A ‘Shot’ of Canada at the Nuremberg Trials

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Mark Kersten

Dear readers,

I recently had the unforgettable opportunity of visiting the premises of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunals, where senior officials of the Nazi regime – including Herman Goering, Rudolph Hess and Albert Speer, amongst others – were tried following the conclusion of WWII. Following my visit and a tour of the court, a wonderfully thoughtful curator, Henrike Zentgraf, was kind enough to send me two photographs of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King visiting the court and attending the trials. As an avid researcher of Canadian political history and international criminal justice, I was admittedly surprised to learn that King had even visited Nuremberg following the war. But it is possible that, as with so many other countries, Nuremberg marked the beginning of Canada’s support for post-conflict accountability and justice.

As many readers will know (I hope it’s not hard to tell!), I have a keen interest in photography. It is thus a great pleasure for me to share these two rare and stunning photographs of King attending the tribunals. The first depicts King sitting on the visitor’s balcony in the Nuremberg tribunal courtroom. The second photo is of King with two American judges John J. Parker and Francis Biddle.

(Photo: Museen der Stadt Nürnberg)

(Photo: Museen der Stadt Nürnberg)

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About Mark Kersten

Mark Kersten is an Assistant Professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, and a Senior Consultant at the Wayamo Foundation in Berlin, Germany. Mark is the founder of the blog Justice in Conflict and author of the book, published by Oxford University Press, by the same name. He holds an MSc and PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a BA (Hons) from the University of Guelph. Mark has previously been a Research Associate at the Refugee Law Project in Uganda, and as researcher at Justice Africa and Lawyers for Justice in Libya in London. He has taught courses on genocide studies, the politics of international law, transitional justice, diplomacy, and conflict and peace studies at the London School of Economics, SOAS, and University of Toronto. Mark’s research has appeared in numerous academic fora as well as in media publications such as The Globe and Mail, Al Jazeera, BBC, Foreign Policy, the CBC, Toronto Star, and The Washington Post. He has a passion for gardening, reading, hockey (on ice), date nights, late nights, Lego, and creating time for loved ones.
This entry was posted in Canada, International Law, Justice, Nuremberg, Nuremberg Trials and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

6 Responses to A ‘Shot’ of Canada at the Nuremberg Trials

  1. oxfordtourism's avatar Tourism Oxford says:
    November 9, 2012 at 1:56 pm

    This is fascinating. As a Canadian, I thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  2. Michael Pope's avatar Michael Pope says:
    December 2, 2016 at 5:53 pm

    Thanks for this. In the first photograph, the man to Mackenzie King’s right was my grandfather, Lt Gen. Maurice Arthur Pope (1889-1978), then Head of the Canadian Military Mission to Berlin.

    Reply
    • Mark Kersten's avatar Mark Kersten says:
      December 2, 2016 at 6:09 pm

      Dear Michael,

      That’s incredible. I’m so glad you reached out to share that information and it makes me even more happy to be able to share these photos.

      All the very best,

      Mark

      Reply
  3. John Q. Barrett's avatar John Q. Barrett says:
    October 28, 2020 at 2:53 pm

    Actually the man to Mackenzie King’s right in this photograph, which is lunch at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg on August 22, 1946, was France’s alternate judge on the International Military Tribunal, Robert Falco. He, including his bald spot, is recognizable by comparing this to many other photos of the IMT. And King dictated this as part of his diary entry of that date: “….I had lunch with the Judges as [U.S.] Judge [Francis] Biddle’s guest. I was given Biddle’s seat at the end of the table. [U.S. alternate] Judge Parker was to my left and one of the French Judges [was] to my right.”

    Reply
  4. Catherine McEwen's avatar Catherine McEwen says:
    January 5, 2025 at 3:36 pm

    DOES ANYONE KNOW THE NAMES OF THE CANADIAN MEN WHO TRANSCRIBED THE TRIALS AND MORSE CODED THEM BACK TO CANADA AS I BELIEVE MY DAD WAS ONE OF THESE ENCRYPTERS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AS HE WAS IN GERMANY FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AFTER THE WAR. ARE THERE ANY PICTURES OF THE ENCODERS.

    Reply
  5. Mark Kersten's avatar Mark Kersten says:
    January 12, 2025 at 3:30 pm

    Dear Catherine,

    Many thanks for your comment and question. I was not aware that Canadian men assisted in the proceedings. Do you have more information about that? I would be very, very keen to learn more about this. If you can, please do send me a line via e-mail, and I hope we can connect on this.

    Best,

    Mark

    Reply

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