Closing Statements at the Nuremberg Trials
1946 (film produced in 1950)
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This film clip shows American Chief Counsel, Justice Robert H. Jackson, delivering his closing statement at the International Military Tribunal to prosecute war criminals at the end of World War II. It is interspersed with footage of the Nazi defendents during the course of the tribunal as Jackson mentions each one's role and how they claimed not to know Hitler's plans for genocide. It also includes closing statements from the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and French Republic.
This clip comes from the last reel of a film that was made in 1950 as a historical document to record permanently and accurately the trial of the Nazi defendants at Nuremberg. The full film consists of footage from German films documenting Nazi personalities and activities interwoven with film shot during the trials — including testimony and statements from defendants, prosecuting attorneys, judges, and witnesses. It follows the story of the rise and fall of Nazism from the putsch in a Munich beer hall to the Nuremberg trials, and contains flashbacks of a variety of Nazi crimes against humanity. This particular version was made for German audiences with an English soundtrack and titles in German.
See all eight reels of this film in the National Archives Catalog. Please note that the full film contains some graphic and disturbing images.This primary source comes from the Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer.
National Archives Identifier:
35957Full Citation: Motion Picture 111-M-7596; Nuremberg: Army Television-Release Version, Reel 8; 1946 (film produced in 1950); MF 45-7596; Documentary Films, ca. 1914 - ca. 1944; Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, Record Group 111; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/closing-nuremberg-trials, February 9, 2025]