History

INFAMOUS ROOM 600

I always wondered why Nuremberg was selected for the infamous war trials. I learned the city center was bombed during WW II, but the court house outside the city was unharmed. Next to the court house was a prison that connected to the courthouse by a tunnel. That was a big security factor. And lastly the city was in the American zone. Also the large courthouse contained 530 offices and 80 courtrooms.

Although it was a Sunday, we were met and allowed into Room 600 in the 1916 sandstone courthouse. Since the elevator was silent on a Sunday we walked up a couple of flights of stairs to reach the famous Room 600.

The docent said, “For the trial, the back wall was moved back and a balcony added to accommodate the press and spectators. Remember this was before instant communication when the press used the wire services. The tables were turned from front to back rather than side to side. All the windows were covered. After the trial was over the room was returned to its former size and configuration as you see it now.

“Those on trial faced four charges: conspiracy, crimes against peace, crimes of war, and crimes against humanity. The defense was that because of the Nazi size, bureaucracy and fragmentation each defendant was aware only of what his section was doing and not the whole plan/operation. Written memos and documents eventually proved otherwise.

“Officially 24 were tried, but only 21 were present. One was old and too feeble to attend, one had committed suicide, and the whereabouts of one was unknown. However, his body was later found and identified. American soldiers guarded the prisons 24 hours a day. There was no jury; instead there were four judges, one from each Allied nation.”

The trial lasted 218 days, had 236 witnesses and over 200,000 affidavits. 1000 people were involved in the trials including translators, recorders, and secretaries. On October 1, 1946 twelve were sentenced to death, three were acquitted, and seven were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Early in the morning on October 16, 1946 eleven of the twelve sentenced to death were hung in the old gym. Herman Goring committed suicide the night before by swallowing a cyanide capsule. The source of the poison or how he obtained it is unknown. The bodies were cremated in Munich and the ashes spread over the Isar River.

The last prisoner committed suicide at age 93 in 1987. The docent was informative making for a memorable visit. It was awesome to visit and stand in this historic room.