American Newspaper Coverage of the Trial of the Major War Criminals at Nuremberg Brian Gribben Fort Hays State University, B [email protected]
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Fort Hays State University FHSU Scholars Repository Master's Theses Graduate School Fall 2010 Weighted scales: American newspaper coverage of the trial of the major war criminals at Nuremberg Brian Gribben Fort Hays State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Gribben, Brian, "Weighted scales: American newspaper coverage of the trial of the major war criminals at Nuremberg" (2010). Master's Theses. 170. https://scholars.fhsu.edu/theses/170 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at FHSU Scholars Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of FHSU Scholars Repository. WEIGHTED SCALES: AMERICAN NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF THE TRIAL OF THE MAJOR WAR CRIMINALS AT NUREMBERG being A Thesis Presented to the Graduate Faculty of the Fort Hays State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Brian Gribben B.A., Fort Hays State University Date_______________________ Approved__________________________________ Major Professor Approved__________________________________ Chair, Graduate Council ABSTRACT The Trial of the Major War Criminals at Nuremberg, the personalities associated with the trial, the verdicts rendered, and criticisms directed toward both those verdicts and the tribunal itself have generated a multitude of historical works. However, few historians have explored the American print media‟s coverage of the trial and even fewer have studied how a newspaper‟s disposition towards the trial reflected that publication‟s political ideology and influenced the newspaper‟s coverage of the trial itself. For this reason, it is the objective of this thesis to examine this neglected area, thus contributing to the scholarship of the first Nuremberg Trial. The newspapers chosen for assessment reflect varying degrees of ideological affiliation and are somewhat diverse geographically. Of the five publications selected, two, The Wall Street Journal and Chicago Daily Tribune, were recognized to be solid supporters of the political right. Likewise, during the period examined, the other publications, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, were considered politically moderate to liberal in their ideology. This study examines editorials, columns (both unique to the specific publication and those syndicated nationally), and letters to the editor dedicated to the trial, in conjunction with the actual reports filed by the newspaper‟s correspondents and wire services. This thesis also examines the regularity of each newspaper‟s coverage of the trial and its selection of the information published within its pages, including a comparison with the other publications. After an intense examination of the materials listed above, this study finds that there exists a strong correlation between the political ideology associated with the individual newspapers and their disposition towards the trial, a bias that often manifested itself in i the newspaper‟s coverage of the proceedings. As one might expect, those publications considered traditionally moderate to liberal endorsed the trial and viewed it as a positive step towards strengthening international law and establishing global security. Those newspapers often identified as being politically conservative questioned the trial‟s legitimacy, believing that its mechanisms were anathematic to western legal principles and infringed on national sovereignty. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mere words cannot express my thanks to all those individuals who advised and supported me throughout this process. If I fail to extend my gratitude to anyone deserving, please be assured that this oversight occurred only on the printed page and not within my heart. Special thanks are extended to Dr. David Goodlett, my thesis advisor, whose guidance, support, and fellowship have been invaluable lo these many months. I hope that he will excuse my use of passive voice in the previous sentence. I also wish to thank Dr. Raymond Wilson, who, in addition to serving on my graduate committee, has been both a mentor and an advocate during my time at Fort Hays State University. Appreciation is also extended to Dr. David Bovee for serving on my graduate committee and Dr. Kim Perez for her support and good humor. I have been considerably lucky to have studied and worked under these and other individuals in the history department. To the professional and courteous staff of Forsyth Library and its interlibrary loan department, thank you for procuring the seemingly endless reels of microfilm needed for my research and allowing me dominion over the microfilm reader for many a long and wearisome afternoon. I dedicate this work to three very special individuals. To my mother Pamela and Dr. Bill Daley, your unwavering support and honest critiques made this thesis possible. I love you both dearly and cannot thank you enough. To my late father, Arthur L. Gribben Junior, whose work ethic inspired me and who taught me that one‟s efforts are always a reflection of one‟s self, I miss you terribly and cherish the wisdom you shared with me. All the good things I have or will experience are due in part to you and mom. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... iv LIST OF APPENDICES ......................................................................................................v INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE NAVIGATING BUREACRACIES AND RECONCILING DISPARATE LEGAL TRADITIONS: THE ALLIES‟ CONSTRUCTION OF A TRIAL SYSTEM ...................6 CHAPTER TWO MURDERERS‟ ROW: THE ACCUSED AS DEPICTED IN THE AMERICAN PRESS ...........................................................................................26 CHAPTER THREE MILESTONE, MOCKERY, OR MARATHON: PERSPECTIVES ON THE TRIAL ...................................................................................50 CHAPTER FOUR THE END . AND THEN THE FIREWORKS: REACTIONS TO THE VERDICTS, SENTENCING, AND PRECENDENTS ESTABLISHED ...............................................98 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................125 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................129 APPENDICIES ................................................................................................................146 iv LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page A THE MORGENTHAU PLAN: APPENDIX B: PUNISHMENT OF CERTAIN WAR CRIMES AND TREATMENT OF SPECIAL GROUPS .............146 B SUBJECT: TRIAL OF EUROPEAN WAR CRIMINALS (BY COLONEL MURRAY C. BERNAYS, G-1) ....................................................149 C MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT, SUBJECT: TRIAL AND PUNISHMENT OF NAZI WAR CRIMINALS ........................................................153 D EXECUTIVE AGREEMENT RELATING TO THE PROSECUTION OF EUROPEAN AXIS WAR CRIMINALS ............................................................158 E AGREEMENT AND CHARTER .............................................................................166 F VERDICTS AND SENTENCING OF THE DEFENDANTS ..................................175 G BREAKDOWN OF COVERAGE BY NEWSPAPER .............................................176 v INTRODUCTION Prior to the Second World War, the concept of “war crimes” seldom registered on the global consciousness. In the decades that followed the Nuremberg Trials, the idea that the actions of a warring nation could be subject to criminal prosecution would resonate worldwide. Even before the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps and the recognition of the scope of Adolf Hitler‟s “Final Solution,” the Allies had begun planning the joint Anglo-American and Soviet prosecution of Hitler and his acolytes at the Moscow Conference of 1943. The signing of the Moscow Declaration signaled the first tangible step towards the creation of the International Military Tribunal (IMT) that would sit in judgment over the major war criminals. Over the next twenty-one months, the Allies constructed a method of trying the accused that would be both legal and satisfactory to the global community. On 20 November 1945, with the eyes of the world upon them, the IMT began its grim duty with the stated belief that the Trial of the Major War Criminals represented the antithesis of the Nazi regime, justice and, perhaps, mercy for those who offered none. However, questions regarding the legality of the IMT, the charges presented by the prosecution, the selection of defendants, as well as some of the final verdicts, divided the print media of the trial‟s principal architect, the United States. Although most major metropolitan American newspapers provided extensive coverage of the proceedings and, in doing so, addressed the criticisms levied against it, of the five publications chosen for this thesis the tone of that coverage remained consistent throughout the trial and reflected the political ideology of each publication. The five publications chosen