"MAY THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS—SEVERE BUT JUST—FALL UPON THESE FASCIST HENCHMEN": OPENING AND CLOSING SPEECHES FROM THE UNITED STATES, BRITAIN, FRANCE AND THE SOVIET UNION DURING THE NUREMBERG TRIALS, CONTEMPORARY BOUND MIMEOGRAPHS FROM THE HEAD OF THE REUTERS NEWS TEAM COVERING THE TRIALS

(WORLD WAR II) (NUREMBERG TRIALS). Nuremberg Trials: Opening Speech, Soviet Union; Closing Speech, Britain; Closing Speeches United States, France and Soviet Union. Nuremberg: no publisher, August 1946. Three volumes. Folio (8-1/2 by 13 inches), original half blue linen, manuscript title labels affixed to front covers, mimeographed typescripts.

Dramatic collection of opening speeches and closing arguments made by the Allied prosecutorial teams during the 1946 Nuremberg Trials, including the Opening Statement of the USSR, the final speech by the British prosecutor against Nazi Organizations, the closing statement by the United States against the German General Staff and High Command, the Final Argument for the United States by Thomas Dodd, and final statements against Nazi organizations by France and the USSR. From the working library of Eric Bourne, head of the Reuters team covering the trials, with his owner signatures and annotations in shorthand, almost certainly used by him and his team to file stories and convey the drama and consequences of the Nuremberg Trials to the world.

At the Nuremberg Trials the prosecution entered indictments against 24 major war criminals and six criminal organizations: the leadership of the Nazi party, the Schutzstaffel (SS) and Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Gestapo, the Sturmabteilung (SA) and the "General Staff and High Command," comprising several categories of senior military officers. Volume I records the Opening Statement of the USSR Chief of Counsel, Lieutenant General R.A. Rudenko, "Crimes Against Peace" by Deputy USSR Chief of Counsel, Colonel W.V. Pokrovsky, and "Aggression Against the USSR" by M.D. Zorya. Volume II records the Final Speech by the British prosecutor Maxwell Fyfe, against Nazi Organizations and the Final Argument for the United States of America by Thomas J. Dodd. Volume III records the Closing Statement for the USA by Telford Taylor, et al., against the General Staff and High Command and final statement on the Organizations by R.A. Rudenko on behalf of the USSR and the final statement on the Organizations by Auguste Champetier de Ribes on behalf of France. The closing arguments by the prosecutors at the Trial concluded on August 20, 1946, and the following day the defendants were given a chance to make final statements before the Tribunal. All 21 defendants elected to address the Court. The Tribunal was adjourned for one month while the Judges considered their verdicts.

Owner signature of journalist Eric Bourne, head of the Reuters team covering the Nuremberg Trials, to five of the part titles, together with sporadic shorthand notes by Bourne in pen or pencil, plus occasional pencil marks, underlining, and word corrections. It is not clear from Bourne's notes in these three volumes when he made them, or what the shorthand says, though presumably they were all made around the time of the trials and to aid him and his team in filing stories. Bourne later recorded that when Rudolph Hess was brought in for sentencing, he produced a "torrent of gabbled words"—having earlier declined to accept the Court's jurisdiction. Bourne recalled getting the entire rant down in shorthand and sending the story to Reuters with ample direct quotes, skipping the other reporters. "Once sure his story was through, he shared his notes with the rest" (Guardian, March 18, 1999).

The first volume is slightly browned and dampstained at front, affecting covers and first few leaves, with frayed boards; the other two volumes are lightly rubbed only. A very good, scarce, and important contemporary record of major speeches and arguments from the Nuremberg Trials.