The Harvard Law School Library uniquely owns and manages approximately one million pages of documents relating to the Nuremberg Trials: thirteen trials conducted just after World War II to prosecute leaders of the Nazi regime. To preserve the contents of these documents—which include trial transcripts and full trial exhibits—the library has undertaken a multi-stage digitization project to make the collection freely accessible online. This video offers a brief glimpse of the project and its dedicated staff.
Ben Ferencz, the last surviving Nuremberg prosecutor, has spent his life advocating for law, not war
In 1947, at the age of 27, Benjamin Ferencz ’43 served as chief prosecutor for the United States in the Einsatzgruppen Case at the Nuremberg Tribunal, in which 22 Nazi officials, including six generals, were charged with murdering more than 1 million people. All were convicted, and 13 were sentenced to death. The International Military Tribunals at Nuremberg are widely regarded to have changed the course of history. The term “genocide” was coined during the tribunals and the concept of crimes against humanity began to emerge. In 2014, Ferencz, known for his role at Nuremberg and for his work promoting an international rule of law and the creation of an International Criminal Court, was awarded Harvard Law School’s highest honor: the Medal of Freedom. In this video, Ferencz reflects on his life’s work advocating for law, not war.