Eight decades after the initiation of the Nuremberg Trials, where Nazi Germany leaders were prosecuted for war crimes, the entire collection of trial documents is now accessible online at no cost. The Harvard Law School Library devoted over 20 years to digitize more than 150,000 Nuremberg Trials documents, offering a searchable online database containing analysis, summaries, and visuals.
Paul Deschner, the lead of The Nuremberg Trials Project, emphasized the significance of this achievement, highlighting the importance of accessing these historical documents at any given time to comprehend the factors that lead to such events.
The website, known as The Nuremberg Trials Project, was launched on the 80th anniversary of the trials’ commencement on November 20, 1945. These trials aimed to hold Nazi leaders responsible for the atrocities committed during World War II, including the genocide of six million Jewish individuals during the Holocaust.
The trials, which resulted in the indictment of 24 defendants, with 19 convictions and 12 death sentences, played a crucial role in shaping the global approach to handling mass atrocities. However, Deschner expressed concern that the details of these trials and the preceding horrors are gradually fading from public memory, particularly among younger generations.
Harvard’s collection of Nuremberg Trial documents is considered the second largest globally outside of the U.S. National Archives, featuring complete trial transcripts, briefs, and evidence exhibits in English. The meticulous digitization process commenced in 1998 to preserve these historical records, preventing them from deteriorating further.
The ultimate goal of The Nuremberg Trials Project is to provide a comprehensive archive of a dark chapter in history, enabling individuals to learn from the past and recognize patterns that may resurface in the future. Deschner hopes that people will delve into this rich archive and utilize it as a tool to understand historical events and prevent their repetition.