After the war in Europe, during 1945-46, a series of trials were conducted by an International Military Tribunal convened in Nuremberg, Germany, to call to account former Nazi leaders on charges of war crimes. The indictments lodged against each defendant consisted of a possible four counts: crimes against peace (the planning, instigation, and waging of wars of aggression in violation of international treaties and agreements), crimes against humanity (exterminations, deportations, and genocide), war crimes (violations of the accepted laws and international conventions of war), and conspiracy to commit any or all of the criminal acts listed in the first three counts.

The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg was convened pursuant to the London Agreement of August 8, 1945, which included a charter, signed by representatives from the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the provisional government of France, for a military tribunal to try major Axis war criminals whose offenses had no particular or specific geographic location. Subsequently, 19 other nations accepted the tribunal provisions of the agreement. The tribunal was authorized to find any individual guilty of the commission of war crimes (as specified in the three enumerated counts) and also to find any group or organization to be criminal in character. In the case of an organization determined to be criminal, tribunal prosecutors had the option of bringing individuals to trial for having been members. The defense would be barred from challenging the criminal nature of the group or organization.

The tribunal was made up of a member (plus an alternate member) selected by each of the four principal signatory countries. The first session was convened under the presidency of General I. T. Nikitchenko, the Soviet member, on October 18, 1945, in Berlin. At this session, 24 former Nazi leaders were charged with war crimes, and various groups (including the Gestapo) were charged as being criminal in character. After this first session, all others, beginning on November 20, 1945, were held in Nuremberg under the presidency of Lord Justice Geoffrey Lawrence, the British member. . .

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