Nuremberg – The Trial of Nazi Germany: A rare booklet from the early stages of the international legal proceedings ...

Nuremberg – The Trial of Nazi Germany: A rare booklet from the early stages of the international legal proceedings against the leadership of the Third Reich in Nuremberg (November 1945)

Nuremberg – Le procès de l’Allemagne nazie – Nuremberg – The Trial of Nazi Germany – special booklet published at the opening of the Nuremberg Trials. Edited and introduced by Jacques Billiet, Director of the War Crimes Information Service. [Nuremberg, November 1945]. In French. Extremely rare.

“The Nuremberg Trial, which has just begun, is, it must be said, an unprecedented event in the history of the world… Beyond individual guilt, there are collective crimes; above the perpetrators of these crimes, there exists the doctrine that, from the outset, planned and justified them… I believe that what must emerge from Nuremberg is a clear and absolute statute that will enable free nations, in the future, to prevent any government, whatever it may be - from committing new crimes against humanity within its own territory. Because now we know… that the world will not recover from another assault of this kind… The 26 million dead in the camps, the tens of millions of soldiers who fell in the fight against racism, probably did not die in vain… We must understand, once and for all, that fascism is not fought with words, and that humanity will know lasting peace only when it is finally crushed.” (From the introduction by Jacques Billiet, editor of the booklet and Director of the War Crimes Information Service).

On the cover of the issue appears a large photomontage of Hermann Göring set against the backdrop of the Justizpalast in Nuremberg, Bavaria, the Palace of Justice where the trial was held. The booklet opens with an extensive article on the rise of the Nazi Party and the massive propaganda events held in Nuremberg: “In Nuremberg, Nazism took root - the Party Congress was held there annually. There, Hitler, in a frenzy… gave the fanatical people new goals each time, sanctified by pseudo-science... ‘The master race’- against the injustice of the Treaty of Versailles, against the Jews! Against Bolshevism! Against democracy! Against men! Against life! Against everything!...”. It continues with documentation of the major events organized by the Nazi Party throughout the 1930s, stating: “February 28, 1933, marked the beginning of an entire era of massacres in Germany and throughout Europe…” - as crowds flooded the streets, saluting with raised arms and chanting “Heil Hitler.” The booklet also includes detailed descriptions of the roles and crimes of each of Hitler’s closest associates within the Nazi Party leadership.

Throughout the pages of the booklet appear numerous photographs documenting the rise and fall of the Third Reich, including displays of power by SS soldiers in Nuremberg during the 1930s, the years in which Hitler gained increasing influence, and, in contrast, the end: numerous photographs of the defendants in the Nuremberg courtroom - foremost among them Hermann Göring - as well as of the judges, the courtroom proceedings, and images of Nazi Party leaders during their rule in Germany and later, during the trial. The author explains the concept of "war crimes", detailing how each of the defendants played a role in them. At the center of the booklet is a powerful “side-by-side” photo series contrasting the so-called tranquility of the German side of the “civilized people” with the horrific outcomes of the mass murders and exterminations carried out under the Nazi SS. On the left: photographs of German boys and girls participating in leisure, entertainment, and sporting events. On the right: horrific images of the bodies of victims, murdered and tortured - at that very same time in the death camps. Among the images appears a photograph of Hitler and Eva Braun, with the caption:

“This photo, found among the personal pages of Eva Braun, shows that the greatest criminal in the universe managed to rest in peace and without remorse under the admiring and tender gaze of his beloved.” Many other images complete the full picture, the crimes, the atrocities, and the trial that was to bring justice to the perpetrators. Extremely rare. This booklet does not appear in the global WorldCat library catalog (a different booklet with a similar title, published in the same year, is listed there).

22 pages. 31 cm. Very good condition.