to the german people and thereby to himself he did not afterwards keep. he promised equal rights for all citizens, and without regard to their capabilities, his adherence cut privileges for all other citizens. he promised to fight against political lying, and together bels and minister goeb himself, he never did anything but disseminate political allies and political fraud. he relieves criminals and put them into his service. he did everything in the way of not keeping his promises. he deceived the world, germany, and me. >> once more. >> the tremendous danger contained in this totalitarian system only became really clear the moment we were approaching the end. everything that has happened during this trial, everything you have seen in the way of orders which were carried out didout any hesitation, after all turnout to be mistaken. that is why this trial must contribute to the prevention of such distorted wars in the future, and the establishment of principles for human cooperation. >> keitel again. >> [speaking german] able to prevent what should have been prevented, that is my guilt. i can only wish out of a clear recognition of the causes of the disastrous methods and terrible consequences of this war, there will arise for the german people a new hope for a better future in the community of nations. >> now frank. >> [speaking german] german people,he whose representatives we were, to abandon this way which was doomed to failure in the will and justice of god, which is doomed for everyone who may try to follow it anywhere in the world. >> the last defendant to speak . >> [speaking german] >> you of the prosecution did not speak anything good on about hitler. you are amazed about the extent of what happened. but try to understand the indignation of those who did expect something good from hitler and were betrayed. i am one of these betrayed. >> finally, both defense and prosecution sum up their arguments for the tribunal. >> an aggressor can be branded only by the world's conscience. the supreme organ of humanity must have not only real, but moral authority. it's impartial judgment must be looked upon with confidence. it must stand above the contesting parties. >> in the name of the united states of america, justice jackson delivers his summation. >> according to the testimony of each defendant, these men saw no evil, spoke none, and none was entered in their presence. -- uttered in their presence. if we combined only the stories from the front bench, this is the ridiculous composite picture of hitler's government that emerges. it was composed of a number two man, who never suspected the jewish extermination program, although he signed over a score a anti-semitic decrees. number three man who was merely an innocent middleman, transmitting hitler's orders without reading them, like a postman or delivery boy. a foreign minister, who knew little of foreign affairs and nothing of foreign policy. a field marshal, who issued orders to the armed forces, but had no idea of the results they would have in practice. a security chief, who was of the impression that the policing functions of his gestapo and st were somewhat on the lines of directing traffic. a party philosopher who had no idea of the violence for which his philosophy was inciting in the 20th century. a governor general of poland, who reigned but did not rule. one whose occupation was to pour filthy writing about the jews, but who had no idea anybody would read them. a minister of the interior who knew not even what went on in his own office, much less the interior of his own department, and nothing at all about the interior of germany. a bank president who is totally ignorant of what went in and out of the vault of his bank. to say of these men that they are not guilty, it would be as true to say there has been no war, there are no slain, there has been no crime. >> in the name of the united kingdom of great britain and ireland, the summation. >> this trial must form a milestone in the history of civilization, not only marking that right shall, in the end, triumph over evil, but also that ordinary people of the world, and i make no distinction here between friend and foe, are now determined that the individual must transcend the state. the state and law are made for man. that through them, he may achieve a fuller life, a higher purpose, and a greater dignity. >> in the name of the union of soviet social republics, general rodenko delivers his summation. quicksand when we ask if the charges have been proved, after -- before the court, have the defendants been convicted of their guilt, there is only one answer. their crimes have been proved. neither the statements of the defendants nor the arguments of able to refutee our grave accusations. it has been impossible to cast doubt on events which actually took place. the truth cannot be challenged. that is the real meaning of this trial. that is the lasting result of our long and strenuous effort. >> in the name of the french republic, he delivers his summation. >> when this international trail -- trial is closed and the principal war criminals sentenced, we shall go back to our own countries. the fate of these men now lies entirely with their conscience. this is beyond our competence. our task is finished. now it is for you, in the silence of your deliberations, to listen to innocent blood crying for justice. >> lord justice lawrence, great britain. mr. francis biddle, united states. and major general nikki tangoe, ussr, and their alternates prepare the verdicts. it will be based on the opinion of the majority. ♪ >> on october 1, 1946, the verdict is delivered by lord justice lawrence, president of the tribunal. >> of the organizations, the ss, sd, gestapo, and leadership core are found guilty. the high command, sa and right cabinet, not guilty. as for the individual, wilhem, guilty ofg, conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. death by hanging. rudolph hess, guilty of conspiracy and crimes against peace. life imprisonment. guilty of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. death by hanging. crimes,keitel, war crimes against peace and crimes against humanity. death by hanging. ernst kaltenbrunner, guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. death by hanging. alfred rosenberg, guilty of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. death by hanging. hans frank, guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. death by hanging. wilhelm frick, guilty of crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. death by hanging. julius streicher, guilty of crimes against humanity. death by hanging. funk, guilty of crimes against humanity. life imprisonment. not guilty on this indictment, released. karl donitz, guilty of crimes against peace and war crimes. 10 years imprisonment. erich raeder, guilty of conspiracy, crimes against peace, and war crime. life imprisonment. baldur von schirach, guilty of crimes against humanity. 20 years imprisonment. fritz, guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. death by hanging. alfred jodl, guilty of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. death by hanging. franz, not guilty on this indictment. released. albert speer, guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. 20 years imprisonment. constantine, guilty of conspiracy,, crimes against peace war crimes, and crimes against him entity. -- against humanity. 15 years imprisonment. arthur seyss-inquart, guilty of crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. death by hanging. hans fritsche, not guilty on this indictment. released. martin borman, tried in absentia, guilty. death by hanging. >> the trial is over. ♪ >> seven begin their prison sentences. goring chooses to died by his -- to die by his own hand. the other 10 wait for the gallows. ♪ in nuremberg, the people of the , and why.d out but nuremberg is more than just an answer to a question. as justice jackson said, this trial is part of the great moret to make the peace secure. it constitutes action of a kind to ensure that those who start a war will pay for it personally. nuremberg stands as a warning to all those who plan and wage aggressive war. ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> watch archival films in their entirety on our weekly series, real america, saturday at 10:00 p.m. and sunday 4:00 p.m. eastern on american history tv. >> american history tv is on c-span3 every weekend featuring come archival films and programs on the presidency, the civil war and more. here is a clip from a recent program. >> if we were to roam the halls of capitol hill in the 1830's or 1840's or 1850's, and some members of the house and senate, all men at the time, where did they drink and who was most prominent in terms of drinking in congress? good question, steve. in a congress that was a lot smaller, in a building that was more contained than our modern chambers, you have to re-imagine what it would be like to be in the old house and senate chambers, both part of the tour of the capital today so you get a sense of how small these spaces were. at the same time, the historic capital building as you know from the tour has a lot of nukes and crannies in the rotunda. in the case of congressman in the capital in the 1820's and 1830's, there were three different places one could get a drink right on the capitol grounds. called the whole of the wall outside the chamber, the senate chamber and house chamber, and in the basement, a ,arger cafeteria or refectory where one could get food and spirits. >> how did that compared to the use of tobacco? chewing tobacco, cigars, cigarettes? >> it is good to connect the topics. one is about the world of ice in 19th-century america and tobacco and alcohol are related. whereas alcohol was illicit in the sense that one couldn't have open containers on the floor of the house or the senate, one could still consume out -- alcohol in the capital, although it would eventually be prohibited by a joint rule of the house and senate. tobacco come on the other hand, was commonly consumed and you might say promoted. when a congressman walked onto the floor of the house or senate, on either side of the door would be a snuff box. snuff is a finally -- finely pulverized version of tobacco that could be snorted. one could openly smoke tobacco through a pipe or later, cigars and cigarettes, and chewing tobacco was the third form of tobacco consumed. were commonly put out on the floor of house and senate. alcohol and tobacco are sort of twin vices in the eyes of the reformers but in the eyes of users am a they go hand-in-hand are regulatedthey differently. >> watch this and other american history programs on our website where all our video is archived. that is c-span.org/history. >> next on american history tv, u.s. naval academy superintendent sean buck talks about the life and career of stephen decatur, a war of 1812 war hero. a war of 1812 hero later killed in a duel with disgraced fellow officer, james perrin. two naval officers read the intense correspondence between the men leading up to their march 22, 1820 face-off. the white house historical association hosted this event to commemorate the duel's 200th anniversary. >> good afternoon, everybody. happy new year. it is an honor to be here. to the association and the council, i appreciate the honor to give a few reflections. secretary dalton, secretary ball, secretary nicholson, fellow officers, members of the white house historical association, and also the white house national council on the white house st