Trial of the Major War Criminals Before the International Military Tribunal, Nuremburg, 14 November 1945-1 October 1946, Volume 02

The opening of this volume drops listeners into the tense atmosphere of the Nuremberg Tribunal’s preliminary hearing on 14 November 1945. As the presiding judge calls the counsel for Gustav Krupp to the stand, a meticulous legal debate unfolds over whether a gravely ill defendant, unable to comprehend the charges, can be tried in absentia. The defense counsel argues passionately that the procedural safeguards of the Charter demand a fair, personal participation that Krupp can no longer provide.

The transcript captures the exact language of the courtroom, from the reading of Article 12’s provisions to the detailed enumeration of the defendant’s rights under Article 16 and Article 24. Listeners hear the clash between the pursuit of accountability and the principles of due process, revealing how the judges grapple with the moral weight of trying a man who cannot defend himself. This document offers a rare, unfiltered glimpse into the legal reasoning that shaped one of the most historic trials of the twentieth century.