Robert H. Jackson

By the summer of 1945, the American public was war weary. Most were just learning about the extent of the atrocities committed by the Nazis. The first reports of the mass extermination of Europe's Jews, for example, were only now coming to light. Even without knowing about the concentration camps, Americans would have wanted some measure of justice, or revenge, against the German leaders who had waged such a ferocious war. Given the U.S. role in winning the war, it would have been understandable if most Americans wanted their government to handle the trials of the Nazis, but politics and logistics required that the four major Allied powers cooperate in conducting the trial of the most prominent Nazis. Because the United States could not act alone, U.S. chief prosecutor Robert H. Jackson issued a statement on August 12, before...