‘This War Ends in a Courtroom’: Nuremberg (2025) and the Real Trials

This War Ends in a Courtroom: Nuremberg (2025) and the Real Trials

The Nuremberg Trials demonstrate how the Allies chose to conclude World War II through justice, relying on law instead of revenge to shape the postwar world. The trials opened a new chapter in international law by addressing crimes against peace on a historic level.

“The privilege of opening the first trial in history for crimes against the peace of the world imposes a grave responsibility. The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored because it cannot survive their being repeated. That four great nations, flushed with victory and stung with injury stay the hand of vengeance and voluntarily submit their captive enemies to the judgment of the law is one of the most significant tributes that Power has ever paid to Reason.”

During the trials, US Army psychiatrist Dr. Kelley examined 22 top-ranking Nazi officials captured by the Allies. He observed Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring as “positively jovial over my daily coming.” When Kelley left Nuremberg to return to the United States, Göring, one of the most notorious war criminals, “wept unashamedly.”

Kelley’s professional role was to assess and maintain the mental fitness of the imprisoned Nazis to ensure they could stand trial. Beyond this, he sought to understand the origins of their evil nature.

Key Facts

Author’s summary: The Nuremberg Trials set a historic legal precedent by prioritizing justice over revenge, as psychiatrists like Dr. Kelley worked to ensure the mental fitness of Nazi leaders facing prosecution.

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The National WWII Museum | New Orleans The National WWII Museum | New Orleans — 2025-11-07

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