Retour de Nuremberg – “Return from Nuremberg” – Live Impressions from the Courtroom During the Nuremberg Trials Against Nazi War Criminals, by M. Jacques Rozner, Editor-in-Chief of Les Echos (“The Echo”). Published by Les Echos: Les Presses Modernes, Paris, 1946 – First Edition. French. Dedicated and Signed Copy by the Author.
A firsthand account by a French Resistance fighter who toured war-torn Nuremberg after World War II while the city was under American control and attended the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals. (Rozner himself was imprisoned by the Gestapo for six months during the war on charges of underground activity.) As a senior French journalist, Rozner was granted access to the courtroom throughout the Nuremberg Trials and provides captivating insights into the proceedings. He first describes the technical aspects – the complex logistical operation required to set up the courtroom, including lighting, sound, and the installation of simultaneous translation systems for four languages: French, English, Russian, and German. He also details how the various national delegations prepared for the hearings. Rozner describes the prosecution’s efforts, with a vast team of dozens of jurists who had to analyze millions of documents in a short period to extract incriminating evidence, as well as the ongoing modifications made to the indictment throughout the trial. He was struck by the insistence of British Chief Justice Geoffrey Lawrence, who presided over the court, that every claim made by the prosecution or defense be immediately backed by documentary evidence. As a result, lawyers from the different delegations quickly adapted to concluding their statements with phrases such as “as detailed in the document submitted to the court” while citing its reference number. Rozner also reports on the skepticism expressed by the American and British prosecutors, who dismissed the significance of prosecuting only a handful of high-ranking Nazis while thousands of Germans equally responsible for war crimes were not even being tried: “The monstrous barbarism of the Nazi doctrine was not imposed upon the German people – they were part of the crime, ” they told him.
Having observed the Nazi defendants up close, Rozner analyzes their behavior and reactions to the charges. He categorizes them into four main groups: The indifferent: Those desperately fighting for their lives, Those who have no illusions about their fate, Within this last group, those who are deeply shaken, those whose terror is reflected in their demeanor, and those who remain in complete control of their presence in court. Among the defendants, Julius Streicher appeared to lack any awareness of his crimes. Hans Frank (Governor of Poland) and Wilhelm Frick (Reich Minister of the Interior) seemed to recognize the extent of their guilt and the punishment that awaited them. As for Hermann Göring, Rozner writes: “Every movement of his is an attempt to repress the sadist within him.” He also heard Göring refer to the prosecution team as “pigs.”
Beyond the courtroom, Rozner provides a firsthand account of post-war Nuremberg during the trials. In the ruined city, the American military administration was actively eliminating suspected Nazis using intelligence services. German civilians were conscripted to clear the city’s rubble and were forced to erect hundreds of information booths distributing pro-democracy propaganda. The atmosphere in Nuremberg was tense, as the German population fluctuated between deep suspicion of the Americans, whom they feared would take over every aspect of their lives, and profound shame at the depths to which their nation had fallen due to its wartime crimes.
Extremely rare. Only two copies listed in the WorldCat global library catalog.
30 pages. Very good condition.
